Cafe Saint-Ex (U St. Area)
1847 14 St., NW

(1-5 Eggs)

General: (3)

Saint-Ex is your American brunch staple in DC. I had been to Saint-Ex mainly for drinks (their draft beer selection is awesome) but never exclusively for food, so I didn’t know what to expect. Its popularity drew us there and our experience provided an explanation for it: convenience. The crowd seemed hip and laid back, food well-priced, and location fairly central. Its food, running between $7-$11, is on par with the majority of casual brunches but not very distinct from other’s foods either . Its popularity, however, leads to long waits for a table.

Ambiance: (3.5)

I have to admit that due to my past experience I have a bias towards thinking Saint-Ex has the feel of a pub. It is dimly lit, fairly noisy, and a bit crowded. The decor is aviation themed and well done, and it definitely gives Saint-Ex character. The dining room ambiance has a very ‘real’ feel to it that is neither contrived nor generic. This character is partly what attracts people and gives the restaurant so much appeal.

Coffee: (2.5)

The coffee we were served was well brewed although slightly stale tasting. Its acidity was moderate to strong giving it that slightly stale taste. One of the main strikes against its coffee (and tea specially) was that they were served at luke-warm to warm temperatures. And finally, tea drinkers be aware: its difficult to avoid spilling tea when serving yourself from their tea pots.

Service: (3.5)

Our service at Saint-Ex was courteous and effective. Food came out in good timing and all of the orders came out right. There were no specially distinguishing characteristics from the service other than it wasn’t bad.

Food: (3)

Their food was pretty average, not distinct from many places like mentioned earlier. Some of their dishes were somewhat original though, like their fried green tomato benedict. Most of the benedict dishes had the eggs over-poached (more like a hardboiled egg), and their Hollandaise too creamy and lemony. Also, some of the ingredients they used were not too flavorful, like their salmon. Their only vegetarian (egg-less) offering was the soup and salad meal. The soup, someone in our group complained, tasted a bit like barbecue sauce and their salad was made up of only mixed greens. Other than this most of the food was enjoyable.