The Larder at Tavern
Sticky Bun
Almond Croissant
Salted Caramel Brownie
Carrot Cake
Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Snickerdoodle Cookie
Generally impressed by the food during brunch at A.O.C. despite high prices and service that fell somewhere between poor and nonexistent it was with plans for a leisurely breakfast that I entered Suzanne Goin’s Tavern, but with waitstaff again proving dismissive and downright neglectful of routine duties I quickly rerouted – the ‘larder’ up front a far more casual affair with several pastries tempting behind glass. In essence grab-n’-go, though indoor seating is available with the same menu offered as that in the restaurant, it was entirely in pastry that I invested my appetite and although a request to warm the sticky bun was met with a curt ‘yeah, fine’ by the girl at the counter the rest of the experience was pleasant enough while the goods offered were hit and miss despite being expensive across the board. Beginning first with the aforementioned bun, as nothing else was served until it was warmed, the nut studded brioche can best be called ‘one-note’ given the substantially sweet caramel and moving on to a croissant I expected to disappoint even when I ordered it the results were mostly the same – an odd layer of frosting tossing aside any semblance of nuance and tiling the whole thing sweet despite a nice shatter to the shell. Again underwhelmed by a brownie whose richness overwhelmed any contribution from the lacquer of caramel it was finally in densely spiced carrot cake that Tavern found reprieve and with light ribbons of tangy cream cheese juxtaposing moist cake I’d actually recommend those interested give the Larder a chance if only to buy a slice. Rounding out the order with a trio of cookies that were enjoyed later in the day the Snickerdoodle unfortunately pulled up lame with too much sugar and not enough cinnamon, but faring better the chewy chocolate chip (with a ‘crunchy’ option also available) and the textbook oatmeal raisin were both quite excellent, although perhaps a bit overpriced at $1.95 each.
RECOMMENDED: Carrot Cake, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
AVOID: Almond Croissant, Salted Caramel Brownie
TIP: Parking in the lot next door is offered for two hours, free of charge with validation.
http://tavernla.com/the-larder.html
