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 November 2006 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: Food A Hidden Treasure: Carriage House Cafe By Annemarie Jason
the light scent of coffee and good homemade food? Together, these things made me want to sit back and stay awhile. Carriage House Cafe’s food is all homemade. Even the coffee is about as close to home as coffee can get. It’s the proud product of Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters in Victor, New York. The Cafe’s menu features soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts, plus daily specials. Items are reasonably priced and you can order different combination plates. That’s what we ordered — and every morsel tasted like a gift made for a good friend. The soup du jour was sausage tortellini, but we both chose the broccoli cheese soup, served with a cheese-garlic biscuit. The soup was creamy, mildly cheesy and just right to take the chill off a brisk November day. The biscuit, though very good, could not compare with the perfection of the bread I had on my egg salad sandwich. The latter had a crust and crumb that bread goddess Kathy Buran could use as a one-woman peacekeeping tool. It’s the kind of bread — soft and slightly sweet — that used to fragrance the kitchens of many of our grandmothers, yet I’ve seldom experienced its joy in a restaurant. One could also get chicken salad with grapes, celery and optional almonds served on this bread. Sourdough bread was paired with turkey, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, mixed greens and mayo or basil pesto for a hearty turkey classic sandwich. The special of the day was ham or pastrami on rye with honey mustard. Sandwiches were served with chips or Napa cabbage salad. We also selected cranberry pecan salads with mixed greens. I had mine with feta cheese, while my friend chose gorgonzola. We could have tried a chicken salad with mandarin oranges and almonds atop mixed greens or the special salad made with walnuts, pears and gorgonzola. We topped our salads with a vinaigrette that enhanced the salad flavors without overwhelming them. My decaf coffee had a nicely nutty taste and smell, but when our friendly waitress mentioned the “Jamaican Me Crazy” coffee, I just had to try it. It was milder than what I usually drink, but good — and I like to reward creative naming! Its presence made it imperative that I should have dessert. I could not ignore the opportunity to have the special of the day, one of my childhood favorites. How many restaurants serve pineapple upside-down cake? Answer: Not enough! But my friend’s ears perked up at the mention of chocolate desserts. She bypassed the chocolate-cherry scones and the Hello Dollies to experience sweet nirvana with an excellent chocolate-covered peanut butter bar. It was so rich that she took most of it home, where she could gradually savor small pieces or do what any self-respecting sweetaholic would do and devour it all before midnight! Participants in Artist’s Loft classes can opt to enjoy boxed lunches or desserts and coffee prepared by Carriage House Cafe. Some attend classes to learn oil or watercolor techniques, jewelry making, refinishing or for a group project such as the creation of a set of hand-painted glasses for a bridal gift. Artists Sherry Misso, Linda Dugan, Carol Porzelt, Kim Fentor and Jody Kasperzck are the instructors. For details, call Sherry at 984-0163. Experience a delightful Clarence treasure, the Carriage House Cafe (984-0163) at 9060 Main Street (west of Sheridan Drive), open Mon.-Sat. from 10-3 p.m. back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |
