December
2002
Mystery
Muncher
The
Archives
Lafayette Yard Marriott Hotel
1 West Lafayette Street
Trenton, NJ
(609) 421-4000
Something
different. Time for breakfast, or at the Yard, brunch. If you
haven't yet been to the hotel in Trenton, you are missing a neat
space. The designers have nestled the hotel and garage in this
old parking lot and they have made it quite convenient to get
to. Parking is easy, either outside along Lafayette or Warren,
or in the garage.
The lobby is spacious with marble and glass everywhere. We worked
our way around the corridor and while you're looking for the Archives,
take your time. There is a nice-sized brochure rack to let you
know where you can visit when you have finished brunch. The hotel
did a wonderful thing in buying a huge amount of works from the
local artists; Trenton's history both past and present is everywhere.
We were a little early (11:25) but were still seated promptly.
They were still bringing out the brunch and the coffee cups and
it was nice to see the attention to detail when a cup that was
about to be placed was removed since it did not pass muster. Before
taking the trip to the breakfast area, I sipped a very good cup
of coffee and enjoyed the ambiance of the room and the relaxing
jazz by a local duo.
Finally I got up to go to the food area and what did I see...several
kinds of cereal and every breakfast fruit imaginable from strawberries,
blueberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and grapefruit to
whole apples, oranges, and grapes. There were bagels and cream
cheese with lox, capers and onions or just butter and toast. The
fresh-baked rolls looked great or if your fancy desired, muffins.
Then there was crispy bacon and sausages, French toast strips
and scrambled eggs all ready to go. If you don't like the way
the breakfast meats are cooked, there is someone there to make
it fresh. That's service!
Then just as I thought it was all over there was a chef standing
there, ready to make your favorite omelet. I asked him to make
me his favorite omelet and he smiled. While I waited for his masterpiece
I turned around just in time to see a very nice plate of very
fresh shrimp arrive to the bay marie…hmm, time to add a plate.
The omelet I got was a western with mushrooms, peppers, ham, onions,
and a hint of garlic. It looked great. So off I went, back to
the table.
Sitting with the entire Muncher family was a real treat. It's
not often I get to capture all of them at once on a Sunday morning.
The omelet was delish! I sampled the shrimp-fabulous; the lox
was fresh, capers snappy and Bermuda onion fresh cut. I guess
I missed the pastry area because everyone else had cinnamon rolls,
croissants and the like. They looked good but I was too busy on
the samples that I had. Bacon was a little crispy and the sausages
a little dry but still good quality. I loved the bagel with cream
cheese and lox. That was shared by a few, and a Mimosa to wet
the palate was perfect.
The fruit was fresh cut and chilled just a touch for freshness
and it cleansed the old taste buds to a "T." I went
back to grab just a couple more shrimp, but wait! I walked around
the corner and there were two carving stations with a beautifully
cooked roast beef and a perfect turkey breast. I was in a dilemma
as I walked up to investigate. Forget the shrimp, I'm on a review.
I asked for just a taste of rare roasted beast, a smidgen of turkey
and what's this…poached salmon? Unbelievable, how much do
they think a person can eat? There was also broccoli and some
yams, but they'd have to wait. As I turned back to get back to
the table I almost knocked over a woman with a complete tray of
pies and desserts that included tarts, filling cups with fruit,
pecan pie, chocolate dream cake, brownies and cups of what I have
to describe as flavored air: a crème whipped and decorated
with all the fruit fillings too many to mention. It was a perfect
topping to this feast.
How they can do this for $18.95 is a mystery. I feel that they
might have broken even at our table but two tables over were a
group of people that I think were on their way to breaking the
bank. There was a good-sized crowd for the early hour and it was
steady. Our server Sonia was most pleasant. The service overall
was good and the food in both quality and quantity was definitely
up to par. It's a good thing there's a hotel here. I need to take
a nap!
The Muncher
