While the days of the dial up modem and AOL are now long gone, to many social media obsessed, the late 90s movie, You’ve Got Mail! is seen as the very first movie about online life. Though it seems that Starbucks was the major “star” when it came to real places (side note: one thing I never got was why Meg Ryan’s character got her caffeine fix there when she had major issues with large corporations. She really should have been supporting indie cafes), one of the other prominent restaurants was Cafe Lalo, the restaurant where she was to meet Tom Hanks, but didn’t because she thought he was a no-show (she didn’t know the person she was to meet was Tom Hanks at the time). The restaurant even has a display of stills from the movie outside (above).
Brunch at Cafe Lalo is not just a weekend affair. The menu is available all week until 4 pm (oatmeal until 1 pm) and it is big. They’re also known for their steamed eggs – sort of a cross between scrambled eggs and omelettes, steamed rather than cooked in oil or butter. This is one of a few times I’ve seen steamed eggs on a restaurant menu. There’s also an “international menu” as well, featuring combos of at least two items such as yogurt, fruit and muesli or granola (Swiss Breakfast) or oatmeal, raisins, hazelnuts, fruit, honey and milk or cream (Irish breakfast). I ordered the Italian breakfast (below), which was a combination of steamed eggs with goat cheese, tomato, oregano and fresh basil with a choice of rosemary or olive twist bread. The meal also came with a salad, making it much lighter (and my body happier) than the typical potato side many breakfast places offer. Texture-wise, the eggs are a little mushy, but you can’t really escape that with steamed eggs. Besides, it tastes good. Cafe Lalo also boasts a diverse range of caffeinated drinks and espresso drinks are not accompanied by any old piece of chocolate, but with a mini Toblerone bar (above).
Though the brunch choices were absolutely delicious, Cafe Lalo is probably better known for its desserts. Cakes, pies and tarts, all available by the slice or pre-order for pick-up or delivery, range by the dozens and range in several different sizes, including six choices (6″ to 14″) for cakes. Choices include Bailey’s Irish Cream mousse cake, amaretto tiramisu as well as classics like black forest and carrot cakes as well as apple and Key Lime pies. I didn’t get a chance to have any dessert this time around, but will definitely do so at my next New York visit!
