Best-in-class French Toast and the dinner is excellent to boot.

I generally find that I can be a fairly impartial critic of restaurants but such does not apply here. Over the year-and-change I have been coming to Little G I have developed a fondness for the owners and staff.

When I was dating someone who lived nearby we were fixtures at brunch and sometimes dinner. I threw a close friend’s birthday party here. I eat here at least once or twice a month for brunch and once for dinner. In short, this is my everyday nice restaurant.

The initial allure that brought me to the bowels of the Lower East Side was a cameraphone photo of the French Toast in all of its glory. On my first visit I became hooked on what I call the freebase of French Toast.

The substantial bread, the yummy toffee sauce, the carmelized bananas and the banana gelato blended together to create an orgasmic meld in which the interplay of the components shifts. First the gelato added flavor; then it cut the sweetness of the toffee sauce.

I have since brought many a friend for the French Toast. Everyone has become a Little G. convert; most are now addicts.

Dinner is also a treat, with my favorite preparations with more substantial, earthy creations like squash salads, shortribs and the swine o’ the week being their forte (and my preference). I have seen uniformly positive reactions from my friends, although I have always found the fondue quite puzzling.

Desserts are also spectacular… here’s a backdoor trick to get the French Toast goodness at night: order the sticky toffee and, for extra fidelity, ask if they can switch up the vanilla gelato for banana.

Despite the rave, this restaurant is not excessively expensive; a civilized dinner for two (with dessert, etc.) shouldn’t run more than $140 all-in (ex-alcohol). The one downside of this restaurant is that it is cramped and the Ikea-type furniture is not super-comfortable. I make the trade happily every time I go, even if getting in and out of the seats is a pain.

The trout I ordered was kinda raw, which I was not expecting. Seasoned well, but I wasn’t feeling it. I meant to rate this a 2, but I can’t figure out how to change my rating once it’s saved.

The blood orange salad with proscuitto is divine, as is the grafton mac and cheese and sticky toffee pudding.
One of my favorite places, with a stellar wine list to boot.