City Streets Café

Stylish and lively with a menu combining trendy and traditional, this family-friendly spot draws a crowd.

By: Antoinette Buckley

   Six years ago, City Streets Café comfortably took its place amid the culinary landscape of East Windsor: fast food, big chain restaurants; a sparse sprinkling of independently owned spots; and the area’s biggest draw, the Americana Diner. Owned by three investors, City Streets is that middle-of-the-road kind of place somewhere between chain and local. It has an appealing atmosphere, efficient service, and food that is reliably hit or miss.
   A handsome oval bar with multiple televisions set into a tray ceiling is an asset to this restaurant. Happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. and select appetizer specials for $2.99 draw a crowd every day of the week. City Streets is generously laid out, so the liveliness that originates at the bar transfers to the dining area of the restaurant without bringing the smoke along with it. The deep-colored wood and gold tones that the restaurant fashions are warming and the oversized paintings of quaint Cranbury and Hightstown scenes put the ambience at a local level.
   City Streets definitely has the makings of a local favorite, especially in a town that is otherwise deprived. The menu is a mix of traditional and trendy offered at intermediate prices. The restaurant is right for professionals and families with children. Crayons are passed out and the children are instantly engaged in coloring the paper kids’ menu that offers a meal and ice cream for a mere $5.99. The food is quickly delivered for everyone at the table, but children always come first. I must say, the penne with tomato sauce from the children’s menu is surprisingly good; in fact it’s better than some I’ve had from the adult menu in finer restaurants.
   That’s the way it goes here. Some dishes are spot-on and others are way off. If you are a local and have navigated the menu a couple of times, you’ll find your pleasure and stick with it on subsequent visits.
   The lobster bisque served with a packet of oyster crackers (cup $3.99/ bowl $5.99) is the standard. It comes with all the flavor it should have and even more richness.
   "Firecracker" calamari ($6) sounds fun on paper, but crispy-coated calamari wither in a pungent broth, heavily infused with vinegar, hot peppers and capers. Calamari is a poor match for a pickled soup. Then again, I can’t imagine what would be the right complement. All is right with the world again, though, when crunching into one of the pan-seared pork dumplings ($6) dipped in an Asian sauce flavored by the nuttiness of sesame and the intensity of hoisin. The plate is arranged in a spoke-like pattern with bok choy marking the center. If I were a local, this would be my starter every time.
   Chicken Oskar ($16.99) is flattened chicken breast dipped in an egg mixture, cooked in butter, and dressed up with crab, asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Apart from being too eggy, the chicken benefits from quality crabmeat and a worthy sauce. Sides are often prepared like an afterthought; hence the Yukon Gold roasted potatoes have as much finesse as the boulder form in which they are served.
   The tenderloin trio ($24.99) attempts the impossible. Putting tenderloin of veal, pork and beef on the same plate, each wearing a different sauce, seems like the ultimate — but when one of the pieces of meat is tough, a sauce is overdosed and another sauce is too intense, it all becomes a blur on a plate. I do admire City Streets’ attention to detail with visual touches here and there. The accompanying vegetable bundle ties carrot, squash and broccoli in a scallion ribbon. The flavor falls prey to its own fate, however, and the rustic mashed potatoes go down with it. The good news is the trio is absent from the revised menu that just came out.
   Desserts are a true treat. Key lime pie ($4.99) is the real thing. The brownie sundae ($5.99) is big and dreamy with chocolate sauce, whipped cream — the works. And the warm bread served at the beginning of the meal makes for a lovely white chocolate bread pudding ($4.99) at the end.
   City Streets Café fills a need for the town of East Windsor. Stylish to a degree, personalized, efficient service, and a good active buzz keeps the place desirable. But perhaps it’s the Caesar salad that tells all: appropriately dressed romaine lettuce that is crisp and bright apart from the rust spots.