Addison Café is like a time capsule of fine dining in the ’70s, a throwback to a time when top-of-the-line dining meant French food. It even has pâté.
And very good pâté it was: moist and flavorful, served in traditional form, with a pocket of Dijon, tiny buttered toasts, greens in vinaigrette, and crisp, tart cornichons thoughtfully cut into wee slices.
In other words, this wasn’t simply a nostalgia trip. When it came to the classics, the kitchen executed with surprising aptitude. A smoked salmon appetizer included copious slices of robust pink salmon, pliable yet smooth, over crisp waffle-cut potato chips, dabbed with sour cream, capers, and chives.
Salads had a sameness and shockingly inferior pink tomatoes, as befits the ’70s mentality. Entrees ran together, too: whether chicken breast or tenderloin of beef, it came sliced diagonally and topped with an appropriate sauce, with vivid steamed carrots and broccoli on the side, still firm, in a buttery jus.
Décor was old-school, with mirrored walls, flowered curtains, and stemware that’s more functional than elegant. A former cigar chamber has been made into a wine room, where you’ll spy bottles lying on their sides on the floor. But wine prices were astonishingly cheap, barely marked up beyond retail. And the pampering waiters were only too happy to keep the glasses topped off.
Get contact information for Addison Cafe.
