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Accessing the below-ground digs of
Cafe Z in Union is an adventure.
Enter via the rear, and head
down a stairway sandwiched between
graffitied walls boldly
spray-painted in day-glow tones. Who'd
ever envision that beyond
this eccentric entrance awaits some of
the best Italian fare
we've sampled lately? |
Ambience: Singular. Three dining
areas include a raised, patio-style
room bordered by a mirrored
wall etched with a cityscape and encircled
by a chain-link fence
festooned with garlands of pink plastic flowers.
A centrally
positioned faux weeping willow is done up in twinkle lights.
The
no-smoking section consists of an alcove lined with
oversized
blue-tile tabled booths and is adorned with hanging
plants and street
lamps. There's also a large rear room, with
walls given the graffiti
treatment. The juxtaposition of
gracefulness and grittiness somehow
melds into a friendly
whole. |
| The staff: Ebullient, energetic and
enthusiastic. |
The food: Remarkably light,
well-executed traditional and creative
Italian cuisine, with
appealing New American specials. In addition to
the typical pasta
e fagioli and fettucine Alfredo, specials favor
atypical
treatments. A sauté of jumbo shrimp and vegetables over
angel
hair pasta is dressed in a pungent gorgonzola sauce. Fried
calamari is
tossed with a balsamic ginger sauce, rather than
paired with the
customary marinara. |
Hot antipasto for two ($13.95) is a
winner. A downright delicate
eggplant rollatine was gently fried
and oozed milky ricotta cheese. A
fried ball of creamy mozzarella
and ricotta was light as a cloud. Nicely
seasoned bread crumbs
filled dainty clams and button mushrooms. Grilled
shrimp,
succulent scallops wrapped in bacon and New Zealand
mussels
sauced with a robust marinara rounded out the
surprisingly weightless
combination platter. |
A special starter of kitchen-made
spinach ravioli ($7.95; all pasta is
made on premises) was
wonderful. Graceful green dumplings enveloped a
ricotta/spinach
mixture coated in a luxuriously thick, tangy vodka sauce
topped
with a confetti of peas and chopped tomatoes. Also memorable
were
slender slices of willowy, woodsy-flavored grilled
portobello mushrooms
draped over a peppery arugula salad. We
closed our eyes and swore it was
London broil. Zuppa di clams
starred a jumble of slightly tough little
necks in a briny tomato
bath redolent of garlic and herbs. |
An unexpected extra was an
invigorating intermezzo, a quartet of mini
wafer cones topped
with little scoops of fresh-made lemon sorbet, served
in a mug
for individual plucking. |
The menu states that "all dinners are
prepared fresh to order," but that
didn't prepare us for the
interminable lull between appetizers and entrees.
Thank goodness
the food was worth waiting for. |
A special lasagna Bolognese ($13.95)
was simply elegant, a delicate
casserole of pasta finely layered
with cheese and a rich meat sauce. Shrimp
V.I.P. ($17.95) must
stand for Very Impressive Prawns. Crunchy jumbo shrimp were dressed
up in a colorful sauté of shiitake mushrooms, diced tomatoes and
chewy escarole. The vibrant melange topped a mountain of angel hair
pasta doused in a garlic-laden white wine sauce. |
A slab of thick, white, fall-apart
moist Chilean sea bass -- a special --
had a cracklin' blackened
exterior. It was set atop a Popeye-sized bed of
sauteed spinach.
Not to be outdone was veal rollatine ($16.95),
two
scallopine-style filets given flair with an arresting
stuffing of tart
gorgonzola and sweet roasted red peppers,
smoothly bound by sauteed
spinach. A savory port wine demi-glace
added a lush finish. Entrees were
accompanied by fresh vegetables
and drop-dead delicious scalloped potatoes,
smothered in just
enough butter, cheese, cream and bacon to make the
cholesterol
police antsy. |
Cafe Z offers a limited wine
selection, by the glass or bottle, from
King's Road Vineyard of
Pattenburg. A bold pinot noir ($14.95, bottle) with
a bright
cherry flavor and strong, tart finish partnered well with dinner.
|
All desserts (from $2.50 for a small
gelato to $8.95 for a sampler platter
to share) are chef fresh.
Too bad they were out of tiramisu and hot apple
crumb dressed
with vanilla gelato. But the Italian cheesecake is terrific -
-
lemony sweet, dense yet light, with a thick pastry crust, just the
way we
like it. A triple chocolate sundae, composed of an
Oreo-cookie-crusted,
creamy chocolate cake topped with
dark-chocolate gelato, whipped cream
and chocolate syrup swiftly
vanished. |
Intensely flavored amaretto and
coffee gelato were also good, but the
creme brulée was thick and
pasty. |
Next time you crave Italian fare,
consider Cafe Z. It's an all-around
enjoyable
experience. |
Hours: Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday to Friday;
Dinner -- 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to
Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday
Major credit cards
Casual attire
Smoking and nonsmoking
BYOW (Limited wine selection available.) We
now serve Cocktails, Wine, Beer & Sangria!
Handicapped accessible Reservations recommended |
