Show tunes and kitschy love songs can barely be heard above the roar of the crowd, which is largely under 30 and ranges from painfully hip to shabbily collegiate, with older minor moguls and tourists in the mix. A side room with a low ceiling is much more quiet and intimate, though it lacks the big windows facing the street. Hidden past a narrow arched door and beaded curtain is Fez, a dark, mock-Moroccan bar with plushy seats and Persian rugs, and hidden below that is an eclectic performance space. The mimosa is dull, made with fresh juice but ordinary champagne. The fruit plate is piled high with three kinds of melon plus pineapple, grapes, and berries, plus a bit of decorative citrus.
Coffee is very hot.
On my review visit to this downtown branch, my eggs Benedict's hollandaise sauce, lightly sprinkled with chopped chives, had well-balanced yolk and butter, but was salty. It had a dull finish from having sat too long before being served, leaving both the sauce and poached eggs barely warm. One egg was deflated, having lost half its yolk during cooking. Do not serve the food reviewer deflated eggs. The Canadian bacon had prominent grill lines but had been cooked too little, depriving it of flavor.