Review: Greenup Café

I used to live on Greenup Street, and often walked down to Wildflour for breakfast, or Scalea's for a sandwich (I don't remember its name-- and they had such clever names!) that involved salted rye, cheddar, mounds of rare roast beef and coleslaw. Both of them are gone now-- Scalea's was replaced with Pho Paris, and now Chalk, and Wildflour has been replaced with Jean-Robert's Greenup Cafe.

I suppose I've been to Greenup Café about ten times -- twice for dinner, twice for lunch, and the rest for breakfast. I won't say much about lunch and dinner except that the fresh ingredients, simple preparations, and seasonal ingredients make for meals you don't want to miss. Again, since they're seasonal, any items I talk about won't be on the menu-- just trust me, it's worth it both for the quality of food, casual atmosphere, and good price.

Breakfast is, to me, really where Greenup Café shines. Their pastries, made by Chef de Chocolat Jean-Phillippe Solnom, are as good as (if not better than) the stuff I got last month in Paris. The croissants are flaky, buttery, and light as air; the tarts are both beautiful to look at and delicious, and the pot de créme (a baked custard; at Greenup, it is usually chocolate) and crème brûlée are both amazing (though not really a breakfast food. Not that I've ever eaten them for breakfast...). Just stopping in for pastries and one of their spicy, not-too-sweet chai lattes is a treat in itself.

However, since my friend Kasmira and I wanted to relax a little while we ate, we went for breakfast. Kasmira and I had gone there once before for breakfast and she envied my pain perdu (french toast made out of croissants, in this case), until she saw their tart du jour-- goat cheese, red pepper and onion. Yum! I had their quiche sage-- caramelized onions and sage in a delicious crust-- and a small side salad topped with radishes and Dijon vinaigrette. Other featured items on the menu are "Wannabe" Wildflour huevos rancheros, croque monsieur, pancakes, omelettes-- a nice variety. I try to get something different each time, and every time I've thoroughly enjoyed my meal.


Greenup Café does accept reservations for dinner, but not for breakfast or brunch-- if you're an early bird, you'll probably walk right in, but it does get crowded around noon on both Saturdays and Sundays. You can grab coffee and pastries while you wait, so the wait is not unenjoyable.

Who do you think does the best brunch in town? Comment here, let me know, and I'll try it out!