Cafe Via Dolce is molto buono

John Volo

Cafe Via Dolce is an intimate eatery serving coffee and pastries,

light breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and smoothies.

A darkly-tiled floor and rugged wood accents help Cafe Via Dolce

-- located alongside the bustling Charter Center -- maintain an Old

World feel. In fact, it’s reminiscent of a cafe I frequented during

my visit to Amalfi.

Over the course of several solo visits to Cafe Via Dolce, I

discovered a new favorite sandwich (a chicken, provolone and mushroom

panini) and a fantastically refreshing smoothie (the Via Dolce

Delight). I also discovered that I might be a revolting lunch

partner.

Two friends, both of whom shall remain nameless, rebuffed my

requests for a lunch companion. One friend, who prides herself on

being constantly busy (and shares her name with a KISS ballad),

claimed she was, in fact ... too busy. Another friend (same name as

Greg Brady’s mom) said she’d rather run some errands than subject

herself to my drivel. Wow! I felt like Tom Cruise asking Brooke

Shields to lunch.

Anyway, my new favorite sandwich, served on hearty grilled

focaccia bread spread with zesty tomato pesto (the house sauce), had

chunks of grilled chicken and mushrooms resting under a layer of

melted provolone cheese. I recognized this as a delicious variation

on the chicken parmigiana sandwich.

I also reveled in their take on a grilled cheese sandwich -- the

caprese melt. Thin, juicy slices of tomato are buried under an

abundance of plump, warmed (not melted) mozzarella slices and served

with basil on the previously mentioned grilled focaccia with tomato

pesto.

The peppery chicken Caesar wrap has more chicken than lettuce --

that’s good -- and just enough dressing inside a delightful spinach

tortilla. The turkey/pesto/cranberry sandwich on “rustic white” bread

had quality turkey meat, dried cranberries and a basil pesto spread

that clashed with the Thanksgiving theme.

All sandwiches come with your choice of fresh fruit (strawberries,

grapes, watermelon and honeydew melon), potato salad or a bag of

potato chips. Other midday options include the soup of the day (such

as chicken tortilla) and several salad choices.

For breakfast, I enjoyed a daily special that combined a cup of

robust house-blend coffee with an extremely fresh wheat bagel (soft

even after toasting) topped with Black Forest ham, melted cheese and

tomato. Other hot breakfasts available include a ham and cheese

croissant and scrambled eggs and toast. There’s a variety of bagels

to choose from, as well as a multitude of hot and cold coffee

concoctions.

All the muffins, pastries, cookies and desserts are delivered

daily from Il Fornaio bakery. I’ve previously enjoyed many baked

delights from Il Fornaio, but was underwhelmed with the goodies I

tried at Cafe Via Dolce.

My chocolate chocolate chip muffin was nice and moist, but the

corn muffin required butter, the cranberry orange scone was average,

an Italian cookie tasted like a mini fruitcake, and my over-sized

chocolate chip cookie was as hard as it was dry.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was the Via Dolce Delight

smoothie. This refreshing blast of summer is a smooth mixture of

pineapple, coconut, banana and premium vanilla. An awesome blend!

Protein powder or vitamin boost can be added to any smoothie for a

dollar more.

Should you visit, I think you’ll agree Cafe Via Dolce is molto

buono.

READER’S NOTE: Is there some place you’d like to see reviewed?

Send me an e-mail.

* JOHN VOLO is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, e-mail [email protected].

f7