Welcome to Part 2 of our Valentine’s date edition for Beacon’s Bites, where I, Kathryn, and my colleague, Elizabeth review various restaurants and food stands around NYC!
This month, we set out to two different cafes in Forest Hills: Azal Coffee and La Boulangerie de François, recommended by a student of FHHS and Ms. McDermott, an ELA teacher and the advisor of The Beacon, respectively.
To remind our readers, we at Beacon’s Bites review our foodie adventures using a five-star system, which has been broken down into 4 components:
Quality: The caliber of the food itself
Affordability: How much does the food cost?
Service: Was the service good?
Aesthetic: The vibes! Is the food presented well? Can you bring somebody on a date there? Is it a classy establishment?
The goal is to assess these cafes under this rubric and decide whether they are date-worthy for Valentine’s Day or not.
Elizabeth: I ordered the regular Green Tea Tropical and a blueberry scone. The total cost for this was $10.51, with the beverage costing $3.75 and the scone costing $5.90. In just five minutes, I was seated at a small table in a corner with all the items I purchased. The tea was very hot but still drinkable, and the scone surpassed my expectations. I expected it to be really sweet and sugary, but, surprisingly, it was not. The environment itself was very comforting for me. I loved how small and tidy the place was, especially with only three two-seated tables snuggled into a corner and a long one right in the middle. I would give this establishment a rating of 4.9/5 and do recommend this location for a Valentine’s Day date.
Kathryn: I ordered the regular Mint Melange Tea, a lemon madeleine, and a chocolate madeleine, which in total, cost me about $9. Unlike Azal Coffee, the wait time was almost little to none; We were able to be seated in less than 5 minutes after ordering. The Mint Melange Tea had a very refreshing taste and wasn’t too overpowering, as you would expect mint flavored foods and beverages to taste. The tea bag, although from a brand, was actually very cute and I feel like it fit the overall cozy and homey aesthetic of the cafe. I did, however, make the same mistake of not mixing my drink; I had added sugar to my tea and had only really started tasting it as I reached the bottom of my cup, but that may have been because the drink was also very hot as I was drinking it. The lemon madeleine had a subtle taste to it, unlike your typical sour lemon, it was a more sweet lemon taste. The chocolate madeleine had a more distinguishably chocolate flavor to it, like your typical chocolate flavored pastries or sweets that don’t have actual chocolate in them. On the outside, you’d expect to be met with a hard-to-bite pastry, but the inside of both madeleines were actually really soft. The only downside to both madeleines were that they were quite small. The overall vibe of the cafe was, as mentioned previously, very cozy and homey. There wasn’t the most space inside, but there were about 3 single tables crammed in the back corner. Something I also noticed was that there was a big window on the side wall that looks into the bakery part of the establishment, which I feel was a cool touch to the whole vibe. Overall, I would give La Boulangerie de François a 4.7/5 and would definitely recommend this location for a Valentine’s Day date.
The results are in! Beacon’s Bites gives La Boulangerie de François a…
Quality – 4.7/5: The scone was buttery, crumbly, and slightly dry like a biscuit, giving it the exact taste of a scone. The mint flavor in the Mint Melange Tea wasn’t too overpowering and rather quite refreshing. Everything is served on glass plates, and customers have the choice of metal or plastic forks and knives for utensils. The flavors of the lemon and chocolate madeleine were subtle and pleasant. Again, the only con was that they were pretty small. Something else we noticed was the interesting experimentation this cafe had with flavors. The blueberry scone had poppy seeds in it, an ingredient not typically found in a scone, yet the flavor it added to the dessert truly made it taste 10x better. They also had a sandwich which consisted of what looked like peppers or sundried tomatoes and eggplant; an appealing combination.
Affordability – 4.7/5: Compared to Azal Coffee, the items bought here were much more affordable. This cafe is not too fancy but also fancy enough for a coffee date. Additionally, this place served items other than just sweet pastries, such as their butternut squash soup, beef bourguignon, and different types of sandwiches, like their tuna sandwich, Chicken Mauricette Sandwich, and grilled cheese sandwich. The prices for these meals range from $10-$25, which is not too expensive, especially when the taste, amount, and quality are considered. Regarding our food, charging $2 each for the madeleines was a little pricey.
Service – 5/5: The door to this hidden cafe leads a customer right to the line where they can order. Not the most ideal, but thankfully, when we arrived, the place was only somewhat filled with people actually sitting. The cashiers were fast-paced, friendly, respectful, and super patient. As said before, food was served almost immediately after being ordered, and drinks were served about a minute or two later
Aesthetic – 4.6/5: There was a nice homey feeling in the cafe; it was a small place with not the most amount of space, but that made it feel more like a cafe in a sense. The snug and welcoming feeling of community is definitely felt, though. You could tell the cafe was “loved” with the worn-down seating, tables, and wallpaper. There was a coffee stain or two in the seating area, which is understandable. There were paintings framed against the wall and a stopped clock that had a cool design. The place was also decorated with cute Valentine accessories here and there, which added to that community feeling. There was also a chalkboard easel that had a Valentine’s Day color scheme and promoted some new items they have on the menu. Inside, the bakery even has see-through glass so that customers can see how their famous artisan bread is made. Finally, the music played here ranges from home techno music to classical French music. La Boulangerie de François lives up to its title of “a little corner of France in Forest Hills”
Overall, we give La Boulangerie de François a 4.7/5!
Thank you so much for reading this far, and we hope that these small coffee shops and cafes will be the location of your next Valentine’s date!
