This place is a rare find, especially in a relatively out-of-the-way place like Jamestown. It combines small-town friendliness with a unique dining experience. I read the reviews and looked up the menu before we made our dinner choice. This preview set our expectations very high and yet we were still not disappointed. In fact, a couple of things we tried ended up becoming benchmarks for future chocolate-related treats.
The storefront for this diminutive little shop is not that obvious in passing as it is a half-flight down from street level. It is connected to the bar upstairs, which creates an interesting mix. It caters to breakfast aficionados and coffee connoisseurs, but there is also a chance to experience some creative dinners and lunches. This includes the provision of an extensive choice of beers and wines. On their website, it says it was "born a coffee shop, (that) married a craft beer and wine bar (that) hatched a full service restaurant". It's a unique evolution.
The seating area in the lower level is quite compact. It is clear that it caters in large part to takeaway business. But there is seating in the lower level for 30 or 40 people with an option to go upstairs to the connected bar (the Brazil Lounge). There apparently is also patio seating available in warmer weather.
Upon entering, we were greeted by a busy employee behind the counter, who invited us to sit where we would like (including upstairs if we wanted). The atmosphere in the quiet lower level suited us better on this occasion and there were still two or three empty tables when we arrived at 6 PM on a Thursday. The vibe was very casual, cozy and unpretentious.
We opted for a window booth. Our server, Kate, attended to us right away and did a great job. The drinks were notable. I had a hard time choosing a wine from the list, but I settled on the Primitivo. This was a good choice. However, my wife hit the jackpot with her drink, a coffee creation called the Montezuma Mocha Latte. It was an espresso with vegan chocolate sauce, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder and cayenne pepper. It was a chocolatey treat with an intense complementary zing. This concoction set a standard for a liquid chocolate treat.
The vegetarian menu offered several inventive and inviting options. We are not vegetarians, but we still enjoy good veg dishes. And what we tried here had to be among the best we have ever had. For a starter, we opted for the Mediterranean Plate, which included sweet peppers, garlic stuffed olives, grilled flat bread and crackers. The dips were hummus and whipped feta topped with honey. The feta was the highlight, but the peppers were also unusually good and the flat bread was warm and scrumptious.
For her main, my wife had a Peppadew Grilled Cheese Sandwich. This was also a huge winner. It was a case of comfort food with a wonderfully flavorful edge. It featured melted Peppadew Cheddar and homemade apricot jam. Wow! It presented the perfect meld of flavors. I was fortunate that my wife shared a couple of bites of this gratifying sandwich with me.
I tried the Masoor Dal for my main, which featured chili ginger garlic, spiced lentils with tomatoes, onion, cucumber and carrots over basmati rice topped with a touch of cilantro aoli. It came with a side of that wonderfully agreeable grilled flatbread. It was very good but, if dinner were a battle, my wife was a clear winner. My selection was terrific but hers was superbly memorable.
Then came dessert...OMG. There were some fabulously licentious options, but we finally decided on the Espresso Truffle Cake. This presented a flourless cake crust made with black and Dutch cocoas, dark chocolate and espresso powder topped with a chocolate espresso cream cheese mousse and finished with a layer of chocolate ganache. Again, this instantly became another standard bearer for us, this time for chocolatey desserts. It was a great experience, especially with a dark roast coffee to go with it.
What we ordered was a lot of food for two people. But enough of my meal was left to take away along with half of the dessert. The total with food, drink, tax and tip was $80. Considering the high quality of the fare and the fact that there was enough left for another meal, I was not unhappy with the final tally. The prices in this place were very fair and even relatively inexpensive by today's standards. You can certainly walk away spending a lot less than we did and have a great meal. However, I would do nothing different in terms of what we ordered if I had it to do again. It was one of the best dining experiences we've had in a while made even more enjoyable because we discovered a hidden gem. I hope we have the chance to try this place again. read more