Cafe Lafayette

Nestled between the more-favoured Williamsburg and Park Slope neighbourhoods, stranded with only the G (for ghost) train to provide sparse service, Fort Greene is a beautiful, brownstoned part of Brooklyn that rarely sees my love. The last time I was there, years ago, I frequented a lovely taqueria on South Portland. This time, I met a friend for brunch at the Cafe Lafayette right across the street.

Cafe Lafayette is a small under-the-stairs type of joint (literally). Somehow the street-level window lighting does the cafe good. Its owners obviously adore the French bistro, right down to having current issues of Voici to be perused in the magazine rack. To be honest, the brunch wasn't anything special. My blueberry pancakes and her eggs benedict were standard fare. But I could tell that there was something more to the place that brought people there.

One of such examples was recounted to me this week. After dinner in the cafe, a woman divulged her accordion (she had just performed nearby) and started to sing Mexican folk songs to the restaurant. Soon, chairs were whisked out of the way and a small dance floor was created in the tiny establishment. Just a glimpse of bucolic charm in the city.

CONSUMED: Cafe Lafayette; 99 South Portland, Fort Greene (Brooklyn)