French toast at Cafe Joul
Sunday is just around the corner, folks. And as any bruncher worth their weight in hollandaise will tell you, mimosas wait for no one. Here to help you with your weekend plans: our weekly brunch review. Today: Cafe Joul.
The Place: 1070 First Ave between 58th and 59th Sts (212-759-3131)
The wait: Brunch service begins at 10:30am. We walked in an hour after that, feeling certain that in this neighborhood of dressed-up Italian restaurants and soulless greasy spoons, the sole adorable French bistro would be fairly packed. How wrong we were: Other than a lone senior citizen sipping coffee by the window, the restaurant was empty. Bummed out by the dearth of people-watching opps, we reluctantly chose a cozy table for two in the back. By 12:30, the restaurant had reached about three-quarter capacity—with plenty of ritzy Upper East Siders to gawk at.
Cafe Joul's copious bread basket
The deal: The $21 prix-fixe (the only option) isn’t cheap, but it’s certainly generous. Choose between fresh-squeezed orange juice, a bellini or mimosa, and a coffee or tea. A heaping basket of pastries comes next. The bounty includes corn muffins, buttery chocolate and regular croissants, plus a few types of Danish. The pastries themselves aren’t mind-blowing (they’re made off-site), but they’re fresh and served with two types of Sarabeth’s jam. We picked at the offerings and then had them wrapped up for later.
Delicious? Our entrée of brioche French toast could have been fluffier, but its flavor—slightly sweet with just a hint of bitter orange—was spot on, especially after a generous dose of maple syrup and homemade whipped cream. The salmon burger was warm and flaky, topped with salty pickles and served on a soft brioche roll.
The service: Hate to say it, but it was just a little too quick. We had every intention of vegging out, but our meals were served just a few minutes after the bread basket landed on our table. With so much food coming our way, we would have appreciated a slower pace.
The verdict: During a recession, this pricey option might feel like an unnecessary splurge. Save your visit for a special occasion or a bourgie date.—Julia Israel
As the owner of Cafe Joul, I’d like to respond to the comment about our service and the claim that our brunch is pricey.
As Ms. Israel noted, our offering is a “generous” one. A brunch beverage, a “heaping basket” of pastries, a large entree (from a large selection) and a coffee or tea - that’s a deal in my book especially given the fact that everything is fresh and copious and only quality ingredients are used. So, I think she contradicts herself her a bit by subsequently calling it pricey. While it may be too expensive for some, brunch at Cafe Joul is nonetheless a great value.
Our servers are the friendliest in town and bend over backwards to accommodate a sometimes demanding crowd. The charge that food came too fast makes me chuckle a bit because the one thing we try to do all the time is please our customers who are constantly asking us to speed things up with their main course at brunch. I would also call your attention to a review of brunch at Cafe Joul on the site uppereastside.com where the reviewer compliments us, writing that we are perfectly “non-rushing” as a bistro should be.
Oh well, in this business you just can’t please all the people, all the time.
I appreciate the recognition Ms. Isreal gives to the quality of our food and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Cheers,
Heidi Vernejoul