Restaurant Review : Café Lalo

     After going under the needle and knife at my gentle and charming Doctor's, to have two moles removed, I am happy to report a "clean bill of health"!  Lewis encouragingly waited at Dr. Howard Scheiner's office (in Hell's Kitchen) during the procedure.  I think that office has the nicest nurses, too!  The two ladies, Karen and Merlin, were singing "Happy Birthday" over the phone to a patient.  When they were done, one got on the phone and after a moment, said, "Well, you can't be angry with us.  We have TWO birthdates for you on file, so we wanted to be sure!"  How cute is that??!!  
     Afterwards, Lewis brought me uptown to Café Lalo, for quick recuperation, where I sat near an open window and had quiche and ginger/lemongrass tea.  I love eateries that afford open windows--especially on quiet shady streets.

     As I sat looking at the passersby, I saw a spikey-haired Latin fellow come up from a basement apartment and head down the street.  Five minutes later, my imagination conjured a cute scenario, as another young Latin fellow came from the opposite direction, holding a small bouquet, and went down into the same basement apartment.  I was waiting for the rotation of a third, but alas, no (or not enough time transpired, lol).

     Lalo is an airy place, with cozy seating, yet it can get quickly crowded on holidays or for weekend brunch… sometimes even for midnight snacks!  It's a great place to pause during midday or pop into before/after the movies.  Part of the allure is the delicious handmade baked goods.  The French tarts, galettes, and croissants are pure flaky buttery perfection!  Their Russian coffee cake, Tiramisu, sweet potato pie, walnut ice box cookies, Spumoni, Papatelle Biscotti, and S'mores are wonderful.  Crepes and omelets that win your palate.  Perfectly-baked bread for sandwiches.  Their extensive menu is free of trans-fats, they offer take-out food, and their refreshments are well-made and flavorful.  They use local and organic ingredients: eggs, veggies, juice, soy milk, meat.  They use organic Fair-trade shade-grown coffee.  Even organic eco-friendly biodegradable teabags (made of unbleached paper)!  Their cheese menu is full of perfectly-ripened small-batch selections from across Europe… and Vermont.  Yet, you can also get "NYC staples" like an Eggcream.

     Naturally, it's a great place for "people watching", and this time there also was a variation on the expression.  An otherwise quiet, mild day with light foot traffic outside was interrupted by a mob of Asian tourists coming down the sidewalk, snapping pictures.  (I thought that stereotype had gone away with the American 1980s movies).  Twelve or more cameras clicked at all of us eating our food in front of the large open hinged windows, and then they came inside and palavered all around, taking more pictures, studying the ceiling, buying a few confections, and then they individually filed out.  They proceeded to a "Screen Scenes" tour bus (Café Lalo has been in several movie scenes, like "You've Got Mail").

     I was very nonchalant at this "New York experience", but I felt bad for the couple seemingly on their Second Date (or sharing lunch after a first sleepover), who had tried for a cozy corner.  But... that's part of the fun at dining at cozy--yet iconic--places!