Café Cacao - The Gimmick Strikes Again
Written: Nov 10 '05 (Updated Apr 12 '06)
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Pros: Probably a welcome addition to a neighborhood without many eateries
Cons: Indifferent service, unremarkable food
The Bottom Line: I have no reason to go back.
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| lyagushka's Full Review: Cafe Cacao |
I decided to eat at Café Cacao in west Berkeley because it's part of the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory and I'd signed my husband and myself up for a free tour on a Sunday afternoon. The chocolate factory and Café Cacao are somewhat out of the way from most of the main beats in Berkeley. This means that I probably would not chose to eat here on a whim. For those who live in this part of town, it's probably a welcome addition to the neighborhood, as there aren't many upscale little places nearby that serve sit down breakfasts on the weekends.
On arrival, I noticed some seating on an outdoor terrace. The weather was too chilly and breezy to consider this option, but it would probably be a nice choice on a warm summer day or evening. Stepping inside, we found a pleasant but not very formal oblong dining room. There was a mâitre d's podium and a espresso counter with pastries and sweets near the front door.
We had no reservations, and I didn't see any sign indicating whether to wait to be seated or seat myself. There were about a dozen tables with perhaps two or three open. So we waited...and waited. There were at least three staff members chatting with each other behind the coffee counter. They could all easily see us standing nearby, but no one greeted or directed me. We weren't dressed any better or worse than the people eating there, so I found this odd. After about three minutes of standing there unacknowledged, I just walked up to the counter and asked if we were supposed to seat ourselves. At that point they told me that someone would be with us shortly.
A minute or so later, what appeared to be the only waitress working the room seated us at a table next to the coffee supplies (sugar, milk, java jackets, etc). This wasn't as nice a table as another that was open, but we made no objection. She seemed rushed and overworked. She duly brought us menus, silverware with paper napkins, and glasses of ice water.
I had expected to be able to have lunch on a Sunday, as the restaurant's website clearly states that lunch is served every day of the week. But the full lunch menu is not available on Sundays. Rather, my choices were limited to a rather narrow brunch menu. There were four egg dishes, three starchy breakfasty choices, one salad, one hamburger, and two sandwiches to choose from. After perusing the lunch menu online, I had intended to order the chicken mole grilled sandwich, but it wasn't on the brunch menu. Rapidly losing my enthusiasm for Café Cacao, I settled on rancheros fried eggs with a chili sauce and tomatillo salsa served with house made tortilla and black beans. My husband, who wasn't particularly hungry, but wanted to sample the chocolate options, asked for a cup of hot chocolate and the milk chocolate scone.
My husband's rather small, $3 cup of hot chocolate arrived quickly. His scone didn't. While his hot chocolate cooled, we waited for my dish, which arrived in reasonable time. The waitress didn't seem to notice that he still didn't have his scone. By the time we flagged her down to ask for his scone, and that salt and pepper shakers be brought for my food, his chocolate was pretty tepid.
He thought the hot chocolate was good, but not as good as the version we make at home with dark Côte d'Or chocolate. He wasn't impressed by the milk chocolate scone though, describing it as a somewhat dried out cake donut. He liked it dipped in the not-so-hot hot chocolate. My food was thoroughly unremarkable. The best part of it was the homemade tortilla. The eggs were nicely fried, though this is not exactly a towering culinary achievement. The black beans were well cooked but nearly flavorless. The chili sauce was very mild and there wasn't much of it on the plate. The tomatillo relish was tangy but oddly not flavorful. In short, the food plugged the gap, but it sure didn't inspire me to return.
I felt badly for the waitress, who was clearly tasked with too many tables. I thought it odd that not one of the three male employees, who obviously had time on their hands, was assigned to help her. Management here seems to have hired the male staff, at least, with a certain appreciation for eye candy. They were all young, trim, and wearing fairly tight fitting t-shirts. I wondered if those were their full list of qualifications and duties. There certainly wasn't enough work for three barristas during the time I was there.
Our bill came to almost $17, which isn't outrageous, but also didn't make me think that Café Cacao represents any kind of a bargain. I ate there because I was headed for the Factory Tour. If I were to do it again, I would skip the meal and the Café and just take the tour. Maybe my opinion would be different if the full lunch menu had been available. I wouldn't flatly refuse to eat here again if a friend wanted to go, but I certainly won't be suggesting it to anyone either.
My final recommendation? Go for the free Chocolate Factory Tour, and be sure to try the Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache for Lips, but eat elsewhere.
For better results, I'd recommend a meal at these restaurants:
East Bay
• Á Coté - lively pan-Mediterranean tapas in a sleek but fun atmosphere
• Café Rouge - best choice for steak or high quality meats in the East Bay
• Cha-ya - vegetarian Japanese restaurant in the Gourmet Ghetto
• Chez Panisse Café - Alice Waters' sumptuous fare at about half the price
• Lalime's - superb New American fare in an intimate setting
• Manpuku - a cheap and simple ramen bar in the Elmwood
• Nan Yang - fantastic Burmese in north Rockridge
• Oliveto - exquisite Italian in Rockridge
• Pho 84 - paradigm-shifting (really!) Vietnamese in downtown Oakland
• Rick & Ann's and La Note - both offer excellent choices for breakfast
• Shen Hua - great Chinese in Berkeley's Elmwood neighborhood
San Francisco
• Boulevard - hands down, the best restaurant in San Francisco
• Woodward's Garden, which is almost as good as Boulevard
• Betelnut - highly recommended for a fun night with a group
• Suppenkuche - unpretentious German bierhaus charm in Hayes Valley
• Helmand - little known but excellent Afghan place and a great value
On the other hand, I can't recommend Oakland's Pizzaiolo which features pretentious, outrageously priced pizza served by hipper-than-thou servers.
Recommended:
No
Kid Friendliness: No
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