Breakfast @ The Gallery, W Hotel, Boston

Update Reviews, December 2022 Visit

I generally stay at the W hotel in Boston twice a year - once in the summer and once in the winter, when I am on my way to visit family in New Hampshire.  Boston is always my starting point, and the W really has become my "home".  This isn't a hotel review blog, but, if you are looking for a hotel recommendation in Boston, I highly recommend it - great location, central to everything, incredible staff, comfortable rooms, excellent fitness center with sparkling water (flavored!) on tap, etc.  I'm a regular for a reason.

Although I have visited several times since my last review of their on-site restaurant, The Gallery, I didn't have any food at the property on those visits, but I really had fond memories of their breakfast before, so on this recent trip, I decided to check out the breakfast offerings again.  The menu had evolved somewhat in the past few years, but some staples, like the fresh baked muffins, remain.

I was at the W for 5 days, and had breakfast each morning, so I covered a considerable amount of the breakfast lineup.  I found some real hits (tres leches french toast! Liege waffles!), and was quite pleased with my breakfast most days.  I never went to eat in the restaurant itself, opting instead for takeout, so I can't comment on the service elements. I appreciated that I could order through the app as I groggily woke up, and just pick it up at the front desk once I pulled myself out of bed.  My orders were always ready within 20 minutes, and nicely packaged up.  One morning I did get room service.

Drinks

I'm not one for juices or smoothies, so I didn't pay much attention to that extensive part of the menu, besides to note that they really do have far more juices than average.  In the morning, I want only one thing: coffee.  Regular coffee.   Black.  And after that first cup, I want more, still black, but, decaf.

Coffee is not the W's strong point.  In the lobby, they have complimentary coffee for everyone (regular only, no decaf.  Hot only in winter, iced as well in summer), and I just never like it.  It always tastes like acid, or is highly bitter, etc.  In room, my suite always has a pod based maker, and I never like that either.  It makes me sad, because I really, really like my coffee as I roll out of bed.

Since the lobby coffee, and my in-room coffee kept majorly letting me down, I finally decided to splurge and order a french press at breakfast in the restaurant, to see if it was somehow better.

French Press. Decaf. Small. $7.

The french press (decaf) was indeed considerably better than the lobby coffee, and the in-room coffee.  I wouldn't call it *good* coffee, but, it wasn't horrible.  Passable.  No real depth nor complexity, but not too much acid or bitterness, and, it was freshly brewed, so that likely helped.

Was this little pot worth $7?  Well, no, but, I was a captive audience - it was crazy windy and pouring rain, so even running across the street to Dunkin' seemed out of the question.  ***.

The next morning I got it again (for takeout), again a small, which for takeout was a single cup of coffee.  It was slightly less good.  Higher acid that I recalled from the day before, but still much better than the lobby or in-room coffee.

French Press, Regular, Large. $10.
(2 Cups).

I was inspired to try the regular coffee too, opting for a large french press the next day.  Regular coffee.  Black.  Large meant two cups as it was takeout.

When I went to pick up my order, the coffee was not included.   I went back to ask about it, and had to wait to get the coffee.  When I was finally brought the coffee, it had cream and sugar added, which I didn't realize until I got back to my room.  Sigh.  I contacted them in the app, and they brought me fresh coffee a bit later.  It was much, much, much better than the in-room or lobby coffee, clearly fresh, nice and hot, not as much acid or "old" taste to it.  Worth $10?  Absolutely not.  Great coffee?  Absolutely not.  Better than Dunkin' or Panera literally across the street?  Probably not.  But, better than the other options on the property, certainly.

***.

Plates & Eggs

The main breakfast lineup is pretty standard: a selection of egg dishes (omelettes, benedicts, platters with eggs your way), a selection of sweet carbs (pancakes, french toast), and then some healthier options like a smoked salmon plate, fruit and yogurt, oatmeal, or granola.  Oh, and avocado toast, because that is still a trend in Boston it seems.  The only real interesting or creative dishes are those involving waffles - they don't have a regular waffle dish, but rather, use them with fried chicken (chicken and waffles) and as the makings for an egg sandwich.

Over the course of my 5 days, I tried 6 of the main dish options.  Nearly all of them I'd get again.

Peaches and Cream Pancakes. $18.

"Buttermilk pancakes, whipped cream."

I'm going to admit something silly.  I ordered the pancakes the first morning mostly because I wanted whipped cream to have on hand to use with dessert later in the day.  This was the easiest way I could think of to source great whipped cream in my hotel room (there aren't any nearby grocery stores, and I did check the convenience store!).  I asked for my toppings on the side, and extra whipped cream, to further my endeavors, and that request was honored (although I'm not sure how much whipped cream they normally give).

The pancakes themselves were pretty average, a stack of three large but thin pancakes.  Not really any buttermilk tang.  They were well cooked though, not rubbery nor tough, not burnt.  But average taste, and not particularly fluffy.  **+ pancakes.  They came with syrup on the side as well, seemed like pretty standard "breakfast syrup", not real maple syrup, as it was a bit too thick, and a touch cloying.

The other toppings though are where they shined.  I wasn't sure what to expect from peaches in December, and to be honest, kinda assumed it was an out of date summer menu and mine would come with something else, but, it did come with a peach topping, albeit not fresh sliced peaches.  The peaches were hard to describe, they weren't really like a peach pie filling with lots of goo, but there was some sweet syrup with them.  They weren't as cooked down as much as a compote either, still retaining more of a firm texture.   Definitely nothing like canned peaches.  I guess, stewed or poached sliced peaches?  I liked the texture, I liked the sweetness, and I liked the flavor.  No real spicing, but just really, well, peachy.  I think they would be great on yogurt with a sprinkle of granola for breakfast, or warmed and served with ice cream for dessert.  **** peaches.

And finally, the key element: the whipped cream!  It was everything I wanted it to be.  Lightly sweet, fluffy, and fairly stable, clearly not from a can, so it held up a few days for my assorted uses.  A++ would order pancakes again just to get more whipped cream.  ****+ whipped cream.

Overall, a fine dish, but I actually think the toppings were best for other uses.

Tres Leches French Toast. $20.
(Toppings on the side).

"Brioche, strawberries, bananas, dulce de leche."

I continued to make my way down the menu, moving on to the other sweet warm carb option: french toast.  Now, I don't generally care much for french toast, as I find it too eggy, and I'm not really in to soggy bread (which is strange, as I adore bread pudding), but, the previous versions of their french toast were soooo good that I really wanted to try it again.  But previously it was literally on the menu as "bread pudding french toast", and was a totally different style, truly, it was bread pudding.  Still, I had hope given how great their other french toast variations had been, and the use of brioche and dulce de leche topping of course.  I also was just interested in what tres leches would be like in french toast form ...

I asked for my toppings on the side, and when I opened my takeout containers, I'll admit I was let down.  It looked like, well, french toast.  It didn't look special in any way.  Just, french toast.  In the other container was fresh sliced banana and strawberries, along with a condiment container of breakfast syrup, one of dulce de leche, and one that I assume was extra tres leches soak.  

I half-heartedly picked up a piece of the french toast, and took a bite.  And ... wow, what?!  It might have looked like any old french toast, but it wasn't.  I think it had dulce de leche in the batter, as it was lightly caramelized and had bits of crispy caramel sorta hanging off.  You know how french toast often has some eggy legs hanging out the sides?  It was like that, but, crispy caramel instead of eggs.  OMG.  And the thing I don't like about most french toast, the eggy nature, was non-existent.  It was also very moist, clearly the tres leches soak helped with that, and the use of brioche meant it soaked up tons of the liquid.  So basically, it was super moist, reasonably thick caramelized toast, sorta like bread pudding in slice form.  It really didn't remind me of french toast at all, even though it sure looked like fairly regular french toast.

Given how moist and caramelized it was from the batter, I actually didn't really need much of the extra toppings, but the dulce de leche was sweet and delicious, and I was happy to use it for other things (drizzled over roasted plantains and ice cream the next night - yum!).  The breakfast syrup was the same as came with the pancakes, not real maple syrup, thick, just sweet, eh.  The banana was clearly sliced to order, fresh, not brown, and the berries were not particularly flavorful, and not particularly vibrant, but it was December after all, so I didn't expect otherwise.  The extra tres leches soak was essentially I think just sweetened condensed milk, which is never a bad thing, and it helped add moisture and additional sweetness to dish if I wanted it, but again, not really necessary.

Overall, an excellent dish, unlike any other french toast, and really a pleasant surprise.  I'd gladly get it again when craving sweet breakfast carbs, or even save it for a dessert later with a scoop of ice cream.  ****.

Fruit & Berries. $18.

"Wildflower honey mint yogurt."

Taking a break from just the unhealthy stuff, I opted for fruit & berries (alongside my pile of baked goods of course) one morning.  Since I'm allergic to melons, I asked specifically for no melons, assuming they might be included in the fruit mix.  I got a fairly substantial serving of rather unripe and uninspired pale yellow pineapple as my "fruit".  Previously they gave me banana and apple as well.

For berries, I got a small pile of blueberries, and reasonable piles of blackberries and sliced strawberries.  Berries weren't exactly in season (it was December) so their mediocre quality didn't surprise me, and they were fine for the time of year.  Generic, grocery store quality berries, but, clearly fresh.

I asked for the yogurt on the side, but I think it is usually just drizzled over as a garnish?  Also, note that there are two containers there - only one is yogurt, the other is the milk for my coffee (which confused me, as I had ordered it black).

$18 felt very pricy for essentially a big hunk of pineapple and small berry cup, with a thimble of yogurt.  *** quality, but, I kinda want a knock a star for the price.

Wildflower Mint Yogurt (with fruit)

"Wildflower honey mint yogurt."

When I had this dish several years ago, my order was initially missing the yogurt, and when I went back to get it, I seemed to be just plain yogurt.  I didn't taste the mint nor honey then.  This time, the mint was quite visible, and the yogurt did have a lovely sweetness.  It was otherwise fairly average, smooth, lightly runny and not thick like Greek yogurt, yogurt.  And just like before, the serving was just this tiny condiment container of yogurt, a single one.  It worked as a drizzle, but, this certainly was not a yogurt dish really (granted, the dish name is "fruit and berries", so, I guess that is ok).  

***+ yogurt, and I appreciated the mix-ins, even if I laughed at the portion size.

Waffle Sandwich. $23.
(Hollandaise on the side, sub spinach for bacon, sub American for muenster).

"Runny egg, bacon, Muenster cheese, Hollandaise sauce."

The next morning, I got experimental, opting for the waffle sandwich.

Ok, I have such mixed feels on this one.  If I had just read the menu, I likely would have easily looked over it, as I don't usually go for breakfast sandwiches, don't care for Muenster, and don't like generic waffles.  But I had seen photos of it, and knew it used liege waffles, not just regular American flabby breakfast waffles as the "bread".  I do adore liege waffles.  I also do love hollandaise, although I was curious about the use of hollandaise *in* the waffle sandwich as described.  This basically sounded like a breakfast bodega style sandwich, twisted with eggs benedict, and, um, with not one, but two full size liege waffles along for the ride.  Oh, and a pile of breakfast potatoes on the side, because, clearly, two eggs, bacon, cheese, hollandaise, and two full waffles isn't enough?

Still skeptical, I ordered it, with a few modifications, that were no problem, even through the app.  I asked for American instead of muenster, spinach instead of bacon (as I didn't care for the bacon the previous day), and hollandaise on the side.  I figured even if it didn't work well as a composed breakfast sandwich, I could essentially have eggs florentine smothered in hollandaise as my savory course, and waffles for breakfast-dessert.

The waffles were as I expected, given the photos I had seen - likely frozen and heated up, liege style waffles, that many hotels use, that I actually do quite like.   I had some a few months prior my last two mornings at Irmi at Le Meridien in Munich, and wished I had ordered them sooner, so I pushed my skepticism aside and ordered this my second day at the W, because if I loved the waffles, I knew I'd want more.  They weren't as crisp as at Irmi, and likely had gotten a bit soft under the room service dome with steam escaping in it, and due to the use in a sandwich with hot items on top of the bottom one, but otherwise, they were good, generic, liege waffles, lightly sweet.  ***+.

The egg component was not what I expected.  The menu said "runny egg", which I was looking forward to.  My sandwich had not one, but two eggs, and both were fully cooked fried eggs.  Not even a drop of runny yolk.   So, yay for *eggs*, not *egg*, but, boo for no runny yolk.  Otherwise they were pretty standard fried eggs, not too rubbery, but, no yolk porn glory.  **+.

Next up, the cheese.  I was glad I picked American instead of muenster, and it was perfectly melted inside.  American cheese has its place, and on a breakfast egg and cheese is one use I certainly approve of.  That said, the melty cheese got all over one of the waffles, and that was just a bit odd.  I'm all for sweet and savory, but, cheesy waffle wasn't quite what I was looking for.  Still, it did kinda work.  The spinach I subbed for bacon was sautéed, and not too greasy, and I was glad I opted for that lighter topping.  *** cheese and spinach.

What didn't work was the hollandaise.  I'm glad I asked for it on the side.  It was fairly thick, slightly broken, and far, far too lemon heavy.  I'm one to smother things in hollandaise when given the chance, and was looking forward to pouring it all over my eggs, and dunking the potatoes in it, but, after a few bites with it, I pushed it sadly aside.  It just wasn't good hollandaise.  It also seemed really confused to have hollandaise and cheese on the eggs.  I'm not creamy fats averse, but, cheese and hollandaise, together?  They muddled each other.  I don't think muenster as per the menu would have helped.  * for that hollandaise.

The potatoes were crispy, kind greasy, breakfast potato chunks, a style I never like, so after trying one with hollandaise, I pushed them aside to save for my mom, who does like breakfast potatoes. **.

So overall, this was really just a mixed bag, and a dish that left me confused.  I was let down by the lack of runny yolk and sub par hollandaise, and felt the hollandaise and cheese didn't belong together.  I didn't actually want it as a breakfast sandwich, and the waffles on their own needed more sweetness, as there was no sweet element here besides a touch of pearl sugar in the waffles themselves.  I had syrup on hand leftover from my pancakes the day before, and I used that, and was glad I had kept it.  Even just a touch of maple in maple bacon or something would help, but I think they just use normal bacon.  Still, I appreciate the creative dish, particularly as hotel breakfast menus often have absolutely no flair.  I wished I could order just the waffles though, but alas, the waffles alone are not an item on the menu. *** overall.

At $23, this was a fairly pricey dish, but seems worth it - after all, there were two eggs, bacon/cheese/hollandaise, two full liege waffles, AND crispy potatoes with it.  

Eggs Benedict (Spinach). $24.
(Hollandaise and English Muffin on the side).

"North Country Ham, Smoked Salmon or Sauteed Baby Spinach, Hollandaise with Crispy Potatoes."

When I travel, eggs benedict is kinda my thing.  I don't normally like eggs that much in the US, but for some reason, when I travel internationally, I really, really like the eggs.  I think there is something different about the taste due to the way they are handled?  Or maybe it is my jetlag and wanting savory breakfast?  But eggs for breakfast, usually in poached form slathered in hollandaise, as just become my thing when I travel.  

Usually when I try eggs in the US while traveling domestically, I am let down, but I still try from time to time.  So, my last morning, it was time to finally try the benedict.  I again asked for the hollandaise on the side (and the English muffin on the side).

The potatoes were the same as in my previous egg dish, crispy little breakfast potatoes that are not my style, but my mom enjoyed my leftovers.  The spinach was also about the same, nicely sautéed spinach, not oily, and nice to have something a bit healthy and savory.  The english muffin was lightly warmed/toasted, seemed fresh enough, and didn't come buttered.  All basically average reasonable quality components.  ***.

The hollandaise I hoped would redeem itself today, I truly hoped it was just a mediocre batch the previous day, but alas, I still didn't care for it at all.  Far too strong in the lemon flavor, too thick.  I'm glad I asked for it on the side. *.

And finally, the eggs!  They were poached very nicely, the yolks just lightly set, yolk came oozing out everywhere when I cut in, and the whites were not rubbery but well set.  Pretty textbook.  And honestly, better than most US eggs, but not particularly noteworthy taste wise.  ***+.

I enjoyed my eggs and spinach drizzled with a little syrup, hot sauce (it came with a little bottle each of ketchup and hot sauce), and lots of salt and pepper, but alas, the hollandaise was not a winner.  I actually would have gotten this again had I tried it sooner during my stay, or if I had stayed longer.

Avocado Toast. $14.
(No Avocado).

"Multi-grain bread, pickled red onion, heirloom tomato, sunny side up egg."

I didn't actually order this, and I'm still a bit confused how it wound up in my takeout bag, but I didn't notice until I got back to my room that I had avocado-less avocado toast. They *do* know I'm allergic to avocado, so maybe they thought I wanted it this way? But I also didn't order it at all, so, again, confused.

Anyway, since I had opened it, I was told to keep it if I wanted. The toast was good, a thick slice of hearty multi-grain bread, toasted just right, not burnt. The tomato was pretty "meh", very much out of season, mid-December tomato, and it seems like they really should change up the toppings rather than serve such mediocre tomato. The pickled red onions were too harsh for me, but maybe they'd be ok with the creamy avocado and do a nice job cutting that fat? The egg was a nicely cooked sunny side up egg, lightly crispy around the edge, yolk just barely set.

I suspect that with the avocado, and in-season tomato, this could be quite a nice dish if its your sort of thing. I enjoyed the toast and runny egg though. ***.

Sides

On the side, you can opt for any of the breakfast meats (bacon, ham, pork or chicken sausage), breakfast potatoes, toast, yogurt, or fruit.  I tried several of the breakfast meats, as I had enjoyed them previously.

Applewood Smoked Bacon. $9.

One morning I was craving something a bit savory to go with my sweet breakfast, so I opted for a side of bacon.  I'm pretty fickle when it comes to bacon - I like bacon, but, I don't like it too flabby nor too crispy, and I don't like it too greasy.  I also thought it might be nice to toss into my salad at lunch if I didn't finish it with breakfast.

The bacon was fairly average bacon.  Not super crispy, not flabby, but also not that well cooked ... the fat not rendered particularly well.  It was very greasy.  Not really the kind of bacon I like, but the kind my mom always makes, and my dad enjoys.

**.

Chicken Sausage. $8.

I don't actually like chicken, but sometimes I like chicken sausage, and had read a very recent review of someone raving about the chicken sausage, claiming it was the best they ever had.

The sausage was decent - it was very shriveled up, but in a way that worked.  Nice snap to it.  It had great seasoning, a touch of some savory herb ... sage perhaps?  I liked it dunked in the syrup from my pancakes.  The serving of 3 for $8 was fairly reasonable.

I wouldn't get this again, but I enjoyed a sausage.  ***.

Pork Sausage. $8.

The next day, I got the pork sausage, the one I thought I'd like even more as I like pork and not chicken.  I had nearly liked this on prior visits, but it suffered from being far too greasy then.

These sausages also came as a trio, but were bigger and plumper.  They were pretty greasy, but not dripping in grease as they had been before.  That was all fine, but ... I really did not like the taste.  I'm not sure what it was, it really seemed that the base sausage just tasted off to me.  There was some herbs, but they weren't the problem.  The texture was also fairly grisly inside.  I was really not a fan, and after two bites, moved on to other things.

*.

Pastries

In addition to a lineup of toast, bagels, and english muffins, the Gallery has other baked goods (muffins, croissants), all baked fresh in house daily.  During my previous visits, I had found them to be above average, so I was happy to add one or two on to my order every morning, to enjoy a bit later in the day.

The pastries are all priced at $7 each, which is really quite steep.  $7 for a muffin or plain (regular sized) croissant?  Ooph.

Corn Muffin. $7.

The first day I went for what is usually my favorite type of muffin, a corn muffin.  I planned to try it, but mostly use it alongside my leftover roast pork and brussels sprouts with dinner (in the place of cornbread).

The muffin was ok.  It was clearly freshly baked, not stale, didn't taste loaded with preservatives, and I loved the crispy top.  Good grit to it.  That said, it was a bit over baked, you can see how dark the top is, and that made it a bit dry.  I wanted it to have a touch more sweetness or depth of flavor too.

It was served warm which was a nice bonus, and with regular butter on the side (honey butter would be great).  If this was baked just a few minutes less, it would be ***+, as it was though, just *** for freshness.  My least favorite of the muffins.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin. $7.

The next morning I woke up craving a lemon poppyseed muffin.  I have no idea why, but, I woke up, and it was immediately what I wanted.  Luckily for me, they have lemon poppyseed on the lineup.

Much like the corn muffin the previous day, it seemed like it had been in the oven a few minutes too long.  It was still clearly very fresh, didn't taste preservative-full, was served warm, and had a great crunch from the poppyseeds and pleasant lemon flavor, but, it was just a bit dry, and borderline burnt on top.  I used copious amounts of butter and jam to moisten it up, and it was fine, but another victim of over-baking.  ***.  My second pick of muffins.

Chocolate Chunk GF Muffin.  $7.

The next morning, I wasn't craving a muffin given that I ordered the liege waffle sandwich, but still ordered one to enjoy later.  Since I was intending it to be dessert essentially, I went all in on the double chocolate chunk.  This one is gluten-free.

It was the first of the muffins that was not over-baked.  Like the others, it seemed quite fresh, was served warm, and had a nice crispy top.  It looked homemade, rather irregular, and I found its look charming.  It was fairly moist inside, and nicely chocolatey.   As for the gluten-free nature, I didn't detect anything odd about the texture, the crumb structure, the taste.  It tasted like a regular muffin to me.

I think this would be a nice breakfast treat if I was in the mood for a chocolately breakfast, and it made for a nice dessert too when I warmed it back up later and served with a scoop of ice cream and fresh strawberries.  My favorite of the muffins.  ***+.

Chocolate Chunk GF Muffin #2. $7.

Later in my stay, since I liked it before, I got another chocolate chunk muffin.

I again liked the crispy jagged top, and again it was properly baked unlike the others.  It was reasonably moist, and was pretty much just a decent, chocolatey muffin.  I still think best turned into dessert, warmed up with ice cream or whipped cream and fresh strawberries.  ***.

Blueberry Muffin. $7.

For completeness, since I had tried all the others, I got a blueberry muffin my last morning, intending to try it, and then surprise my Dad with his favorite muffin (just, uh, likely missing a bite).

Just like every other, besides the gluten-free one, it too was over-baked.  The top too dark, the entire thing a bit dry.  But it was clearly homemade, had funny pieces sticking out that made it charming, and was served warm.  It had a reasonable number of juicy berries, and a decent base taste.

A nice muffin, again, *** for freshness, but would easily be ***+ if baked a few mins less.  My second favorite.

This one did not come with any butter nor jam, so I was glad I had kept some from prior days.

Lemon Poppyseed & Blueberry Muffins #2. $7 each.

Later in my stay, I ordered more muffins, repeats of the lemon poppyseed and blueberry.  They actually were better baked this time, still dark, but not as dark.  I was amused by how much, um, "personality" these each had.  The lemon poppyseed in particular had all sorts of edges extending out over the base, and was considerably bigger than its blueberry friend.

Both better today, and I really do find the homemade look charming.  ***+.  

Croissant (Chocolate Hazelnut?). $6.

During my last stay, I discovered the off-menu chocolate croissant, which I think was actually a chocolate hazelnut cream croissant.  As you read about then, I wished I'd discovered it sooner, and also, I find it shocking that even 3 years later, they still haven't corrected the menu to include it?  Yet they make them every day, so some people must be ordering them ...

Anyway, the croissant wasn't as glorious as my memory.  While it did seem freshly baked, it lacked a strong buttery goodness, and wasn't particularly flaky.  It was still above average for a hotel croissant though, as it wasn't strangely spongy or stale. 

Inside was tasty, although confusing, much like the one I had the month before at Zutro in Houston.  There was a bit of what seemed like melty chocolate, but then, what seemed more like a pastry cream, and tasted strongly of Nutella.  On top was a bit of melty chocolate flakes.  I really did enjoy the filling, particularly with strawberries and whipped cream that I had on hand.  It was reasonably generously filled, although not evenly distributed.

So, better than average for a hotel, but not as good as my memory.  I did not find myself wanting another. ***.

Update Review, July 2019 Visit

It had been a few years since I stayed at The W hotel in Boston, but I had fond memories of their breakfast.  Well, in particular, of the baked goods (other things were fairly lackluster).  So on my visit to the Boston area in July 2019, I was excited to stay at the W again, not only to check out the newly renovated rooms, but also, to see what had changed with breakfast!

Breakfast (s) of Champions?

I tried items from nearly every section of the menu.  Some were not very good, many were average, and a few were shockingly delicious.

Menu.

The menu did change a fair amount since my previous stays, although retained much of the same format.

5 Spoons.  No forks or knives?

My orders were all for takeout, and were handed over relatively quickly the first day, but it took up to 40 minutes on other days.

The first day my order was lacking a component of one dish, and, um, I opened my bag to find 5 spoons.  No knives.  No forks.  Just spoons.  I had french toast and sausages, not exactly spoon food ...

The staff were always friendly though.

Drinks

I didn't order any drinks from the restaurant itself, as they were never good before, and opted to at least give the lobby coffee another try (although it had been horrible before too).  This is one area that continued to remain weak.

I returned to my room to brew coffee instead that day (Nespresso machine FTW!), I sought coffee elsewhere after that.

Hot Coffee.

The hot coffee (regular only) was strong and harsh, in the too concentrated, been sitting there too long kind of way.  It was pre-9am though, it couldn't have been that old.

Iced Coffee.

I give them credit for offering iced coffee as well, so very Boston of them.  It was better than the hot coffee, but not remarkable.  At least it was somewhat drinkable.

Lighter Side

I generally read right past the "lighter" sections of menus, and I did go right past the smoothies, oatmeal, and granola, but, one morning, I actually wanted some fruit.

Fruit and Berries / Wildflower Honey Mint Yogurt. $16.

The menu includes sides of fruit ($9) or berries (also $9), but I opted for the "Fruit and berries", not knowing exactly what it was, but, expecting a more substantial dish, particularly as it comes with yogurt (or, it is supposed to ...).  I did of course ask for no melon due to my allergy.

The fruit was ... well, very standard fruits.  The same berries I enjoyed on my fruit plate in my room (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries), all fine, ripe, and decent quality.  Sliced fruits, just banana, apple, and pineapple.

And that was it.  Just fruit.  No drizzle of anything, no garnish.  And, um, no yogurt, even though the menu said it would ave "wildflower honey mint yogurt".  This was a very expensive bowl of very generic fruit.

I did return to the restaurant to track down my yogurt.

Wildflower honey mint yogurt

.

Once I got my yogurt, it just came in tiny little condiment side containers, two of them.  

It was fairly average yogurt, thinner style, although it almost seemed like Greek yogurt, just, thinner.  I didn't taste the mint I was expecting given the description, but it really grew on me.  I had my own granola that it went really well with.  I was a bit surprised how much I ended up liking the yogurt.

I was also provided two small jars of honey, Dickinson's.  Plain honey.  Still not sure where the wildflower or mint were ...

Specialties

The "Specialties" were certainly the most exciting section of the menu for me, although I skipped right past the egg offerings (egg white omelets, eggs benny, classic eggs your way, etc), and past the healthy offerings (smoked salmon plate, avocado toast), and went right for the things I like most; breakfast carbs! I was trilled to see I had two options, both pancakes and french toast (so often places just have one of waffles/pancakes/french toast).

Cinnamon Bread Pudding French Toast. $17.

"Maple syrup, fresh berries."

My first morning, I went for the french toast, even though ... I'm not really into french toast.  Why?   Well, it was not just french toast, but, "bread pudding french toast", and I *do* love bread pudding.  They very careful reader might remember that I didn't like the previous version of french toast though, even though that too was "bread pudding" french toast.

Luckily for me, the dish was entirely different, and absolutely delicious.

Gone was the banana bread base, and in its place, a dense, rich, cinnamon studded bread.  Two huge thick slices, absolutely soaked in custard, and crazy crazy moist.  It really was bread pudding.  But also french toast.  I loved it.

It came with maple syrup (standard), butter (standard), and a scattering of berries (yup, standard).  I enjoyed it just with maple syrup, but I really wanted whipped cream with it, which I know sounds ridiculous given how heavy it is with the generous custard, but, I did.

Still, even sans whip, this was very tasty, and I really liked it.  I had a few bites cold the next morning, which was ok, but not great, and then heated up the remainder in a toaster oven (at a friend's house) and topped it with whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, and it made a glorious dessert too.

So, protip, order it, and order other things, and only eat half with your breakfast, save the other half, heat it up, and enjoy as dessert!

Cinnamon Bread Pudding French Toast. $17.

I ordered it again a few days later, and it was again fairly spectacular.  The base was slightly different, not quite as custard-y, and there were more distinct chunks of bread, but, it was still good.

Buttermilk Pancakes. $16.

Eventually I decided to try the other hot breakfast carb, the pancakes.

They were ... mediocre.  A stack of 3, large size.  Not much buttermilk to them really though.  They were fine, not gummy or anything, but fairly ... average.

Still, I was excited mostly for the toppings that came with them.

Toppings.

"Burnt orange ricotta and Maine blueberry compote."

The toppings ...weren't quite what I expected.

First, the leftmost one ... pineapple compote?  Not on the menu with this dish, or any other.  It was fine, fruity, bits of pineapple, but not entirely sure where that came from.  

Next, blueberry compote.  This was fine, sweet, little berries, but there wasn't much of it, at least not really enough to load up a stack of pancakes.  It also ... made me want whipped cream.  Yes, there is a theme here.  In this case, I blame IHOP, they have made me always want whipped cream and blueberry compote together with pancakes.

And finally, the "burnt orange ricotta", that tasted nothing like orange, and was ... a *tiny* amount.  A dollop.  These were little condiment containers, and it wasn't even half full.  I was not impressed.

None of the toppings really helped elevate the pancakes in any way, nor did the maple syrup or butter I had from my french toast.

I wouldn't get these again.

Sides

The a la carte side menu is pretty standard: your choice of protein (bacon, smoked salmon, smoked ham, two kinds of sausage), veggies (crispy potatoes, spinach, wild mushrooms), and healthy (berries, fruit, yogurt).

Mostly not interesting to me, except that I do love a good breakfast sausage ...

Pork Sausage. $8.

I had the choice of chicken or pork, and went for the pork.  Sadly, both options were links, not patties (which I greatly prefer).

This was almost delicious.

The sausage had a great crisp exterior (maybe a bit too crisp, the ends were kinda dried out).  It was greasy in a kinda satisfying way (but a bit too greasy). It was porky.  Decently seasoned.

But ... I didn't love it.  I think it was just a bit too overcooked, a bit too greasy for me.  Best dunked into maple syrup.

Bakery

The "bakery" had been a highlight for me before, but, the lineup had changed.  Gone were croissants, and the varieties of muffins changed.  The new lineup was 4 types of muffins (one of which is gluten-free), bagels (4 kinds), toast, and english muffins.  Not the most exciting lineup.

Still, I gave the muffins a try, remembering their greatness.  Sadly they weren't as good as before.

I also eventually asked about other items, and was told ... they *do* have croissants, several kinds, they just aren't on the menu?!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Muffin. $4.

I tried this because I wanted chocolate, and was actually expecting a plain muffin with chocolate chunks.  I don't mind that it was double chocolate, but that wasn't what I expected.  I was of course weary of the gluten-free nature.

It ... wasn't very good.  Strange texture, dry, just, not very good.  It didn't taste like chocolate, and the bits of chocolate in it were just tiny little chips, not the promised chunks.

Would not get again, least favorite.

Blueberry Muffin. $4.

I also tried the blueberry, remembering these were great before.

At first, I thought I was given the wrong muffin, as it looked like a dark bran muffin.  But it was the blueberry.  It had ... maybe 4 berries total inside?  Mostly plain.  And yes, very dark.

It was ... mediocre.  Kinda greasy/oily.  Very few berries.

Wouldn't get again.  Only moderately better than the GF Chocolate Chunk.

Blueberry Muffin. $4.

Ok, so I ordered it again, as my companion wanted a blueberry muffin.

It looked ... totally different?  This was just a few days later.

The top wasn't dark, and there were clearly tons of berries bursting out of it.  I didn't try it, but, I was pretty confused by the lack of consistency.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin. $4.

I moved on to the lemon poppyseed muffin, which ... didn't win any beauty awards, heh, it had ... an arm?

I had zero hopes for this muffin, since I didn't like the blueberry or GF Chocolate Chunk, but ... it was actually really good.  Crispy top, moist inside, just like I like it.  Slight lemon flavor, tons of crunch from the poppyseeds.

I slathered the blueberry compote from the pancakes on it, and the lemon - blueberry combination was awesome.

Croissant. $4.

I did want to try the corn muffin, usually my favorite variety of muffin, but alas, they were out of them.  Since I had tried everything else, I opted for the off-menu croissant.

It was ... better than average.  Not a high end french patisserie quality croissant, but, clearly fresh, flaky exterior, moist inside.  It really was good.  Also, surprisingly served warm.

Just like the yogurt, served with jars of Dickinson's, strawberry preserves and concord grape jelly.

Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant.

I also ordered the off-menu chocolate hazelnut croissant.  Really a random order on my part, but I'm so glad I decided to just try it.

It was far, far better than I expected.

The top was crispy, it was well laminated and layered, buttery and moist inside, and, stuffed with gooey chocolate hazelnut spread.  I found myself devouring it, even though I had a pile of other things I thought I'd want more.  I really enjoyed it, and the fact that it too was served warm, with the perfectly warm, sorta melty chocolate hazelnut spread inside was a real bonus.

Besides the bread pudding french toast, my favorite item, and I wish I had discovered it sooner (and why, oh why, is it not on the menu?)

Update Review, December 2016 Visit

Start with my original review from July, where I discovered their fantastic baked goods, then, return here.

Banana Bread Pudding French Toast. $17.

"Vermont maple syrup and white chocolate. Served with fresh berries and banana."

On my previous visit, I didn't find the cooked food to be very good, and the menu then had nothing really all that appealing to me anyway (the only "breakfast carbs", besides the pastries, were some soggy Nutella pancakes).  However, this time ... a single new item was added to the menu: french toast!  And not just any french toast "bread pudding french toast".  Oh yes!  I ignored the fact that I'm not actually a fan of banana bread ...

My order arrived fairly quickly, 2 slices of french toast, made from banana bread as expected.  It was covered in shaved white chocolate and served with a little pot of maple syrup on the side and a pile of berries and bananas.

The fruit wasn't particularly good, just as my previous visit.  Not bad, but, it was December, and it certainly wasn't local or flavorful.

The white chocolate added a ton of sweetness, and melted in, and of course I liked that.

But the french toast itself ... that was kinda meh for me.  The crusts were hard, and it was, well, banana bread.  It was nicely moist and fairly fluffy though, I suspect this is what made it "bread pudding french toast"?  It was fine, but, it didn't scream "bread pudding" in the way I was hoping, and I wouldn't get it again.

Muffins (Banana-Nut, Blueberry, Bran), Pain au Chocolat. $6 each or 3 for $13.

After my lackluster french toast, and the uninspired breakfast menu, I went back to what I knew was good: the baked goods.  I got them as a "pastry basket", and took togo.  I opted for one of each of the three types of muffins, plus a pain au chocolat (other options for pastries are just a regular croissant or assorted bagels).  I enjoyed all of these during my last visit.

The bran muffin turned out to be my favorite this time.  Dense, loaded with plump raisins, hearty.  I had it at room temperature, but I think it would be great warmed, and even better buttered up and slathered in jam (they did provide me with Dickinson's grape jelly and strawberry preserves).

The blueberry was again loaded with blueberries, and I liked the flavor in the base.

Interestingly, the banana nut was my least favorite this time, even though I had liked it the most last time.  I really just wasn't into the banana flavor, not that I ever really am.  I did like the nuts.

As before, the baked goods are available for $6 each, or a "Pastry Basket" of 3 for $13.  I clearly got a pastry basket (one of each muffin!), but still had some allowance left on my daily breakfast, so I added in a pain au chocolate as well.

Pain au Chocolat: Inside.

I added the chocolate croissant, er, pain au chocolat, mostly because I had more $$ I could spend in my credits, but also because chocolate sounded really good at the time, and I knew they make a decent croissant.

Which, they did.  Look at the loft! The layers!  It really was nicely layered, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.  But the pastry dough didn't have much flavor, and wasn't as buttery as I'd like.

The chocolate inside was good, but I lamented that there wasn't nearly as much as I wanted, just a single, rather than double, bar.

Individually for $6 this was very pricey, but if gotten as part of a pastry basket each item is $4.33, which is a little more reasonable?

Original Review, July 2016

When I travel, I most often stay at Starwood properties, as I somehow achieved Platinum status due to all my frequent travels.  As part of my status, I also can choose to receive free breakfast (or points, or a welcome amenity).  I'm a breakfast lover, so, I often pick breakfast, as you've probably noticed by now.

My travels took me to Boston this past year, to work from our Cambridge office for a few days before joining my family in New Hampshire.  I stayed at the W in Boston, a bit of a walk to the office, but, one I picked because it sounded like it would be much better than the closer options (plus, it was more affordable).  The hotel was quite nice, and I'd gladly stay again.

But back to the food.  Starwood hotels all choose to offer something different as part of the Platinum breakfast amenity.  Some will literally just have a little room on the side with 1-2 token pastries, warm juice, and coffee, even if they have a full restaurant (ahem, Le Meridien Delfina!).  Others give you access only to the continental buffet (like the SLS Beverley Hills, which has the most amazing continental buffet ever, with dessert-worthy yogurt parfaits and quality pastries).  Most commonly, you get access to a full buffet, generally including eggs cooked to order and a few hot items (like the extensive but not tasty Mosiac Restaurant at the Westin in Sydney).  For locations with executive lounges, you can also opt to take your breakfast from the buffets there (like the lackluster Westin Martin Place or amazing Sheraton on the Park in Sydney).  Properties without a lounge or restaurant, like Aloft, will give you a $10 credit to spend in their little convenience store (like I tried in Buffalo).  And then there are the cases where they have a restaurant, but not a buffet.  In these cases, you are usually given an credit to spend in the restaurant however you want.  While I do love buffets, as I love to try all the things, the a la carte breakfasts are quickly becoming my favorite (and, protip, sometimes, even if they have a buffet, you can opt for an a la carte allowance instead!)

The W Boston was the first time I was given an a la carte option at a Starwood property, as they do not have a buffet nor lounge, just a restaurant, "The Gallery".   Except, we weren't actually given an a la carte option, instead, we were told that we had the "Substance" breakfast: 2 eggs, crispy potatoes, toast, bacon/ham/sausage, juice, and coffee, normally $24.  I of course did my research and knew that I could opt for a $24 credit instead, and spend it as I pleased, since I didn't really want eggs and toast and um, they had pancakes and baked goods on the menu.

So, both Ojan and I were given an allowance of $24 to spend daily, and could choose to dine in, or, as I discovered a few days in, we could get it to go to enjoy either in the comfort of my room, or, on the walk in to the office.

I really appreciated how flexible the breakfast option was, and enjoyed trying several things on the menu.  Most of the a la carte food was pretty mediocre, but, the pastries were actually shockingly good, which is the opposite of what I've come to expect, as most places have really crappy baked goods.  Also, protip, you can get a lot of pastries for $48 ...

The Space

Interior.

The restaurant was fairly inoffensive but totally boring, decor-wise.  Brown, beige, and white, no real color anywhere.  The lighting, curtains, and accents at least made it not feel sterile, and were clearly done by a designer, but, still, not much zing to the place.

The room was made up of mostly tables for 2 or 4, generally chairs, although there were a few higher tables with stools and a few with bench seating.

Table.

Tables were wooden, had brownish placemats, and cloth napkins.  Coffee mugs, water cups, and juice glasses were all set on the tables, along with succulents in pots.

Condiments.

Each table also had an adorable mini ketchup, tabasco, honey, and two types of Dickenson's jams, along with salt and pepper shakers, and assorted sweeteners.

Menu.

The "Wake Up" menu, in addition to the "Substance" option they seemed to push everyone towards, was also broken into specialities, sides, and bakery, plus assorted beverages.

Beverages

For drinks, there is coffee by Fonte ($6 for drip, $7 for espresso drinks), tea by Tea Forte ($7), assorted juices not from concentrate ($6), milks ($6), and a smoothie ($9).

Decaf Americano. $7.

The first day, I opted for a simple decaf coffee.  It was poured out of a carafe, and it was rather awful.  I tried adding tons of sweetener, I tried thinning it down with water, it was just awful.  Nothing saved it.

The next day, I asked if they had french press decaf.  Nope.  So I went for a decaf Americano.  It was crazy strong, and not very hot, so I ordered extra hot water to add in, to both warm it up and thin it out.  It was better, but still not very good.

Finally, the last day, I decided to ditch the coffee, and go for a hot chocolate.  I hoped it would be made with milk, maybe topped with some whipped cream.  But ... it seemed to just be mix and water.  It wasn't rich, it wasn't chocolately, it wasn't good.  And $7??!!

Pineapple Juice. $6.

The juice selection is surprisingly extensive, ranging from classics like orange and apple, to pomegranate, pineapple, cranberry, grapefruit, and tomato.

Ojan went for a grapefruit juice one day.  It was fine, but, just juice, not fresh squeezed or anything.  I opted for pineapple juice a few days later, when I had a sore throat, and was really craving cold juice.  I actually liked it, it was crazy sweet, and fruity, and what I was in the mood for.

Egg Dishes

Egg dishes all come with crispy potatoes and toast.  Options aren't extensive or customizable really, only a single type of omelet (with manchego cheese and chorizo hash, $18), an egg white omelette (with broccolini and smoked gouda, $19), eggs benny (available 3 ways: tasso ham, smoked salmon, or sauteed baby kale with roasted red pepper hollandaise, all $20), and a frittata (wild mushroom, white truffle oil, smoked cheddar, $19).

Egg White Omelet / Broccolini / Smoked Gouda / Crispy Potatoes / Toast. Togo. $19.

One morning, I wasn't feeling well.  Pastries didn't sound good to me (I know, shocker.  But, it happens).  Pancakes didn't sound good to me.  Nothing sounded good.  I just wanted something simple and plain.  I actually wanted some fruit, but, the fruit plate was composed mostly of melons, plus apples which I don't really like, and since I'm allergic to melons, it wasn't really an option for me.

I decided to go out on a limb and get an omelet, even though I don't really like eggs very much.  I wasn't feeling the manchego in the regular omelet, so I opted for the egg white omelet, just because I wanted smoked gouda, not because I was trying in any way to be "healthy".

The toast I wasn't really planning to eat, but it came with the eggs, and I forgot to say I didn't want it. I think I was supposed to get to choose my type of bread, but I wasn't asked what kind, and I think I was given the multigrain.  The toast was just generic sliced bread, toasted.  It didn't seem to be buttered, nor was I provided any butter.  I wonder if that was because it was the healthy egg white omelet?  Or maybe they never butter it?  Or maybe they were supposed to give me butter?  Anyway, dry toast, even with some strawberry jam, was pretty boring, and I just nibbled a little.

The other side included with all egg dishes is "crispy potatoes".  They were not crispy.  They were soft and soggy and not really warm.  They weren't good, even when dunked into ketchup.  Did not like.

I got my breakfast to go, so I could go crawl back into my room, and my bag also contained one of the mini ketchups, a mini tabasco, and strawberry jam, along with plastic cutlery, salt, and pepper.  I appreciated that they included these.

Egg White Omelet: Inside.

As for the omelet, it was ... an omelet.  I don't know what I was thinking ordering it.  Egg whites, decently cooked I guess, but just egg whites.  The broccolini was literally just stuffed inside, not folded into the egg or anything.  It too was fine, but, just broccolini.  The smoked gouda was decent, smokey, flavorful, well melted.

So I guess it was exactly what it should have been, incredibly boring.  I wasn't really into it ... at all, but honestly, I don't know what I would have wanted given how sick I was feeling.

Specialties

The rest of the menu is the "Specialties", and isn't very extensive nor exciting: oatmeal ($11), granola with greek yogurt and fruit ($13), a fruit plate with yogurt ($16), and basic General Mills cereals (Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, $6).  Slightly more interesting is the bagel and smoked salmon plate, with herb whipped cream cheese, caper berries, pickled red onion ($16).

There was only one dish that falls into my favorite category, aka, breakfast carbs (things like pancakes, waffles, french toast, bread pudding): nutella pancakes, served with berries and maple syrup, $16.  I obviously order them one morning.

Granola Refresh. $13.

"Greek yogurt, banana, berries"

I woke up one morning feeling ... healthy.  I don't know what was wrong with me.  I didn't want pancakes.  I didn't want eggs slathered in hollandaise or cheese.  I didn't want another basket of pastries.  No, I wanted fruit, yogurt, and granola.  Really, I think I was somehow imagining that all hotel yogurt would be like the insanely ridiculously best yogurt of my life that I had at the SLS in Beverly Hills (no, seriously.  I'd go back to LA, just to go to that hotel restaurant, just to have that yogurt again.  Its mind blowing!).

So, I ordered the "granola refresh", along with a side of sausage (more on that to come), because, really, who are we kidding, no matter how healthy I feel, I'm not ever just going to get yogurt and granola!

It was ... well, yogurt and granola.  Very generic, thick, tangy Greek yogurt, likely Fage or similar.  Not sweetened, not whipped, not infused with vanilla, just straight from a container.  On top was standard granola, clearly not housemade.  Since the rest of the cereals are General Mills brand, I assume it was too.  No interesting seasoning, no clumps, just granola and hard-as-rock raisins.

The fruit was a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, all incredibly lackluster, as it was the middle of winter.  Oh, and a sliced up half a banana.

I drizzled the honey from the table on top in hopes of improving things, but it didn't really help.  I ate the fruit, and I devoured my sausages, but the yogurt and granola really weren't for me.  If you like plain, basic yogurt and granola though, by all means, there was nothing wrong with it, it was just clearly not anything I ever should have ordered.

Nutella Pancakes / Mixed Berries / Maple Syrup. $16.

On my last day, I finally managed to order the pancakes.  I love my breakfast carbs, but didn't have time during the week to stop and have a slower paced pancake breakfast (besides the day I wasn't feeling good).  Plus, nutella isn't really my thing, so I wasn't super excited about the single pancake option.  And no whipped cream?  Boo.  But still, pancakes.

The fruit on the side was the same mix as served with the granola: blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and sliced banana.  It was the same level of not particularly good.

The pancakes were large, a stack of 3.  They were kinda gummy, kinda soggy, thin, and not particularly good.  I guess they did have some slight nutella flavor, and were dark brown, but, otherwise, not great.  I expected some Nutella spread on the side, or at least some whiped cream or something.

On the side I had a container with balls of butter and syrup.  I'm fairly certainly this was not real maple syrup, it was too sticky.  Not very good.

Overall, a disappointment, and besides the fruit, I didn't each much of it.  Luckily, Ojan opted for yet another "pastry basket" (more on that soon), so we had plenty of muffins to share.

Bakery

The "Bakery" section of the menu offers up $5 toast (and no, not the hip SF version, actually, just toast) and $6 bagels, pastries, and muffins.  The pastry selection is limited to only croissants (plain or chocolate).  The muffin line up features blueberry, raisin-bran, and a seasonal choice (banana nut at the time of my visit).

This was a pretty lackluster sounding "bakery" to me, as I was expecting to find scones and danishes, perhaps some cinnamon buns ...  But, given the low traffic the hotel sees for breakfast, and the lack of buffet, I guess I couldn't really expect them to have an extensive line up.

I didn't really expect that any of these "bakery" items would be great, but, you know me and baked goods, how could I resist?  Turns out, not resisting was a great move.

Also, I lied: there is one more bakery offering, the "Awake Pastry Basket" for $13,  made up of your selection of any 3 of the bakery items.  Since an individual pastry is $6, this is quite the bargain.  And, now that you know that Ojan and I had $48 per day to spend together, you can imagine just how many pastries we ordered (yes, we could get 10 per day!)  

Awake Pastry Basket To-Go: Raisin Bran Muffin, Blueberry Muffin, Pan au Chocolat. $13.

For my first pastry "basket", I opted for my first choice of pastries, the blueberry muffin.  I also selected a chocolate croissant, in order to mix it up in case the muffin wasn't very good.  Finally, I threw in one more selection, my last choice of muffin, raisin bran.

This may seem a bit odd, but it was very strategic.  Since a basket of 3 pastries was only $1 more than buying two individually, and I had the money included in my package, I went for the 3, obviously.  I was planning to get at least two (in case one wasn't good, plus, I like to try all the things).  I wanted to hedge my bets between the muffins and croissants.  And, still not expecting generic hotel pastries to be good, I threw in my last choice, just so I could try it, and get my curiosity out of the way.  Plus, I thought that maybe the basket was mini sizes rather than full, because really, what kind of breakfast is this?  Who orders a basket of these for breakfast?  As you can see, these weren't mini.

I laughed when I opened my bag to find my three, very large, pastries all smushed into the togo box together.  I wondered if when served at the restaurant they came in more of a "basket"?  I also thought "woah, what did you get yourself into, these are huge!"

I started with the blueberry muffin.  I took one bite, and stepped back, surprised.  Woah, where did this come from?  It was really, really good!  The top had a sweet streusel crumble.  I'm such a sucker for streusel.  It was crispy on top, just how I like.  Inside was moist and dense, although perhaps a little bit oily.  The blueberries inside were very flavorful, plump, and juicy, although there weren't tons of them.  Overall, really quite good, and they nailed the topping in particular (sure, it could have been less oily, and have more blueberries).

I quickly moved on to the raisin bran muffin.  It didn't have a streusel, but instead had an oat topping.  It too had a crispy top as I like, and was moist and dense inside, although again, a slightly too oily.  And, just like the blueberry muffin, the raisins were super plump, although again, like the blueberry, there weren't tons of them.  The base flavor had a complex sweetness to it, sorta like molasses.  Another quality muffin.

And finally, the pan au chocolat.  I'm not a huge fan of croissants, and always go for almond or otherwise filled, but again, I was just hedging my bets.  The croissant, like the muffins, was well executed.  The outside was crispy.  Inside was clearly defined layers, and it was moist.  It wasn't dried out at all.  The chocolate was quality dark chocolate, although, there wasn't tons of it.  Still, a good croissant.

Let's just say I was blown away.  These were all good, and clearly freshly baked.

Awake Pastry Basket To-Go: Raisin Bran Muffin, Blueberry Muffin, Banana Nut Muffin. $13.

The first day I got my pastry basket, Ojan went down on his own, and ordered just one muffin and one croissant.  Once I explained that for $1 more he could have a third item, and that it easily fit in our daily allowance, so the next day he opted to do so, and had me pick up his "basket" of muffins, along with a grapefruit juice.

Of course, I may have "helped" him out with some of these.  The raisin bran muffin was about the same as the day before, still a little too oily, but otherwise had a great flavor, and nice plump raisins.  I didn't try the blueberry, as it is his favorite and I had it the previous day, and he gobbled it up.

The banana nut turned out to be my favorite, and I immediately planned to order it myself again the next day.  Moist, good banana flavor, crunchy nuts, crispy top.

And of course, I did order the banana nut again (and again, and again).  Definitely my favorite of the muffins.  Crispy top, coated with sugar, moist interior, lots of nuts, banana flavor not to overwhelming.  Hands down favorite.

Blueberry Muffin.

One morning, all of my muffins arrived cut in half.  I'm not sure why, but, it enabled me to take close-up photos of the interiors, before I devoured them.

The blueberry muffin was always my second choice; I loved the streusel, the crispy top, and the moist decent base.  As I said before, the blueberries were huge, plump, and quite tasty, but here you can see illustrated my complaint that there were not many blueberries inside.

Raisin Bran Muffin.

The raisin bran was always my third choice, but one I was happy to eat.  It always had the oats on top, a molasses flavor to it, and plenty of raisins.  I wished I had tasty jam to slather on it.

Banana Nut Muffin.

But my favorite was always the banana nut.  Sugar on top, super crispy on top, moist inside.  Loaded up with walnuts, for extra crunch, and the banana flavor was never too overwhelming.

Sides

The final section of the menu is sides, such as plain or greek yogurt ($8), smoked salmon ($8), bacon ($7), sausage ($8), ham ($6), and potatoes ($7).

Pork Sausage. $8.

So, little known fact.  I love sausage.  Ok, not all sausage.  In fact, I don't really like sausages like you'd eat for lunch in a bun with toppings, I only like breakfast sausage, or crumbled sausage in pasta or on pizza.  I prefer patties, but a thick link with a crispy outside can be good too.  And, I like pork sausage, even though I don't really like many other pork products (other than bacon, pork belly, and uh, mortadella).  Heh, we can't control what we like, can we?

Anyway, to hedge my bets with the yogurt/fruit/granola dish, and to spend my full $24 credit, I added a side of sausage.  I had no idea what to expect, as it could be anything from a single sausage patty on the side, to a pile of greasy thin links.  I was quite pleased my when side arrived, 2 large, glistening, crispy sausage links.

The sausages were quite tasty.  Super crispy on the outside, just how I like.  They were thick and juicy.  Breakfast sausage style, so mildly seasoned.  Very large.  The serving of 2 of these was bigger than a regular lunch sausage, and really should have been split with someone, but, uh, I really liked my sausage, and had no one to share with.  How could I let this deliciousness go to waste?

I really love breakfast sausage drizzled with maple syrup, but I didn't have any (it comes with pancakes, so I'm sure I could have ordered some, but that certainly would have broke the bank!)  It was fine on its own, and easily devoured, but some syrup would have pushed it over the top.

It wasn't without faults though, as the sausage really was way too greasy.

Applewood Smoked Bacon. $7.

After the success of the sausage, I decided to go for bacon the next day when I was ordering to go.  The portion was 5 strips, slightly more modest than the two large sausages.

It was crispy, decently cooked bacon, but pretty greasy.  It didn't seem to have been drained.  I liked the crispiness, I liked the salt level, but, it was just bacon, nothing earth shattering.

$7 price was slightly lower than the sausage, but a bit crazy if you think about it as just 5 strips of bacon.