I'd eaten at the Hawthorne Cafe before, and not been wildly impressed, but not incredibly disappointed, either. Today I was hungry, there was parking nearby, so I thought I'd try them again. Big mistake. The waitress recommended the smoked salmon benedict special (without giving a price), and as described it sounded great. When it came, though, it was far from great; it wasn't even good. The salmon didn't taste smoked, but had the texture and taste of canned salmon--very runny, so that the English muffin was so soggy I didn't want to eat it. The hollandaise was thin and watery, far from the rich eggy sauce served in decent cafes and restaurants. The upshot was that I paid $14 for an almost inedible meal (I did eat part of it, but only because I was really, really hungry; and also because, for various reasons, I don't believe in sending food back to the kitchen--though in this case I was very tempted). When the waitress asked me how I was doing, I told her that I couldn't really say I was enjoying the meal. Her response: ""Well, at least you're honest."" Not exactly what I expected; a ""What's wrong?"" or ""Is there anything I can do about it?"" would have been more appropriate. (She did later ask, as I was paying the check, what specifically was wrong with the meal, and I told her; but again, no offer of making things right was forthcoming.) I paid, left a smaller than usual tip, and vowed never to return. It was one of the worst meals I've ever eaten, as well as one of the most expensive breakfast dishes I've ever ordered. I won't make that mistake again.
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