The New Cafe Society

Sometimes it seems that food is like fashion, changing as often as skirt lengths and hairstyles. Too often restaurants forsake everything in the name of what’s new or, even worse, they plunder the past in search of forgotten favorites that can be slicked up and passed off as fresh inventions.

Nothing wrong, though, with the dining scene’s current recycling trend-the comeback of the cafe scene where the art of conversation is as important as what’s on the menu. You remember conversation-it’s what we used to engage in, before TV shut down our minds and restaurants cranked up noise volumes to cover our increasing lack of anything interesting to say. But guess what? People are talking again. This cultural phenomenon has pumped new life into bistros all over town; it’s also been the creative catalyst for a whole new breed of coffeehouse. Do you remember coffeehouses? If you’re under 30, chances are you won’t-they’re where we used to go to get high on talk and music instead of alcohol, back in the brief, shining early ’60s. The coffee wasn’t much to brag about, but the custom they celebrated was arguably the most civilized vehicle yet devised by mankind for exchanging ideas, sharpening wit, refining relationships.

It has always been this way in Europe. No citizen of France or Italy has ever let mundane activities interfere with regular breaks for refreshment in the bistros and sidewalk cafes around which the Continent’s social life revolves.

And it’s happening in this country, too, as Americans wake up to the world’s coffees as well as its cuisines.

In New York, ardent connoisseurs now discuss beans, blends and brews in the esoteric terms once reserved for wines.

In Seattle, no office worker, shopper or jogger is ever more than a hundred feet from a source of espresso in all its variations-chic little coffee shops perfume city street corners; shiny steel espresso wagons mark every suburban mall and office building entrance; caffe lane, espresso with steamed milk, is dispensed (are you ready for this?) in every 7-Eleven.

Locally, the menus that offer caffe latte are still outnumbered by those that spell espresso with an x. But not for long. The cosmopolitan custom of coffee and conversation is fueling a welcome renaissance in Dallas. The new cafe society has a language all its own.



Cafe Madrid. Spain’s social life centers on the countless cafes and bars that serve up wickedly strong coffee by day, switch to wines and beers at dusk, and bridge the hunger gap in between with the little sampler plates called tapas. The only one of its kind in Dallas, this friendly treasure sets a perfect scene for after-work winding down via talk and tapas chosen from each day’s amazingly varied blackboard listing. Those I tried recently ran a delectable gamut from lusty manchego cheese and white asparagus in vinaigrette to crisp-fried, fresh baby smelts and grilled sardines, with vinaigrette-dressed octopus salad and in-the-shell mussels in between. Even with a carafe of good house red, the tab totaled under $50- and like the food, the ambience could not have been more authentically delightful. 4501 Travis. 528-1731.

Deli-News. Yes, there are other excellent authentic delis in town, but this one’s Crescent Court presence evokes a unique cross-roads-of-the-world image. Sitting here at Sunday brunch, I was reminded of that fabled Italian sidewalk cafe where, it’s said, if you sit long enough, you’ll see everyone you ever knew. I didn’t, but one could-people-watching opportunities ranged from glamorous to homespun; and, depending on your food selection, you could be in almost any country. My companion’s Greek salad and my kosher knackwurst with sauerkraut brought two flags together amiably on one table, and service, while New York-brisk, was pressure-free enough to allow plenty of time for talk. 500 Crescent Court. 922-DELI.

Speaking of freedom from pressure, Dream Cafe almost invented the term in Dallas. A health food haven since long before health food was cool, this laid-back eatery also pioneered another concept: It’s the first place I encountered in Dallas where people felt free to bring their Sunday paper and dawdle over breakfast alone or with companions while they read the whole thing. Not that the food doesn’t rate equal attention-The Dream’s still health-conscious cuisine is delectably avant. Suggestion: Try whatever chilled soup they’re serving, then follow with the pasta pignoli (whole-wheat linguine, fresh greens and mozzarella in Roma tomato sauce). End with a stemmed glass of caffesorbetto (the very new, very trendy coffee dessert drink) on the patio, and you’ll be a happy camper. Trust me. 2800 Routh St. in the Quadrangle. 954-0486.

Kathleen’s Art Cafe started life without the art in its name-or in its food-and spent some time searching for its identity. So successfully, I’m happy to report, that aficionados of its easy, breezy fare and art-brightened ambience keep the place humming with happy conversation from breakfast through lunch and dinner. Stellar specialties turned out by chef David Goodrich and staff include a fine no-nonsense meat loaf (try it grilled in a monster sandwich), a widely acclaimed sesame-crusted catfish with black bean and saffron sauces, plus pastas, pizzas and well-dressed salads, all freshly prepared and presented. Desserts vary daily (a triple-layer devil’s-food cake, thickly frosted, won my heart last time out) and are, like much of the menu, available for takeout in the bakery-deli the cafe has opened two doors down to take care of on-the-go trade. 4424 Lovers Lane. 691-2355.

La Madeleine. Entrepreneur Patrick Es-querre calls his bakeries-cum-restaurants “your home away from home” (would you believe, he claims to have copyrighted the term?), but they’re really your trip to France without leaving Dallas; I’ve seen bistros in Paris that were less authentically French. One exception: La M’s famous Caesar salad, while truly addictive, has to have descended from the California invention. Otherwise, though, the food is Gallic despite its simplicity: cheese-crusted Croque Monsieur sandwiches, suave tomato-basil soup, rotis-serie chicken singing of herbs; and, most of all, the best bread Dallas has ever tasted. If there’s better anywhere in the world, I haven’t had it. And if there’s a more sim-patico setting to commune with friends or seek solitude with a good book, I haven’t found that, either. 3072 Mockingbird and other locations. 696-0800.

Cafe Brazil is a serious coffee lover’s dream. Four fresh brews are kept on tap (thermos-held) at all times, selected daily from a full-page list that includes eight regular and an equal number of flavored coffees, plus three decafs, four specialties and half-a-dozen organic varieties. The kitchen’s no slouch, either-from-scratch breakfast selections range from build-your-own crêpes ! and omelettes to an eye-wateringly spiced empanada; the lunch menu’s soup du jour is served in a round loaf of the same crusty homemade bread that appears, sliced, as a base for exemplary sandwiches, all at prices as minuscule as the bite-sized place itself. 6340 Gaston. 826-9522.

Main St. News updates the old coffeehouse image with a Mediterranean bistro twist. You’ve got your 15 variations on French and Italian coffee themes (each made with a French roast blend and each defined, thank God, on the menu-after all, we haven’t all been to Europe or Seattle). You’ve got a menu that delivers jolts of delight in its bold variety. And you’ve got your table for as long as you need it to savor delicious fresh-baked scones for breakfast, salads, soups and innovative sandwiches for lunch and a frisky assortment of tropical inventions for dinner-with a suitable assortment of by-the-glass wine selections. 2934 Main St. 746-2934.

City Java comes closer than most of the new crop of coffeehouses to recapturing the essential character of its ’60s ancestors-but with decided improvements. For starters, its coffees, though limited in selection to a regular brew and several variations on espresso, are excellent; my companion quivered with joy over her first glass of frosty caffesorbetto, and my caffe latte was a kinder, gentler caffeine fix than espresso straight. An assortment of spritzers, juices and imported waters is offered too, and the food we sampled shone with freshness and care in preparation-Caesar salad was generously graced with newly grated Parmesan and uncommonly good croutons; a three-cheese pizza held both sun-dried and Roma tomatoes in its cheesy sauce; and most cakes I’ve known couldn’t hold a candle to the blueberry muffin I bought here warm from the oven, baseball-huge and tenderly delicious. Decor and service are casual, and City Java carries on the fine old coffeehouse talent tradition with open-mike readings of poetry on Wednesdays, live entertainment Thursdays, and late, late hours on weekends. Prices, by the way, are shockingly low. 2639-C Elm St. 742-JAVA.

Express-O spells its name wrong, but gets its coffee right. This Oak Lawn oasis offers 16 espressos and nine specialty iced ones, as well as a sizable vocabulary of bottled waters, both imported and domestic. The menu is limited-only muffalettas and a few desserts-but the food isn’t the draw. It’s the coffee that keeps the neighborhood clientele coming back. Service, by the way, was caring, and the place is charming, all crisp whites and pretty tables under domed skylights. 3851-B Cedar Springs. 520-6470.

Cosmic Cup strikes an exotic note that can claim close kin with its nostalgic old coffeehouse cousins. Most straight coffee houses don’t serve alcohol; this one doesn’t serve meat, either-the food is Indian and vegetarian, and we found it delicious. Kumar’s Creation sounded like a sandwich, but turned out to be a pizzalike composition of fresh vegetables, cheeses, cilantro and spices on nan bread. Lentil soup was hearty and seriously seasoned; cosmic salad held a plate-sized spread of every fresh vegetable that grows under summer’s sun. Only one coffee is served here (the blend changes daily), but the fruit smoothies and shakes are delectable. The setting is welcomingly warm, and service was as sweetly casual as if we’d been family. And here’s a tip: Don’t fail to browse through the books while you linger. There’s some interesting reading material at the Cosmic Cup. 2912 Oak Lawn. 521-6157.

Chumley’s is a picture projected straight from the past, Listen to this: After the dinner hour on a weekmight, two intent women sit at a window table, playing chess. Behind them, a bookcase stacked with profound, much-handled paperbacks overlooks a quartet of spotlit pool tables-coin-op, of course. Across the vast, fairly shabby room, mysterious pieces of music-making equipment await the moment when live acoustic music will bring the scene to life. Yes, folks, from the ashes of Dave’s Art Pawnshop, Chumley Hawkins and Robert Oake Jr. have brought forth a Deep Ellum coffeehouse and poo! hall that may be the most nostalgic yet. Chumley’s serves espresso, cappuccino and other coffee drinks, as well as sandwiches, soups and salads for late dinners. Make that late, late-the place is open from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily except Sunday. Now, that’s a coffeehouse. 2556 Elm St. 748-6363.

La Crfème’s 1683. The woman who launched this Preston Center establishment did much of the missionary work that has raised this city’s coffee consciousness to its present peak. Bonnie Itzig now supplies over 200 Dallas restaurants with no-two-alike espressos and custom blends. Most promis ing of her recent endeavors is a granita machine she developed to make and dis pense the new espresso dessert drink no two places spell alike but every place in Dallas wants to serve. Itzig spells hers caffesorbetta, and she’s scrambling to meet orders for the machine from all over the country. Meanwhile, it’s my favorite drink here, followed closely by a super-strong iced es presso that will knock your socks off. La Crème also serves a tearoomish selection of healthy sandwiches, salads and indulgent Italian desserts, as well as breakfast and many, many kinds of coffee. 8220-B West- Chester Drive. 368-4188.