Somehow (I’m still not sure how) I landed an AWESOME invitation to the opening of a new restaurant in Annapolis. La Madeleine Country French Cafe will open their new Annapolis location on Wednesday, so I got the chance to take a friend this morning to check out their food (free!) and give them the chance for some real-time training for their staff.

We were greeted by a regional sales rep who was doing a fantastic job managing the arrivals. He had a list of every reservation, so it was quick and well organized. He told us we could order anything we wanted from the menu, and even encouraged us to order a lot so we could try a bit of everything. I went with the Country French Breakfast (and subbed egg whites when the cashier SO HELPFULLY asked which I’d prefer), a skim cappuccino, and an almond croissant. My awesome date for the meal got the croissant breakfast sandwich, a regular coffee, and a lemon tarte. While we waited for everything to come out (they brought it all to the table for us!) we explored the decor a little.

Everything was really charming, and my friend said it reminded her a lot of the apartment she stayed in when she was in Paris… so points for authenticity? I liked the muted color choices, and the lighting managed to walk the fine line of being well lit without feeling like an interrogation room. The bathrooms were beautiful too, very clean, and had nice changing tables too.

So, the food? INCREDIBLE. We both loved everything. The cappuccino was so good that I didn’t add sugar. The egg whites were shockingly good as well, with a ton of flavor and just the right consistency. The bacon was a little thin, but otherwise great. The meal also came with a FANTASTIC potato croquette that I really enjoyed. I only ate half of that since it was heavier than I was expecting.

The croissant sandwich was perfect, with a GREAT cheese flavor (nice, sharp cheddar) and the lemon tart was mind-blowing; the lemon filling was super light and incredibly smooth. It was so good that we didn’t even eat the tart shell! The almond croissant ended up having little chocolate chips inside, which made it extra decadent and very good.

Even better than the food was the service. Everyone was polite and professional. Not once did we wait for anything. People were all over checking on us, asking what we needed, clearing our dishes away, and staying busy. Everyone was incredibly well trained and the entire event went very smoothly.

Best of all? They even let me go back through the line to get a package of their signature Madeleines to bring home to the husband and kidlet.

We didn’t pay for our meal since this was a complimentary event for training and marketing purposes, but if we had paid for our (huge, super filling) breakfast I would only have paid about $13 for my entire purchase (the French breakfast, cappuccino, and croissant). It wasn’t super cheap, but the quality of both food and service were well worth the cost. I will DEFINITELY be going back to try out some of their incredible sounding (and quite healthy) lunch and dinner options, plus sampling their tiramisu and creme brulee!

If you find yourself anywhere near Annapolis after this Wednesday, GO and check this place out. They’re open for all three meals and would make a great place to hang out for the day. They had outlets at nearly every table, so it would be easy to spend some time getting work done there, maybe next to the cozy fireplace at the center of the dining area or near the windows looking out onto their outdoor area.

If you’re not in Annapolis, check out La Madeleine’s other locations and find one near you! It’s somewhere we’ll be back to soon, if for nothing more than the best cappuccino in the city.