Cafe D, JP

[a l i c e]

Finally made it over to Cafe D to try out the fish tacos (thanks yumyum et al.). Saturday night around 8:30pm at the bar. Shared the salmon tartare starter that was better than the tuna tartare that I had at Gargoyles last weekend (saltier than usual). Sesame flavor really shone through. We decided to split the provencal tuna burger and a full order of fish tacos. I was initially surprised by the price of the tacos ($12.50 for two; $6.50 for one taco) but it made for a great, casual Sat night-at-the-bar type of dinner. Flavorful fish, expertly fried, encased in two corn tortillas, with cabbage slaw, and delicious creme. Side of beans were okay, nothing special. Tuna burger was nice - a little more baseball-shaped than I like, but cooked perfectly (a bit on the rare side and still juicy) and the olive tapenade topping was really good. Could have benefitted from a sturdier, tastier bun, though - I found the bread pretty lame, like a cheap cook-out burger bun when you were a kid. Large, hand-cut steak fries were eaten quickly and completely. We had Harpoon Refsvindinge Private Stock (Danish Farmhouse Ale) on tap that packed a wallop - yum. JP Licks for Green (Monster) Tea ice cream followed.

[dpak]

A group of us tried Cafe D quite a few months ago. The food was okay, but we vowed never to go back - an inept waiter and a manager who seemed amused and dismissive that our meal took an hour to arrive and wasn't all of what we had ordered. It's a shame because it seemed like a good place - and in a very convenient location for us. I hope the service and attitude has improved.

[veeva]

I agree with dpak -- just don't like the vibe there. I've tried to like it, I wish I liked it -- it's very convenient. Food is fine (love the tacos) but something about the room and the staff just puts me off. Can't quite place it, but after about half a dozen tries, we won't be going back.

[linz]

that's too bad, I really liked it when I went there. Had some wonderful homemade chips with salsa and guac, some wine, and a veggie pasta dish that was quite good. I thought it was a nice addition to the JP scene, sorry to hear people are unhappy with it of late.

[Bob Dobalina]

Sorry about your bad service experience - I have been twice and the service was friendly and professional both times. However, both times were on a Saturday for lunch, so maybe I am getting the right folks at the right time.

[dpak]

After reading that the nutty manager was no longer there, we decided to give Cafe D another try. The service was much better - very good in fact. The food was fair to good - the calamari was pretty good, with a thick, crumbly coating. For the life of me, I can't remember what I had - one of the seafood specials, I think (I had wanted the pea risotto, but it was made with chicken stock - why, oh why, make a veggie dish with meat stock when veggie stock would taste just as good??!!!). One person really liked his burger and the other person thought his was just okay. I forget what everyone else had (perhaps I had one too many glasses of the tasty, chewy tempranillo). We'll go back, though - the food was at least decent, and the service was very friendly.

[Bob Dobalina]

Thanks for the review. Sorry to hear about the lame bun - When I had their burger, I noted that the bun was particularly good and sturdy - I guess it's somewhat hit or miss.

Have you tried the rice pudding dessert with the port-soaked cherries? I thought it was fantastic, but my chow-hound-o-meter always could use a little calibration.

[tatamagouche]

I recently had the tuna tartar at Gargoyle's and wasn't wowed either. It didn't taste any better or worse than myriad other tuna tartars.
Did, however, have an unforgettable dessert--butterscotch fondant with black truffle ice cream. The fondant alone is almost cloying; with the ice cream, it's one of the more fascinating, bell-ringing flavor combos I've ever tried.