As the weather in Charlottesville continues its struggle to decide between snow and sun, Escafe, too, seems to be undergoing an identity crisis.
Located at the end of the Downtown Mall, Escafe is in a perfect spot across from the ice park. Whether you've been skating or just browsing the Mall, Escafe offers a relaxing setting.
The atmosphere at Escafe is laid back, trendy and definitely European. Although small, the space feels quite open with a large mirror lining the back wall. An outdoor dining area (for those days before the snow) seamlessly blends into the main dining room, reinforcing the illusion of space.
A colorful mural decorates the upper half of the wall and year-round Christmas lights are strung across the ceiling. There also is a small but inviting bar decorated with an assortment of beautiful plants. Even the ceiling panels are appealing and strongly European.
Service at Escafe is fairly standard. Our server was knowledgeable and willing to answer questions, but his rapid and hushed speech made it hard to understand him. For all we knew, he was insulting us instead of rattling off the daily specials.
Despite that, service was prompt and the staff was friendly. We were presented with a delicious basket of bread and side of olive oil as soon as our appetizer orders were in.
Appetizers at this eatery average around $5 and highlight Escafe's identity crisis from the beginning. Escafe features "fusion cuisine," with three of the dishes being distinctly Asian and one even Mexican. We kept an open mind, however, knowing that such diversity can be a plus just as easily as a downfall.
We went with one of the distinctly Asian dishes, choosing the Twin Oaks Tofu Nori Roll ($5.00), which consists of marinated tofu, carrots, asparagus, red pepper and rice with soy wasabi mustard.
Although beautifully presented in a fashion similar to sushi, the flavor was lacking. The texture of the rolls was grainy and the dish would have lacked all flavor if it weren't for the good, though not spectacular, mustard.
We also tried a Taste Buds favorite, Pepper jack and Tillamook Cheddar Quesadilla ($5.00) filled with frijoles Negroes, corn and "salsa favorite." It was decent, the beans tasty and not overpowering, but it wasn't very special. The same quesadilla could have come from Taco Bell.
One of the only European-sounding appetizers offered was the Wedge of Brie ($5.00) that came with toasted almonds, bremner wafers and Keswick dried cherry apricot brandy glaze. Unfortunately, we had to skip it in order to save room for the entrees.
Luckily, the main course proved to be a bit of an improvement over the lackluster appetizers. This part of the menu is divided into two even sections of sandwiches and larger dishes.
Sandwiches are served on fresh bread with potato salad, or you can substitute chips for free. Otherwise, you can substitute mashed potatoes or house salad for an extra dollar.
We do not recommend spending this extra dollar. It's better saved for drying a load of laundry. The mashed potatoes were gooey and seemed more like the kind of instant potatoes you would buy at Kroger. The house salad was similarly unimpressive.
The sandwiches themselves, however, were pretty good. They average around $7, a fair price. We tried the Open Faced Turkey Sandwich ($7.00), which came with gravy, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. The sandwich also can be ordered with apple bread stuffing for $8. It was tasty; the meat was tender and the gravy delicious. Resist the urge to complement the turkey with mashed potatoes.
We also tried the Mexican Grilled Salmon Sandwich ($9.00), which came with cilantro pesto, mayo, lettuce and tomato. The cilantro pesto was the star ingredient of this dish, the flavor unique and very successful. The salmon itself was well grilled. This sandwich only had one weakness. It was very messy to eat. Still, we think we'd order it again.
Vegetarians can give the Grilled Portabello Sandwich ($6.00) a shot; it comes with caramelized red onions, salsa, greens and pepper jack. Other patrons might try a taste of home with Mom's Meatloaf Two Ways ($6.00 as sandwich, $7.00 as platter).
The entrees section offered a much more unique and slightly pricier selection. All the entrees come with a small house salad and average around $12.
Once again, the identity crisis makes itself known loud and clear in this portion of the menu. Although the rest of the cafe is set in Europe, the selection seems much more centered around Asia. All but three dishes had distinctly Asian ingredients.
We ordered the Honey Ginger Seared Chicken Breast ($12.00). The chicken was topped with caramelized red onions and sides of mashed potatoes and the veggie of the day were served as well.
The flavor of the chicken was definitely Asian, tasting almost like teriyaki. The meat itself was extraordinarily tender and almost could be cut with the side of a fork.
Giving the Asian dishes a break, we tried Today's Pasta ($11.00), a combination of pasta, forest mushrooms, feta, pecorino romano, spinach and cream. This dish was spectacular. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the flavor was wonderful; the plentiful mushrooms and other ingredients worked very well together. A word of warning: if you don't like mushrooms, don't order this dish. There are LOTS in it.
Escafe also offers a varied dessert menu. These desserts aren't great, but good enough to refresh you once the weather gets hot. Check out the choices at Escafe.com
If you want a restaurant to match the indecisive weather, we'd recommend Escafe. The food is decent, the atmosphere is great, and at least you can rest assured that there's some place in the world where ethnic and racial lines don't seem to exist.
Food: ***
Atmosphere: ****
Price: $$$
Location: ****
Service: ***
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