No Pretenses

Located in the heart of Fourth Avenue, Café Passé is a
throwback to a time when “The Ave” was the epicenter of ’70s counter
culture. It’s a simpler, laid-back, less-commercial space.

A hip mom-and pop sandwich shop and coffee house, Café
Passé attracts a mix of neighbors, university folks and
tourists—and manages to please them all. While the vibe is
simple, there are some 21st-century touches. (Who knew way back when
that people would one day be sipping organic coffee and eating wasabi
tuna while they worked on laptop computers?)

The space is compact, with a counter/kitchen area taking up much of
it. Chic modern art hangs along one wall, and at the back of the
building is a wonderfully charming patio. There, you’ll find a quirky
mix of tables and chairs, bougainvillea, ferns and even a well-hidden
refrigerator that holds myriad beverages.

The vibe is comfortable and cozy. One could easily spend many an
hour here enjoying a bottomless cup of coffee or tea (not bottomless)
and reading some of the various magazines and newspapers on hand. The
people prepping and serving—they do both—are really nice,
even though most of the time while I was there, they were kept busy by
a steady stream of customers.

The folks here are dedicated to freshness, if our various selections
were any indication. Fresh greens and jewel-bright roma tomatoes
accompanied each plate. The mozzarella that was in my tomato,
mozzarella and basil ciabatta sandwich ($7.50) was fresh and creamy.
The basil came from a light, homemade pesto. (A little more might’ve
added a bit of a kick to the mellow flavors.)

Baked goods—some of which are made in-house—are offered,
as is a nice mix of coffee, special espresso drinks, teas and
smoothies. We enjoyed two smoothies—a banana/berry ($3.95) and
the Oscar Wilde ($3.75), which has mango and passion fruit added to the
banana/berry. We split both of them due to the huge size and rich,
thick texture. We also enjoyed the house-made lemonade ($2.50) and a
coffee ($2.25 with unlimited refills).

Sandwiches constitute the majority of the menu, with a few salads
also available. We ordered the house salad with wasabi tuna ($7 without
tuna, $8 with). Unfortunately, after our order was taken, the counter
person realized they were out of the tuna and offered to add something
else. We went with the mozzarella and ended up with a generous portion
of cheese atop the mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, cukes, sprouts and
onions. We enjoyed the salad, because everything was so fresh, but I
think the tuna would’ve really made it stand out.

Besides the above mentioned tomato/mozzarella sandwich, we tried
three other sandwiches: the cold ham and brie on ciabatta ($7.75), the
“It’s a California Thing” ($7.75) and a “real egg bagel” ($7.50).

The real egg bagel was surprisingly good. This sandwich has been
done to death—often winding up rather bland—at many places.
Café Passé changes that. The eggs, scrambled and laced
with fresh herbs, were fluffy and firm. The everything bagel (not my
favorite flavor) had been toasted, and an inch-high cube of cream
cheese was served on the side. The greens were fresh as could be, and
the bright, red slices of roma tomatoes added color and taste.

The other two sandwiches were pretty ordinary, but they worked,
because all the ingredients were so fresh. The California was served on
nine-grain bread (our choice); it was basically a BLT with avocado. A
little more mayo (or maybe flavored mayo) would’ve added another
much-needed layer of flavor. On the other sandwich, the sweet and salt
from the ham balanced the mild creaminess of the brie; with a little
bit of snappy mustard, this was an enjoyable sandwich.

The one gripe I had involved the cookies ($1 each). Both the
macadamia-nut and the chocolate-chip versions we tried were dry and had
an odd, lingering flavor. In contrast, samples of chocolate-chip banana
bread were quite tasty—and this is coming from someone who is not
a big fan of banana bread ($1.95).

All in all, the folks at Café Passé know what it is
they’re doing. They aren’t pretending for the café to be
anything it isn’t; there are no pretenses, and no artificial hipness.
For those in the Fourth Avenue area, this could easily be the go-to
place for a good cup of joe, a nosh, some easy hours on the patio and
occasional live music.

This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2009.