Nopa is a large hopping place. We were there for Saturday brunch and a reservation seemed a must. They do have bar seating that looked to be first come first served, though. Service was friendly and the menu fairly small, but with good sounding options. It is an open kitchen with a wood grill that we had a birds eye view of from our seat on the second level.  We could also watch Chef Laurence Jossel inspect and season all the plates going out. The place has a good vibe but the food, in general, does not live us to the hype.

 

We started with the corn and blackberry muffin which was smeared with honey butter.  It had a wonderfully sweet top and good texture to the interior. It was yummy and served hot.

 

We saw the “soft scrambled” eggs which didn’t look to soft and the braised pork looked a bit gloppy so one of us got the wood grilled hamburger and enhanced it with bacon and cheddar cheese (each about $2). It was good but not particularly special. The fries had a good crispy exterior and nice potato taste.

 

The other of us ordered the custard French toast which sounded exquisite.  It did indeed have a nice custardy center but somehow the sour yogurt topping wrecked it for me. It was served with the smallest bowl of syrup you’ve ever seen and interestingly enough the size of the syrup serving was the same whether you got a one slice or two slice order.  I asked for more and got an even smaller cup. While the toast was nicely moist in the center the outside screamed for syrup or butter to moisten it. Needless to say, overall the dish was a let down. The bacon on the side was a generous order and nicely cooked with a fair amount of flavor, but no where near Benton’s.