Lafayette Circle Cafe

This last Sunday, Ted said he would like to go to lunch, and he would like to go somewhere that we had never tried before. Maybe it's all part of his 2005 New Year's Resolution to eat new things...that's a good resolution, and so much easier to keep than flossing regularly (sorry Dr. Ochikubo!). So he threw down the gauntlet and said we would go to downtown Lafayette, and find a new place to eat. Well, I wasn't in the mood for Chinese or Mexican food, and we had eaten everywhere else...or had we? We found ourselves walking toward Chow, which is mighty tasty and probably worth it's own review, when we spotted a house about 1/2 block further down the road, with a sign in front that said "Lafayette Circle Cafe and Tea Room". We thought we'd give it a try. When you come through the door, you find a restaurant that is obviously a renovated house, with little rooms of two or three tables each. It was that time of day when we could choose to order off of the brunch menu, or the lunch menu. We chose brunch. Ted ordered a crab benedict, which he said was very tasty, and came with crispy hash browns and fruit. Maya and I chose omlettes. Maya's was chedder cheese and bacon, and her only complaint was that the cheese was only on the outside of the omlette, not on the inside. That didn't seem to slow her down much. My omlette was bacon, green onions, and wild mushrooms. Very tasty, and all of my ingredients were INSIDE the omlette. The omlettes were fluffy and tasty, and I also were served with hash browns and fruit. I would have liked a bit more fruit on my plate, more of a side than a garnish, but they probably end up throwing a lot of fruit away, as the omlettes are pretty big.

The service was friendly and effecient. The table next to us apparantly had to wait quite awhile for their food, because the waitress came and explained to them that they had two parties of 15 that were just before them, and as it is a small kitchen, it really slowed things down for everyone else. They people at the table didn't mind, they were enjoying their lazy Sunday afternoon. Then a few minutes later the owner also came over to apologise to them for their wait. So it seems that they really do take the time to make sure you are happy.

The only downside was that Ted said his coffee wasn't very good. It had a burnt flavor to it that he suspected was the type of coffee they use rather than the coffee actually being burnt.

If you're ever looking for a place to "Do Tea", this might just be the place. I haven't seen any others this far out in the East Bay, but the Tea menu includes all of the requirements, like cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad, smoked salmon, quiche, tarts, and scones served with Devonshire Cream and Strawberry Preserves. Not inexpensive at $23 per person, but it might be a fun way to spend an afternoon. They have a 'teddy bear' tea for kids that is $25 per child and includes a teddy bear. Might be a fun birthday sometime. Hmmmm.