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Crowd
Pleaser
JUDITH HAUSMAN for The Journal News
Watercolor Café filled steadily, even on a quiet, torpid
night. No singer-songwriters from the impressive “Folk Poet”
series, no Thursday night jazz trio, no comedian, but the small
dining and mirrored bar felt roomier as a result.
The animated conversations of small parties and casual diners ebbed
and flowed over dinner-size salads, big burgers with homemade fries
and fancier entrees as well. A gracious young server checked with
us frequently but was unobtrusive and smooth.
Ten wines are served by the glass, some also available by the bottle
form a compact list, which includes a few selections at each price
level beginning at about $25. We shared the Cotes du Rhone Jean
Luc Colombo “Les Abeilles" 2000, a reliable, dry red from
the South of France.
After much negotiation we worked out our orders, beginning with
a special, mussels in white wine. Pallid diced tomatoes added little
to the classic garlicky broth around the clean mussels, which was
destined to be sopped up with bread. For a second seafood appetizer,
roasted sea scallops bobbed next to sliced shiitakes in a pool of
silky lobster-white-wine sauce. The pecan garnish seemed prematurely
autumnal but the total effect was still luxurious.
The same elements combine differently in a dish of porcini ravioli
with sea scallops and Marsala sauce. Skewers threaded with grilled
chicken and beef saté were served on a springy bed of field
greens dressed with mango-papaya salsa. The meats tasted mostly
of the grill; the peanut-ginger marinade needed pumping up. A vegetable
terrine with goat cheese and chilled shellfish salad were other
appetizers that caught our eye.
From the specials menu again, we picked swordfish livornaise, a
style that always means capers, anchovies, tomatoes and olives.
While the pricey slice was thin, the salty, savory flavors go so
well with rich swordfish. Another special, the whopping 16-ounce
center cut pork chop welcomed fall with apples, brandy sauce and
mashed potatoes. This was a tender and respectable carnivore's delight,
softened by plenty of grilled vegetables and wilted spinach on the
side, a portion of which accompanied each of our entrees. A similarly
large veal chop is on the standard menu.
As boasted on the standard menu, the plump crab cakes did seem to
be 100 percent crabmeat, crisped up with breadcrumbs on the outside
and served with a shrimp tartar sauce cradled in an endive leaf.
Grilled shrimp with pasta or sesame-peppercorn crusted tuna were
other seafood possibilities.
A couple of the desserts were house made. A misnamed Brazilian pavé
was more like a tiramisu parfait. Mascarpone, ladyfingers dipped
in crème de cacao and a few berries were tumbled in a martini
glass. A light crème caramel sauced with Grand Marnier was
appealing while chocolate chip cookie dough, pressed into a Tollhouse
pie and served a la mode, is an ultra-sweet house specialty, perfect
for kids. There are also several other pastries and sorbets.
Watercolor Cafe has held up since my last visit in 1998. The well-crafted
menu satisfies many appetites and the ambiance is neighborly, yet
sophisticated. The serious music line up is a strong bonus draw.
In brief: From 10 ounce steaks and chops to spinach salad with
warm goat cheese and plenty of fish in between, this small and relaxed
cafe continues to please.
Review
Watercolor Cafe
Address
2094 Boston Post Road, Larchmont
Phone
914-834-2213
Price
Appetizers and salads: $8.95 to $17.95; entrees $16.95 to $23.95
Recommended
Saté on field greens, scallops with shiitake, crab cakes,
crème caramel
Who goes?
Music lovers and the whole neighborhood.
Credit cards
All major
Reservations
Suggested for dinner, especially when there is music
Noise level
Moderate
Parking
Street parking
Accessibility
Entrance is ramped but restrooms are not accessible.
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