Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Foggy Bottom — Restaurant in Washington

You can never go wrong with Tatte. This popular Mediterranean-inspired cafe has been spreading across the DMV like wildfire, and for good reason. Their drinks, pastries, and meals / entrees are all outstanding -- I've been to or ordered from Tatte more times than I can count, and I've been impressed each and every time.

For coffee, you can't go wrong with any of their espresso classics, but they also have an outstanding matcha latte -- arguably one of the best in DC -- or, if you prefer a sweeter drink, the honey halva latte is a lovely, dessert-like treat.

Every single one of their pastries is near perfection, but I love their classic chocolate croissant -- it's super flaky, with a gorgeous lamination and beautifully glossy, slightly crispy exterior. If you need something that's easy to share with a ton of people, I love their cranberry pistachio shortbread; these mini cookies are delightfully buttery and almost addictive with the combination of nuts and sweet, tangy fruit. They have an expansive gluten-free menu, and everything is so expertly crafted that you'll never have any idea that they're gluten-free. The brownies are spectacularly rich and luxurious, and the halva brownie is especially decadent. I'm also obsessed with their tea cakes, which are the perfect size for a small, mid-day pick-me-up; the sesame one is particularly tasty, as it's not too sweet and has a delightful nutty aroma.

Then, of course, there's the entrees. Again, Tatte manages to deliver the best quality items each and every time. The shakshuka is outstanding and incredibly flavorful, their bowls and salads are all phenomenal -- although my favorites for a weekday / work lunch have to be the salmon farro bowl and green and nutty salad -- and they have outstanding sandwiches. Tatte's entrees do trend toward the heavier and more decadent side so they might put you in a bit of a food coma, but that's also what makes their food so spectacular. They also have a great gluten-free selection within the entrees, which I really appreciate.

Given how great their food is, Tatte is absolutely packed at nearly all hours of the day. The staff is super friendly and will do their best to help you find a spot, but you should be prepare to potentially take your...

A beautifully decorated little cake shop and brunch place. It has clean white stone floors and a series of little individual island counter tops to handle the cafe v. Desert options.

Price seems to range from 5-10 dollars per individual item or mini-cake so not too out of the range.

As for the cake, I had a lemon meringue tart. With tax, it will set you back 8ish dollars. 9-10 if you choose to tip.

The lemon custard was wonderfully done. It was just a little sour with a mild sweetness-around the sweetness of a very sweet fruit. Texture wise it was smooth, and pleasant.

The meringue top was soft in the middle and sweeter than the custard-but not too sweet as to overshadow or invalidate the custard. It had a texture of fancy, smooth whipped cream, with just a pleasant stickiness from the outer baked layer.

Sounds delicious? It was. However, the Tartlet was rock hard and thick. Cutting it with the edge of the provided metal spoon took wrist and forearm strength far beyond what a great, home-baked pastry should take. Worse, the tartlet was glued to the paper coaster on the display case using sugar syrup. Pulling it left long sticky sugar strands-perfect for getting stuck on long sleeved shirts or for a tacky sensation to suffer through.

I know why this was done. It is to prevent tart from sliding off the paper, and prevent broken product from the deserts being mishandled. The perils of mass production run deep in these kinds of chain stores.

But they sacrificed what could have been a perfect little tart for a merely decent one, sitting in a exoskeleton that made me wish they sold it in a ramekin instead.

How...

I was interrupted by an associate named Delonta when I was eating by asking to pay for my pastry. I said, "Of course, I have already paid. There was no way for me even to grab without paying. Cashier assisted me, and I paid cash. " He said (without any apologies for inconvenience) that their POS machine still notifies that order is unpaid. I said:"Yes, because I paid cash." He said (by speaking very arrogant and indifferent to the situation) that he doesn't know what happened, but it is unpaid in their system. I immediately finished my breakfast, and I walked back to the cashier. We figured out that my money was still sitting at the register (someone could easily steal it). All this situation says about the unprofessionalism of these two people. Cashier (I used to work at customer service positions, and I know that) had to ask:"Are you paying cash or card?". I didn't use a card at all, why their system waiting for the transaction? Why did she not pay attention that the order was unpaid before I left the register?

Associate Delonte (he told that he is a manager later) first had to speak to the cashier prior to speaking to the customer (she was not aware of what happened when we asked her). If he had asked cashier first, they could have found my money before interrupting me.

The manager can not act this way. I was surprised that after we figured out what happened, he didn't even apologize for the inconvenience and put a blame on me by saying that it was my fault. What is nonsense! Cashier can not finish transaction until makes sure...