I have wanted to try this restaurant for over 4 years. I don’t remember where I found it listed, but it was just before the Pandemic, and they were the first restaurant I discovered that offered outdoor dining in an igloo. Ed also found it on his own and reserved a table for us for brunch for Date Day on Saturday, April 29.
The igloos were already down for the season (or for good),
so we dined inside. We were the first patrons in for the day at 10AM. We were
seated by a window and even with a dreary, chilly morning outside the ambient
light was just right for the first meal of the day.
The ambiance pleads for nightlife and a crowd. The décor is
simple, with a mild jazz flare. There are three large paintings on one wall in
bright red, black and white colors. The bar is small. The tables are spaced far
enough apart to allow for free movement and casual conversation that doesn’t
overlap with anyone dining nearby.
The menu was not your traditional breakfast or brunch menu. There
was no buffet, and the listing was not three pages of sticky, laminated declarations
of eggs made every way possible. It was a one-page menu with very specific
dishes, some more breakfast than others, and some more lunch than others. This
is clearly a casual, but up-scale restaurant that serves brunch, versus a breakfast joint that
serves lunch or dinner.
At first, I was a little frustrated, and longed for a more
traditional breakfast menu. I decided to try the Croque Madam: French Toast, Ham, Swiss, Mustard Maple, Fried
Egg. I am usually not an all-on-your-plate and all-in-one-place kind of gal
when it comes to food. I like my foods separate, even if “they’re all going to
the same place,” as my uncle Bobby used to say. Our server explained that it
was indeed a layered dish. Ed ordered the steak and eggs.
While we waited for our food, we ordered coffee and mimosas.
There was nothing special there except the beautiful, inverted-triangle shaped
glasses, instead of the traditional rounded flute. The second round of mimosas
livened things up! We opted for the Butterfly Pea that changes the color of the
drink, but doesn’t add flavor, so they say. (If you’re going to drink something
with the word “pee,” a butterfly seems the most appropriate to stomach!) The
pomegranate mimosa that was once cranberry colored became the most beautiful, vivid
shade of purple!
When our food arrived, I was a little suspect of the dish I
had ordered. The visual of the fried egg on top of ham and cheese, on top of
French Toast, with mustard seeds rolling off the whole thing in a maple
drizzle, did not look appetizing to me. I know I squinted up my nose as I cut
my first bite.
It was literally, the BEST breakfast I have ever had! The
savory and the sweet paired perfectly. The bread was soft, yet firm, and not
dry. The ham was tender, and the mustard maple was delicious. If I had one
complaint, the fried egg was just a little on the rare side for me. I
like the yoke runny, but the albumen just a bit firmer than it was. The white
of the egg was cooked more like a poached egg.
Ed took one bite of his steak and couldn’t stop raving about
its tenderness and flavor! It was a small piece of meat, about the size of his
palm, and only about 3/8” thickness, but they had still managed to cook it to perfect
medium temperature. He, like I, ate every bite!
We left Lock 50 with full bellies and an earnest desire to
return for a meal at another time. The restaurant serves dinner and offers live
music on many nights. We are eager to try it for another Date and experience
other aspects of the menu and atmosphere.