Cafe Latte

Rating:

I'm shaking as I type this.

The blame belongs to my sweet tooth's unquestioned subservience to a piece -- no, make that a slab -- of ultra-moist chocolate cake, its three tall layers cemented together with dramatic swirls of an insanely fudgy icing. I thought I could stop at a few bites. Wrong. The powerful sugar-caffeine rush was almost instantaneous, a testament to the chocolate's nerve-stimulating intensity. No doubt about it, this is one cake that could lead to serious addiction issues. It's so good it could provide the foundation for a restaurant's enduring success, which is exactly the chocolate-chocolate cake's trajectory at Cafe Latté.

Owners Peter and Linda Quinn rank among the smartest restaurateurs in town, devising a formula that the public adores and running it with precision. They've also avoided the quagmire that befalls many successful owners who feel the need to branch out, a process that often dilutes the qualities that made their original enterprise so special. There is only one Cafe Latté, and that singularity has kept it a destination since the doors opened in 1985.

With good reason. The Quinns' proven format -- fresh and uncomplicated fare, quick cafeteria-style service, cheery surroundings, low prices -- has been knocked off, but never bested. It's almost inconceivable to imagine the corner of Grand and Victoria without Latté's ever-constant stream of customers; I'd venture that the Quinns' enterprise is responsible for a hefty percentage of the neighborhood's vitality. Can Panera Bread say the same?

Read Full Review »