Today's choice off the Breakfast Menu was the Apple Streusel French Toast from Take The Cake.
Today the wife and I went to Take the Cake down in Northside. I read about them on Citybeat, and heard really good things. We set out a little later than we planned and walked into a huge crowd, which was a good and a bad sign. We braved it, and were pretty glad we did. I came for the Blackberry Cobbler French Toast Bread Pudding, but they ran out by the time we got there.
Restaurant:
Take The Cake was a nice place, but it was small, and crowded. There was a steady roar of conversation in the room the entire time we were there. There was a line in the room, but it moved along. You had to give your order at the counter and then wait for a seat to open up. This process worked pretty smoothly but there were a few people just hanging out long after they had eaten. The regulars knew to commandeer chairs as they opened up. The crowd was pretty trendy bunch. They were mostly young, which was not the usual crowd we see at brunch. The crowd thinned out a few times while we were there, but for the most part it was a pretty jumping place.
Their brunch menu changes from week to week. They put it up on a chalkboard so they can erase when something runs out. The menu looks pretty good, with a few biscuit entries, like sausage and gravy with buttermilk biscuits, Italian biscuit, as well as the French toast bread pudding, which is a mix of bread pudding and French toast. They also serve pastries like cupcakes, and brownies and other treats.
The Food:
I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan Frittata, and the Apple Steusel French Toast Bread Pudding. My wife ordered the Shrimp & Grits Gumbo Style w Okra & Ham.
The verdict:
The Frittata was delicious. It had sliced eggplant inside. It was very fluffy with a good egg flavor. I wanted to add salt to it, but it didn’t really need it. Fortunately there were no condiments nearby, so I didn’t mess with it. It was really good.The fruit salad that accompanied it was also good. It had huge chunks of fruit that were tasty and pretty fresh. I enjoyed the whole meal very much, and I would definitely order another frittata there. It was a little thicker, and fluffier than some other places serve, more like a casserole, but it was delicious.
The Apple Streusel French Toast Bread Pudding was interesting. It was more bread pudding than French Toast. It had an egg flavor to it but was mostly bready and streusel. It had chunks of apple all over. It was really good but I would consider it more of a dessert than a dish. It came with made from scratch whipped cream which I love, and enjoyed. I am not sure I would order this dish again, since it was so rich. I mean, I would definitely love it as a dessert, but it does not quite fit with my ideas about Brunch.
My wife had the Shrimp & Grits Gumbo Style w Okra & Ham. She really liked it. She said it was very spicy, which meant that she did not have to add any additional hot sauce to the dish. She said it had full size bites of shrimp that were luscious and tasty. (I didn’t try her dish because I am not a fan of spicy foods). She also said the grits were pretty rich and creamy.
Overall Experience:
I give the whole experience 4 out of 5 broken eggs:
The food was really good. I enjoyed everything we ate. I liked the French Toast Bread Pudding even though I would prefer it as a straight dessert. The wait and the room was a little annoying but it was worth the food we had. I would definitely go there again.
For more information on the location:
Take the Cake
4035 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Neighborhood: Northside
Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Friday: 8am-6pm
Saturday: 8am-4pm
Sunday Brunch: 9am-2pm
Website: http://takethecakecincinnati.com/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/TaketheCakeCafe
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