Cafe No Se.

Look, I'm FINALLY putting up something new.  Apologies.

So, my dining companion and I were sitting around saying "I don't know.  Where do YOU want to have brunch?"  while I was leafing through Austin magazine.  It was their year end, best of issue.  I found a little blurb about a place called 'Cafe No Se' that had recently opened on South Congress.

He said he was up to try something new. I got us a table and off we went.

Cafe No Se (which translates to the "I Don't Know Cafe") opened about 3 months ago in the South Congress Hotel, which also opened about 3 months ago.

South Congress was, at one time, a nasty part of town that featured drugs, prostitutes and violence.  Now, it's got a quirky, local, arty, vibe which maintains an upscale aura.  It's laid back and a cool part of town.  If you dropped me there, I could immediately tell you where I was.

Cafe No Se fits right in.  The interior is crisp and clean with whitewashed, plank walls, hammered tin behind the wall shelving and light wood tables.  A few gorgeous, abstract paintings are hung. There are huge windows that look right out onto South Congress, so if you're a people watcher you have ample opportunity.

The servers, likewise, are crisply attired in white button downs, khakis and light denim aprons.

There's a nice little patio space outside that can easily accommodate bigger parties.  There was a BIG table set up in the center of the restaurant when we arrived, easily for 16, obviously for a reservation. 

We found an unmolested New York Times on a side table, so I got to sit and read the Book Review, showing everyone how smart I am.

Charlie took care of us and he did a great job.  He was attentive but didn't hover.  Was casual in his approach but you could tell he was paying attention.

This restaurant offers french press coffee, which is my favorite.  The press is brought right to your table and you can let it brew as long as you like.  Tea is served in an individual pot with a basket built into the lid.

I waffled for a while but chose to go with their daily scramble.  This changes from day to day but is always 2 eggs scrambled with something.  I got to have them with butternut squash and kale.  Then some Parmesan cheese was added to the top, adding the salt it needed. I thought it was great. It comes with an arugula salad.  I'm not arugula's best friend, which probably loses me points on the food snob scale, but I'm still not eating it  so I can't tell you how it was. 

(An aside here. Arugula is huge in Austin.  Almost every nicer restaurant I've been to this year features arugula.  Salads, sandwiches, on top as a garnish, blended into smoothies this stuff is all over the place.  What is it with arugula. I'll be pleased when we move on to a leafy green that I like.)

But I did like the sausage patties, although my friend tasted it and said "You can have the rest of that." This translates to: Ew.   They're on the sweet side, like an English sausage, and the consistency was moist, like it's supposed to be. And no anise seeds in it.  That drives me crazy, little nuggets of licorice in sausage. Sage? Fine.  Onion?  Great. Garlic? Bring it on.  Licorice?  Yeah, not so much.

My dining companion went with the ricotta pancakes (ricotta pancakes have ricotta mixed into the batter rather than having ricotta spread on the top)  that are served with pecan butter, bananas and maple syrup.  A nice sized stack he said he didn't think he'd be able to finish, but his plate was shiny clean when Charlie picked it up.  I got to have a bite and they were very light, with the bananas layered, not just piled on top and cooked just right. 

Our serving sizes were appropriate.  I've experienced a lot of places that pile you up for breakfast/brunch and then you have this box of food that rattles around in the fridge for a while until you find it behind the expired milk and toss it out.  I was able to finish everything.

There are a couple of quibbles.  The breakfast potatoes were underdone.  Not hugely underdone, just enough to notice.  The seasoning was good, they just weren't totally cooked.

And, this one may be my own fault, my cappuccino was more of a latte than a cappuccino. But, I like them very dry.  I may need to specify the next time we go there. 

There's a ham and cheese croissant on the menu that looks intriguing.

https://cafenoseaustin.com/