French Toast

I. Love. French toast. Too much. It’s one of the first things I learned to cook as a teenager and have some excellent recipes for this sweet breakfast/lunch/brunch/dinner-on-one-of-those-nights. Because I can make some pretty decent versions myself,  I do not often order it at restaurants as I figure, “meh. I can make it at home.”

Then I went to Bonjour Brioche.

It looked unassuming enough: “baked french toast with fruit and maple syrup.” I’d have overlooked it completely if a coworker hadn’t happened to mention that he’d had it and then proceeded to explain – in abundant detail – its delicious properties. “But you have to be the mood for something sweet,” he warned.

I vacillated between the toast and the Croque Madam, but eventually decided to follow my sweet tooth. I was not led astray. Two giant, well, slabs of chocolate- and cinnamon-infused brioche arrived at the table, the streusel on top held to the top crust of the loaf with what can only be  assumed was pure, liquid sugar. I love syrup and generally tend to drown the pancake/waffle/french toast I’m eating. This time, I tried to drizzle as opposed do drench and I’m glad I did. With one bite into that warm, scrumptious, intensely sweet brioche I was in Sugar Heaven. The tiny swirls of chocolate melted and oozed out forkful after forkful. A slightly tart bite of the fruit on the side cut through the intense sweetness of the french toast and then it’d be right back to the main event.

I finished those massive slices of french toast with what can only be described as a vengeance. Those suckers were going down! My brunchmates, who went for the very yummy quiche Lorraine, were not offered bites…though I didn’t feel too badly as they opted for a chocolate croissant and a clafoutis, respectively. Having had dessert for my main meal, I just had some coffee.

The consequent sugar coma of this dish was totally worth it. I returned home after hyperactively making  my way through the city, excitedly explained the french toast to my husband and then collapsed on the couch, visions of cinnamon, maple syrup and streusel dancing in my head. I will be back to Bonjour Brioche, without question, and will definitely try some other things on the menu as it all looked fresh and appetizing. But I will, no doubt, hear that siren call of the french toast…