Cafe con Leche

An eclectic menu and outstanding desserts are the highlights at this Newtown, Pa., favorite.

By: Richard Burns

   Café con Leche is located in the basement of one of the house-like structures that make up much of the Newtown, Pa., business district. The local favorite has been in business for about eight years; it was quite busy the weekday evening we visited.
   Although it is in a basement, you enter at ground level from the parking lot behind the building. A relatively long passageway lined with small tables leads to the kitchen/reception area. Off that is a cozy dining room done in shades of pastel off-white and light brown. All the rooms are well-lit and dispel the sense of being in a basement, and are decorated with a variety of artifacts, mostly from South America. One wall features a woven rug depicting a Joan Miro painting, which was created by an artisan in a small weaving village near Oaxaca, Mexico.
   The menu is limited but there is a specials menu of about 10 dishes that changes periodically. The menu features some dishes identified as Argentinean or other South American in origin, although they do not dominate. I counted about a dozen dishes that appeared to be Italian in origin including many pasta dishes. Cajun, oriental and American items complete what can probably be best described as an eclectic menu.

   There are only two dishes on the appetizer menu and we tried them both. Daniel’s Chicken Quesadilias ($7.50) consists of about half a dozen good-sized slices of nicely crisped, filled tortillas stuffed with chicken, potatoes, onions and peppers, and served with a coarsely chopped salsa and sour cream. They were delicate in nature and relatively bland, even with the mild salsa. The grilled portabella mushrooms ($6.50) include three medium-sized mushrooms, topped with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella and then grilled. The mushrooms were overcooked.

Owner/Chef Daniel Lucci

   A wide range of salads is offered, including either a garden salad or a Caesar salad with toppings such as sliced grilled chicken, blackened chicken or Cajun tilapia. They are available in small or large sizes, and, with toppings, range from $7 to $10. In addition, a combination salad of asparagus, prosciutto, roasted peppers, and dried cranberries ($8) is available. The small garden salad is a pleasant combination of mixed greens, carrots, mushrooms, red onions, tomatoes and a fresh veggie mix ($3.50). The small Caesar salad ($3.75) features a healthy serving of romaine lettuce with a good Caesar dressing and a substantial amount of parmesan cheese shredded over the top. The garden salad is served with the house "Balsamico" dressing, which is available by the bottle at the restaurant. It was a nice complement to the greens.

   We considered the attractive-sounding pasta dishes on the regular menu. The seafood fra diablo, mussels, scallops, fish and shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce over linguini ($17) and the mussels "al Ajillo" in a white-wine garlic sauce over linguini ($9.50) sounded particularly appealing. However, the spinach ravioli and five jumbo shrimp ($19.50) from the specials menu won the day. Served with a prosciutto-filled vodka cream sauce, it is well-seasoned and quite good. Our other choices were also from the specials menu — Costa Rican tilapia ($19.50) and grilled Chilean salmon ($21.50). The tilapia is sautéed with a cornmeal crust and served with a horseradish tomato relish. The crispness of the crust provides a nice contrast to the lightness and delicacy of the tilapia. The salmon, which we were told was not from Chile but prepared in a style common to that country, is served with an interesting topping of roasted pumpkin seeds and a tomato pesto. It was slightly overcooked, and the topping was interesting but lacking in flavor. Both dishes were served with a large helping of mashed potatoes and sautéed broccoli, onions and peppers.
   One of the best features of Café con Leche is its homemade desserts. Most are displayed in a refrigerated case just before the main dining room. The carrot cake and the flourless chocolate cake looked especially good but we decided on the Argentinean chocolate cake ($5.50) and the berry cobbler ($4). The cobbler is served warm with a nice sauce of berries under a shortbread crust. The cake is a very large serving of four layers of dark chocolate cake with a rather dry caramel filling between each layer and a thick chocolate frosting on the outside. As if this were not enough, it is drizzled with a chocolate sauce and had a large dollop of whipped cream on the outside edge. This is an outstanding dessert and was much enjoyed.
   The service left much to be desired. We seemed to be served by at least three different people. All were pleasant and friendly. However, no bread was brought to the table, water glasses were not refilled, the coffee we ordered never arrived, and the bill had been written over so much that we had to ask that it be redone. I do not know if all this was an aberration and if the multiple servers are the norm, but clearly it did not work for us.
   Café con Leche is an interesting and obviously popular place to eat. Prices are reasonable and portions are good-sized. The owner/chef, Daniel Lucci, who is originally from Argentina, does a nice job with many of the dishes, especially the desserts.