Café America

This popular lunch spot in Doylestown, Pa., offers substantial Latin fare in a no-frills atmosphere.

By: Richard Burns

   CAFÉ America bills itself as "from the soul of Latin America" with "all the flavorings of Latin America." It is a restaurant with influences from Cuba, Argentina and Mexico, with a few American touches.
   The Café itself does have a Latin feel with plain painted tables (about six), three tall tables with backed stools and a serving bar with a copper front that shows signs of wear near the bottom. It is located in a small corner shop in the heart of Doylestown, and the background music is Latin American. There are various bottles of hot sauce from Mexico on the tables, and the hanging lamp shades resemble chili peppers. Track lights on the high ceiling and two ceiling fans, also with lights, complete the look.
   The menu is posted on the wall behind the serving counter, and there are printed menus on the counter. The young woman behind the counter was very friendly and accommodating, bringing us extra paper plates when we wanted to share dishes. Customers are expected to go to the serving counter on entering and place their order. They then pick a table and have a seat. The setting is informal and plain; there are no coverings on the table, the dishes are paper and the utensils plastic. The waitress brought the ordered soft drinks that include fairly good lemonade and fresh smoothies. When the food order is ready (generally quite quickly), she brings that as well.
   The menu is broken into four categories: platos chico (small plates); ensaladas (salads); tortillas rellenos (stuffed tortillas) and platos grandes (large plates). While the menu looks large, many of the items reappear under different headings, either in larger portions or as accompaniments to more substantial fare. For example, the rice and beans ($4 if ordered separately) also appear as accompaniments for many dishes. Some items can be ordered as part of a "plato grande" or stuffed in a tortilla. For example, the chimichurri skirt steak is available as a large plate ($8.95) or stuffed in a tortilla along with black beans, avocados, tomatillo salsa, yellow beans and rice ($6.95).
   The food, for the most part, is of Latin origin. The "stuffed tortillas" ($5.50-$6.95) appear to be an American adaptation in that a large flour tortilla serves as the wrap for all the ingredients, which I’ve never seen in Mexico or other South American countries. It makes a hefty portion when filled and served. Some of the other dishes, such as slow roast pork ($6.96) — a pork stew with pineapple marmalade — clearly have South American origins.
   We decided to start with what is called, "The Latin Grille" ($9.95). We were thinking of it as an appetizer and a way to try a number of different items on the menu. It turned out, even when shared between the two of us, to have been enough for our meal for the evening. It arrived in a carved wooden bowl with six compartments around a flat center, on which rested a small metal hibachi heated by flaming Sterno. The flame was very hot and more than adequate to heat the items surrounding the hibachi within seconds.
   In the compartments were an abundance of spicy fried chicken wings, barbecued ribs, chorizos (Mexican sausage), thin slices of steak, roasted vegetables, and four or five large wedges of green, red and brown fried flour tortillas (called tostones on the menu). Everything came piping hot. The chorizos were spicy and flavorful, and the wings mildly spicy. The ribs were juicy, but the sauce quite plain. The peppers, plantains, eggplant and squash were properly roasted and satisfying. The tostones were interesting, but if the color designated a different flavor it didn’t come through.
   By far, the big winner of this collection was the steak. It was the "chimichurri skirt steak," and it had been treated with a light marina marinade, grilled and thinly sliced. They were served in a cilantro-flavored sauce and were outstanding. Clearly, ordering the skirt steak as a separate main course would be good strategy.
   The various salads offered were all large. Several came with steak or chicken. We split the romaine salad ($5.95). The salad was served in a large paper bowl that, unfortunately, reminded me of our dog’s bowl. The contents were clearly not dog food, but an excellent mix of romaine, red onions, a fresh salsa and terrific cilantro vinaigrette. It was served with more of the tostones.
   We shared a platos grande in the form of a half grilled chicken ($6.95) served with yellow (or white) rice, black beans (or red) and a small sample of chopped tomatoes. The chicken was well cooked, but the marinade used to prepare it for grilling imparted little flavor, so the chicken was surprisingly bland. The rice was ordinary, but the black beans were exceptionally flavorful.
   A few desserts are available, including flan, rice pudding and a coconut layer cake (all $2.50). We each chose a large, homemade cookie. One was an oatmeal cookie with white raisins that lacked flavor and texture. A lemon square, on the other hand, had a solid sweet-sour lemon taste from the filling between cake-like cookie dough ($2 each).
   Café America provides good size portions of generally well-prepared food at very reasonable prices for takeout or eating in. It isn’t fancy, but it’s fun, interesting and filling, an excellent accompaniment for any of Doylestown’s varied activities.
For directions to Café America, click here.