Written by Robyn Portlock
If you are looking for a delicious restaurant to eat brunch at in Lafayette, Tangerine is the place! I really enjoyed my experience at Tangerine in Old Town Lafayette. One of my family’s favorite pastimes is trying out different brunch places on Sundays, so I consider myself a fairly good brunch critic. Tangerine is owned by Chef Alec Schuler, who also owned Arugula in Boulder, and opened its doors in Lafayette in 2018.
The interior of Tangerine is very clean, bright, and, happy, with lots of tangerine orange accents and hip, modern fixtures. This new Old Town Lafayette location is the second of three Tangerines located in Colorado. We were given the option of sitting on the patio (which looked lovely) or inside, but decided on the latter, because it was still a little chilly outside.
We visited the restaurant on a Sunday morning and expected to have a wait, but were pleasantly surprised when we were seated within five minutes of arriving. Our waitress, Laura, was very friendly and attentive, without being obtrusive.
Myself, my daughter, Hannah, and her fiancé, Nick, chose to order two mochas ($4.65) and a dirty chai ($4.95). The drinks were prepared by a barista who delivered the drinks to our table with a beautiful flower design on top. The frothy mochas were devine, with little sprinkles of chocolate on top. The dirty chai was just the right amount of spicy, with cinnamon wafting in the air. We all agreed that the drinks were delectable and piping hot.
The menu had a multitude of options including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian. I ordered the asparagus and mushrooms ($11.95) from the Poached, Fried & Scrambled section. The eggs were poached perfectly on top of roasted local Hazel Dell (a Fort Collins fungus farm) mushrooms, soft polenta, fried asparagus, and pecorino romano cheese. I enjoyed everything except for the polenta, which I found to be mushy and flavorless. I probably should have upgraded to the Yukon gold home fries ($2), but hindsight is 20/20 right? I also ordered the sour dough bread and heaped on the sweet, delightful, homemade blueberry and strawberry jam on it. (I’m a sucker for homemade jams.) All of the flavors blended well, and I would order it again.
Hannah ordered The Vegan (($12.25) under the Tangerine House Specialties and included tempeh, spicy guacamole, fresh arugula, sautéed spinach, eggplant caponata, pinto beans, almond romesco sauce, tangy walnut pesto, fresh lemon and two eggs. She was underwhelmed with the dish, feeling there were a lot of ingredients in the dish that were just thrown in, but it wasn’t very cohesive. She also thought it was a lot of work to eat, because she wanted just the right mix in every bite. She said that she wouldn’t order it again but was glad that she tried it.
Nick ordered corned beef hash ($12.95), under the Tangerine House Specialties, as well, but opted for the veggie option which was made with tempeh in place of the corned beef and bacon. The dish included tempeh, crispy sweet potatoes with a house spice blend, eggs, and house-made butter pickles. He enjoyed the crunchy pickles and thought the whole dish was delicious.
Overall, I enjoyed the Tangerine experience and would definitely eat there again. The check for three people was $59.47, which is pretty consistent with other brunch restaurants I have visited before. I did find the portions somewhat less than other places, but the dishes did fill everyone up. I also liked that most of the ingredients, including the coffee, were locally sourced and fresh. I would most definitely recommend Tangerine to anyone asking for a fun, tasty brunch in Lafayette and feel that it deserves a B.
TANGERINE
Grade: B
Where: 300 S. Public Rd, Lafayette, CO 80026
Hours: Open Daily 7am to 2:30pm
Food: Breakfast/Brunch
How much: $6-$16
Information: (303) 443-5100
April 28, 2019
