#69 - Astoria Caffe, Addison, TX

On the way back from the Houston caravan I stopped to spend the weekend with Joni.  I hadn't seen her since the spring, and wouldn't again until the first game weekend.  And since I had to pass her to get home anyways, I figured why not. 

We were meeting her friend Dion for lunch on Saturday, and decided on somewhere towards Addison.  I love Addison.  It's not too far from the hustle and bustle of the Dallas suburbs, but it's a little quieter.  It's got tons of restaurants, and is close to some great shopping. 

After some searching online we finally settled on Astoria Caffe, in Addison Circle.  What a great neighborhood!  Lots of big shade trees, beautiful apartments, and a huge park.  I could definitely see myself living there.  The restaurant is on the corner, with a small dog-friendly patio out front with about 10 tables.  We initially sat outside, but then moved inside.  It's a very eclectic and small café, with inside seating for no more than about 30, with a combination of tables, couches, and barstools. 

They have a surprisingly big wine list, so of course Joni and I started with a glass of white.  I decided to go with the mini chicken spinach pizza

Flat-bread pizza with organic baby spinach, chicken,mozzarella cheese, 

and our signature basil pesto & mayo spread

Sad to say, I was very disappointed in the pizza.  It tasted like a Boboli crust, and quite honestly the whole thing kinda tasted like it had been a frozen pizza that was heated up.  I can do a better pizza myself at home.  Dion had the chicken Caesar salad...the chicken arrived on a side plate, and Dion said you could tell it had been microwaved.  Joni said her turkey panini was average.

They have a big dessert display case, and everything looked so good I wanted to give one of them a try in hopes that the dessert would redeem the lunch.  As soon as I saw the nutella cheesecake I knew I had to try it out.

Oh my...this was phenomenal!!  It was rich, but not overpowering, and absolutely delicious.  I momentarily considered another piece of cheesecake, but decided that would be too much. Joni had a piece of the chocolate cake and said it was amazing as well. 

Obviously Astoria puts a lot of love and effort into their desserts, and the results speak for themselves.  They definitely need to do the same with their food.  It's like the food was an afterthought.  And if food is the afterthought, they need to scale back on the number of  menu items, pick just a few that are easy and they can do well, and focus on those. 

Will I go back?  Yes, but only for the wine and dessert--unless and until they improve on the food.