I ordered the smoked salmon, which came on a bed of delicate potatoes and topped with perfectly, just perfectly poached eggs and red pepper Hollandaise sauce.
PHOTO TAKEN BY SOME GUYMy boyfriend asked me how I would rate the dish on a scale of 1-5, and I replied with a solid 4.2. He remarked that it seemed like quite a tough rating, given how pretty the dish looked and also that I ate it in fifty-seven seconds. However, I've sampled a good lot of Eggs Benedict in my life -- the title "Eggs Benedict Connoisseur" appears twice in my professional CV -- and I'd have to say that while this dish is certainly a lovely interpretation of that timeless favorite, I can't in good conscience say it compares to the one I had at the Wolseley, or Balthazar.
And just in case you want to punch me in the face for fancying myself a food critic, I'll have you know that Charlie himself came to our table and asked us what publication we were from. I sheepishly admitted that I routinely take photos of restaurant food with a camera the size of a single-engine plane just for kicks. I really should have told him that I'm the editor of ericadelacruz.com, and that I would've appreciated a personal tour of his sweet-looking kitchen.
My last comment about the cafe is that its restrooms have the same bum-warming toilets that I love at Google -- nice touch.
Customarily, here's a photo of Chuck looking cute:
