So sad to report that I found Niche rather disappointing!
To sum up:
- poor service
- good french toast
- mediocre eggs benedict that lacked hollandaise sauce
- a peculiar idea of "sweet potato fries"
I went for Sunday brunch and found the space to be pleasant and quaint. After ordering (french toast, Niche benedict, sweet potato fries), I was unprepared for the rather long wait... but I can accept long waits for exceptional food!
My dining partner ordered the deep dish french toast and declared it to be very delicious. I tried some and liked it as well - it has a different texture from the usual french toast and (as the name would imply) is very thick-cut. It is moist, fluffy and all-around pretty good french toast. It also reminded me slightly of bread pudding.
The Niche benedict had the potential to be so good. It certainly looked good. A poached egg with bacon, on top of cornbread instead of the traditional English muffin, with Hollandaise sauce and arugula on top. The cornbread was tasty but a bit too crumbly - I ended up just stirring it into the egg yolk to make it easier to eat. I couldn't tell you how the Hollandaise sauce tasted as there was barely any of it. There's nothing wrong with having egg and cornbread... except that I ordered eggs benedict with Hollandaise.
The sweet potato "fries" were a complete joke. I'm not sure how the waiter was able to keep a straight face as he handed me the plate and repeated they were "sweet potato fries." They were more like boiled sweet potatoes, cut into chunks and slathered with oil. I searched and searched for a crispy edge or something dry - anything!
I found the most annoying part to be when we mentioned the unusual fries to the waitress and how we didn't like them, she responded by laughing it off and bringing us the bill. Awesome. Thanks for your service!