Clean, crisp and bright--that's the first thing you'll notice about Cafe Z epicerie, a sweet little breakfast-and-lunch place tucked in next door to Peet's Coffee in the Bon Air Shopping Center. Cafe Z has been around for over a year, but looks as though it opened just the other day with its bright white walls, white tile, darkly painted wooden floor, and little white marble-topped tables. Equally inviting is the array of menu items--from breakfast crepes to sandwiches and homemade soups to salads and desserts. Inviting--and a bit daunting. The word epicerie, after all, is French for grocery store, and the menu is nearly as comprehensive as your neighborhood food hall: There are a lot of items to browse. Because you make your selection at the counter rather than rolling your cart up and down the aisles, there's sometimes a bit of a traffic jam while people make up their minds. Maybe that's why there's a menu board just outside the door, the better to choose before actually stepping inside.
And what exactly to choose? Breakfast features a lot of egg dishes, but none of your "eggs over-easy with hash browns and a sausage patty." Offerings are more sophisticated--omelets with roasted vegetables or feta cheese or caramelized onions. Signature waffles with Nutella and sliced bananas. Not just "a side of bacon," but "a side of thick cut bacon." Not mere oatmeal, but Irish steel-cut oatmeal.
Since I rarely make crepes at home (who am I kidding? I never make crepes), I indulged in a breakfast crepe filled with scrambled eggs, spinach and mushrooms ($7.50). It was a little on the bland side--undoubtedly the cr pe with eggs, smoked salmon and chives had more kick to it--but it was surprisingly light for such a hearty breakfast. The crepe was tender, the eggs were fluffy, the spinach not overdone, and the abundance of mushrooms very fresh and flavorful. And what you order is certainly an adequate amount of food, but without garnish.
But let's say you prefer crepes for lunch, thank you. At Café Z, you can order a breakfast crepe anytime--or you can slide on over to the selection of savory crepes and order one made with Brie, tomato and basil, for example, or perhaps a nice healthy crepe with roasted farm vegetables (zucchini, onion and peppers). Or be adventurous and have a crepe with smoked ham, Gruyre and caramelized apples--kind of like having lunch and dessert all in one. I have to say this one was pretty wonderful. The generous portion of thinly sliced ham blended well with the slightly bitter cheese, and the apples added sweetness and texture. It was good enough--and large enough--to take half home for later.
I like a place that offers a good selection of salads, and so do my friends, many of whom seem to be following the South Beach Diet at least half the time. If you're part of that scene, you'll appreciate Caf Z's 14 salad choices (even more when you consider you can add grilled chicken, tuna or chicken salad to most of them). The Caf Z "signature" salad ($7.25) combines greens, vegetables, fruit and feta with pistachios and comes with a balsamic vinaigrette. I liked the Italian tuna and white bean salad ($6.95)--healthy, tasty and pretty to look at, but my husband found the taste of olives overwhelming.
Panini sandwiches seem to be popular, and Caf Z does a good job of these. If you're feeling that your cholesterol level could use some jacking up, let me recommend the roast beef panini with bleu cheese and red onion ($7.50)--a deliciously greasy, guilty pleasure. Actually, I don't know that there's a panino on the list that could be considered healthy--if that's what you're after, go back to the salad menu. Otherwise, dive into roast turkey and Gruy re or grilled chicken with pesto and red peppers. Your choice of bread.
My friend Jeff, who likes his food plain, thanks, found just what he wanted here: a cafe sandwich (not a panino) made with roast turkey; and when he asked with a slight note of panic in his voice, "You're not gonna put any of that Brie on there, are you?" they were only too delighted to substitute cheddar. He was a happy man.
Another time, I was somewhat less than happy with my tarragon chicken sandwich ($6.50)--the ciabatta roll was fresh and chewy, but there was very little taste of tarragon or anything else in the filling.
A caf that offers savory crepes can certainly be counted on for the dessert variety: try one made with tangy lemon zest butter ($3.95) or go for broke with a Nutella variety, garnished with either bananas or strawberries ($5.95). Beverages include espresso drinks, sodas, beer, wine and mimosas.
One odd thing I noticed about Cafe Z: When I walked in the door, I smelled…nothing. No food aromas of any kind. It made me wonder, frankly, if the food would have any flavor--but it most certainly does. They must have a fantastic ventilation system.
One of the coolest things about the place, however, is just the way the food is served. Yes, you have to order at the counter, and yes, you have to go back to the counter to pick it up when it's ready. But there are simple and elegant touches to appreciate, such as the wicker flatware basket, and the weighty metal--not cheesy plastic!--flatware itself. The plates are plain white but attractive. And while there's no table service per se, the minute you have finished your meal, someone is at your elbow, politely asking if s/he may remove your plate. Overall, there's an aura of sensible presentation and things done right.
And the cuisine? C'est si bon.
