But the French toast withstood the scrutiny of a family that considers itself connoisseurs of the genre: thick and substantial, soft inside, well-browned outside and not forgetting to taste like bread. The ingredients were not as melded together as in the sandwich approach, and it took a little work to make sure each bite was balanced. While a true Monte Cristo sandwich is more like a grilled cheese with the fillings between two slices of grilled toast, here the fillings were transformed into toppings, with the cheese lightly melted, the ham layered on in a lattice of slices, and the jam in one big dollop in the center. Monte Cristo French toast split the difference between sweet and savory with ham, Swiss and apricot jam. Only the vegetables’ texture, in theory a pleasing contrast, stood out a bit too much. To be clear, that’s not a complaint: The depth of flavor was amazing. Within were thin, tender slices of beef, pleasingly chewy slices of dark, earthy mushroom, still-crisp peppers and onions, and a gorgonzola sauce that was so intense and rich that Jason had to take little breaks to rest his palate. The crepe itself was tender, the banana ripe and the peanut butter’s creamy sweetness was set off perfectly by the bacon’s smoky saltiness, but next time, we’ll order syrup on the side.īy contrast, the “Kordon” savory crepe was neatly folded into a plump rectangle and lightly pressed for a light crust. And we mean drowned the pool of syrup nearly submerged the crepe in the shallow dish of the plate. On the sweet side, the aforementioned Elvis crepe was thinly spread with peanut butter, then folded into triangles, generously topped with banana slices and three slices of applewood bacon, then drowned in maple syrup. Caffe Mona prides itself on its excellent coffee and would be a nice place to linger over a cup, food aside.īut for us, food was front and center, and we sampled as much of the menu as four people could. In good weather, a nicely sized rear deck offers outdoor dining away from the traffic of Penn Avenue. Its cozy, faintly bohemian, coffee-house atmosphere is enhanced by a charming mural of nature in silhouette and a couple large paintings. Located in a storefront across from Children’s Hospital, Caffe Mona is deep and narrow, with a coffee bar as a buffer between the street and the brick-walled dining room. Caffe Mona has something for nearly everyone. Other concoctions, such as the Elvis crepe, are more whimsical, but if straight-up butter and syrup or preserves are more your style, you can have that, too. But it never strays into fussy territory, and several salutary combos are available in sandwich or crepe form. only to find out that breakfast closed while you were parking the car.Ĭombinations such as turkey, apple, homemade fig jam, avocado and smoked gouda put Caffe Mona a notch above delis and diners. (except weekends, when the cafe sleeps in till 9), so there’s no rolling in at 11:05 a.m. Everything is available all day from 7 a.m. Its menu of omelets and sandwiches, French toast and salads, and crepes both savory and sweet spans breakfast and lunch. What’s really needed is the breakfast equivalent of a lot of lunch places: a casual dining room and a range of simple, satisfying, well-prepared items - not all of them griddled - at reasonable prices, easygoing enough for catching a bite with friends but “nice” enough to serve food on real plates.Ĭaffe Mona sits right at that sweet spot. You’ve got your diners and you’ve got your fancy brunch splurges fit for Mothers’ Day or Easter, and in between, little creperies and coffee shops that offer a tempting morsel or two. Breakfast, of all meals, tends to exist at either end of the dining-out spectrum.
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