Fine Dining, But at a Price
The California Cafe is actually a chain of restaurants with locations all over the United States.

The restaurant is on the larger side with plenty of room for larger parties. The atmosphere is very good, just enough light, tables aren't crowded together, and noise levels are good for holding a conversation.

The food was good, with a very typical California menu featuring lots of fish. For some reason they had Atlantic salmon on the menu? I couln'd figure out why they'd use frozen salmon shipped in from the East Coast as opposed to salmon from the ocean only 15 miles away.

I had the sesame crusted ahi tuna. Good, but not super fresh. The sauce was overpowered with soy sauce, and the garlic mashed potatoes were a bit bland. All these things were very minor, and would have been forgivable if the dish hadn't cost $24.

The wine list was very extensive, I think it is entirely made up of California wines. Even the Bordeaux listed were from California. Despite the California-centric list, there is something for everyone. There are several nice wines available by the glass. Bottles range in price from about $25 up to over $125, most are in the $30-50 range.

Dessert was delicious, the coffee was good as well.    [10 Feb 2000 16:34:48]

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     ­B. Dole