Where: Café Bagutta (1241 Amsterdam Ave -- between 121 St. & Morningside Dr.) 
Fare:  French-American Bistro 

The first weekend that we lived in the apartment, and had enough free time to actually venture outside of our walls, we decided it was a perfect time to check out brunch spots. Our first try was Café Bagutta, just a few short blocks from our apartment. The decor is inviting enough, with cushy pillow-backed benches and wood chairs that creak just enough to make you feel relaxed.



I ordered the waffles with berries and cream and Grant got one of the sign-board specials -- pancakes, eggs and chorizo. The food itself was pretty good. The waffles were homemade and, delightfully, so was the cream. Honestly, there are few better combos than waffles, berries and cream.



Grant liked his, too. Chorizo is a favorite of ours, but the links were a bit overcooked. The pancakes were nothing to write home about. And, unfortunately, the eggs were a bit runnier than he'd have preferred. That's probably due to the fact that the server forgot to put in the egg order and had to rush to get them out to Grant before we left.

That's where the problems with Café Bagutta come in. The service has been pretty awful both times that we went in (yes, I liked the waffles enough that I went back for more!). We've only been in for Sunday brunch and both times there was only one server working. The place is equipped for probably 20 tables. That's just too much for any one server to give great service to.

So the service wasn't all that great, but if you have a lazy afternoon to spend, I'd recommend grabbing some of those waffles!


Food: 8
Atmosphere: 6
Service: 4