Cafe Medina
On one recent sunny Sunday morning, a few friends and I patiently waited our turn for Cafe Medina goodness. We watched from outside as crispy Belgian waffles made their way to the bustling tables inside the restaurant and the crowd of hungry breakfast patrons standing beside us continue to grow.
Most people have been to Cafe Medina before so I’ll skip much of the description, but it’s been vastly popular for a long time. Lineups on a weekend morning are always a given, regardless of weather.
We had a smooth, steamy latte each to start off.
I ordered La Santé - a soft boiled egg, tomato with olive tapenade, avocado, prosciutto, olive oil + balsamic, and grilled ciabatta. I also had some baba ganoush on the side.
The soft boiled egg is delicate and accompanied with some sea salt and herbs on the side.
The tomato was hearty and flavorful, and the tapenade wasn’t bad. It takes a pretty punchy tapenade to wow me, however.
Post-massacre egg. Peek in the background: deep fried pita.
Belgian waffle with raspberry caramel.
I’m not crazy about Cafe Medina as some people are. It’s nice, food’s well presented, service is good, and the space is lovely, but it’s not really my cup of tea. I feel that the food is a touch too oily and salty even with the sensible portion sizes. I’ve tried the cassoulet before and it’s pretty great, but I just didn’t feel so hot afterward. I didn’t feel too hot after this meal either - the baba ganoush was a tad too smoky and the fried pita was probably too greasy for brunch. I also only had one slice of avocado as the other piece was too raw.
I don’t find the waffles to be particularly exciting either. Maybe I’m missing something here that everyone else has honed in on? I find that being blasé about Cafe Medina usually elicits some strong feelings from diehard fans (e.g. outrage at my blasphemy) but I mean.. it’s alright. Cafe Meh-dina. I don’t see what the fuss is about. Well, whatever y’all like.
