I really like the Lafayette, and I have seen a number of its incarnations, from expensive restaurant in the eighties to present restaurant/brewpub. The ambiance is unmatched, from the old building itself, to the private numbered mugs hanging in the rafters. Parking is fine & there is a bed & breakfast in back. The staff is generally friendly & I know a few of them by name. Now, all that having been stated, there have been changes in the last few years which I would prefer to see changed, primarily with regard to the menu. One of the charms is the unusual food & presentation.The more exotic dishes have gone & the appetizers have lost some of their touches.The ""jalapeno fries used to come served with several full, batterless, fried jalapenos, but now they come with just a few jalapeno slices. The mandarin orange, fried calamari was unbelievable, but now its cornmeal encrusted & unremarkable. As of August 2006, the food [while still very good & unique] has lost some of its specialness. Sometimes during the day the barwhile very clean and extraordinarily well keptcan get a little gamey with beer saturation. These days, DO NOT sit in the dining room. It is nice It is kind of romantic but it is EXPENSIVE. You can get the same menu for a lesser tab at the bar. Do NOT expect to get yourself a bottled beer The only beer is homebrew. You can buy growlers for take-out beer. Hard liquor [including top-shelf] is not the cheapest. Single rocks drinks tend to be the most expensive & the glasses arent big. It gets busy in the bar area on weekends. Ive encountered all ages here & have even brought our kids in from time to time. The usual demographic on a weekend night is late 20's to early 40's, men women pretty much equally mixed & usually coupled. If youve never been to the Lafayette Inn, I would recommend it more then just about any other restaurant. I consider it one of my favorite places.
Pros: When I lived out-of-town for a while, I would often pine for going to the General Lafayette for lunch, dinner or drinks. Best Wings and Burgers Around.
Cons: Food presentation has gone down [but you probably wouldn't know it, if you have never been there before]
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