Cafe Deluxe: A place I once called home.

In the seven years of my life in District, I have only worked for three restaurant groups. One was a brew pub in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I opened the Tonic Restaurant in Foggy Bottom for the company and was the general manager of their Mount Pleasant location. But in between those two I worked for......Cafe Deluxe. I spent three years there running the bar, as well as helping to run the kitchen as a front of the house expediter.

I am well familiar with the food there, but it is always interesting to go into a restaurant you know intimately and reacquaint yourself with the menu. The offerings have not changed a lot over the years, which make the few changes I did see all the more noticeable. A ham and gruyere sandwich, beet and goat cheese salad, and fish tacos are among some of the new dishes gracing this already long menu. But I came in search of that which I know and love. My friend Julie and I did lunch on Wednesday afternoon and the order was easy. Julie saw the turkey pastrami reuben, and I always get the deluxe chicken cobb salad. We decided to go for an appetizer as well, the chicken spring rolls.

The spring rolls offer an interesting fusion of a typical Chinese crispy treat with a bit of Thai flavor. The diced chicken in the rolls is very moist and flavorful, with coconut milk and a bit of curry as the primary flavoring. The spring rolls are double wrapped, which ensures a crunchy bite without the roll getting overcooked or crumbly. The dipping sauce is simple, a sweet chili sauce with some added cilantro to round out the flavor. I have met a few people who do not quite like them, but I think that they are a tasty twist on what is a French bistro influenced American comfort food menu.

Julie's turkey pastrami reuben was outstanding. Butter toasted marble rye bread with warmed turkey pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. What is not to like on this dish? I love that Deluxe takes this classic and spins it a little bit with the use of pastrami of turkey instead of going with the typical beef. It makes for a slightly lighter lunch option, but with all the satisfaction of the fattier standard. Oh and did I mention it comes with french fries.

My chicken cobb salad, as usual, was too delicious for words. A light champagne vinaigrette glistens on the chopped iceberg and romaine. Ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes, grilled diced chicken, avocado and blue cheese round out this classic dish. It is very simple, but very good. The only note I have about the salad is that it needs to be salted and peppered. Too many restaurants ignore the fact that lettuce and greens needs aggressive seasoning, often more than even a great dressing can offer. A little salt and pepper tossed with the greens after dressing it can make the difference between a good salad and a great one.

Maybe I like Cafe Deluxe as much as I do because I used to work there. But the fact remains that the food is consistently good, the prices are excellent, and the service is often a lot better than you receive at other popular restaurants. If you have not been, you should visit.