Joe's Coffee Shop

The menu promised 'artisanal challah soaked in Madagascar vanilla custard.' What arrived was wet bread that hadn't seen enough time in the pan.

The exterior lacked any semblance of caramelization. The interior was dense and undercooked, with pockets of raw egg mixture that hadn't set properly. Someone in that kitchen needed to learn what heat does.

The presentation attempted to compensate—berries arranged with surgical precision, a dramatic dusting of powdered sugar, a small jar of 'house-made' compote that tasted suspiciously like jam from a jar. None of it addressed the fundamental problem: the french toast itself was bad.

At $18, this represented poor judgment all around. The challah was good bread wasted on inexperienced execution. The coffee was fine.

Would not return.