The threat of rain and a possible blustery day always puts me in the mood for a nice hot cup of soup and a warm sandwich. So I drove into town with a friend and we tried out Cafe On The Green. Since its' opening around St. Patrick's Day, I thought I would give it some time to rid itself of kinks which most places have within the first few months of start-up. Although similar to The Bent Spoon in Princeton, the Cafe's eclectic decor, ceiling train and Alice and Wonderland chairs in the back room give it a touch of whimsy that invites children to enjoy the sweets while adults indulge in the 'made in house' food fare. Since all breads, pastry goods and soups are made on the premises, nothing's better than a 'home cooked' meal on a rainy day.
Their fabulous Broccoli-Cheese Soup accompanied the Croque Monsieur Panini Sandwich (Black Forest Ham and Swiss) to perfection. The Watercress & Infused Fruit of the Season Salad (Blue Cheese, Candied Walnut and Apple Cider Dressing) was good but seemed to be a bit skimpy at first and came out too cold but after awhile our opinions changed. The salad became room temp and was, in fact, a good size portion. The fact that the menu indicates the fruit (seasonal nectarines) being 'infused' confuses me since there is no indication of the fruit being 'poured' 'penetrated' or 'introduced' in any great fashion.
If you want to say you've been to Paris and Italy, ingest some of their home made baked goods and Gelato. These are the stars of Cafe On The Green. Decadent choices are displayed. The Macaroons were our special treat. Mocha, Raspberry and Coconut were our selections for the Macaroons that went well with the Amaretto Gelato in small cups. We stayed an extra 20 minutes, slowly scooping every last bit and hardly speaking a word to one another. (Is it polite to lick the bottom of a cup?)
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A return trip with my husband two days later (yes, it was rainy) was just as good. The Thanksgiving Panini (Roasted Turkey, Gruyere cheese with Cranberry Mayo) has real cranberries in the mayo!
Although pricey, I found our choices to be tasty and the environment pleasant, even though a tad too eclectic. The back, while being cozy and whimsical for children, it is a bit of a mish-mosh of styles and therefore a bit ugly to the eye (speaking from a designers point of view). It is as if the back is an all together separate place from the rest of the cafe. The train on the ceiling is fun and provided us with entertainment as we conversed and shared memories of the trains we had as children, trips to far away places, and books we enjoy reading.
