Three Wonderful Little Cafe's
I want to share with you three café's which I have been to lately and really enjoyed.
You have heard me wax poetically about Calabria, in Cottam. It's a family restaurant which features local products and wine, fabulous pizza, great perch and wonderful salads. Yes tso makes me eat salad and I really like Linda's. What is great there is the pizza. She uses herbs from her garden and local stuff so it's so different to the dreck that comes from the chains. It's very similar to the non-greasy Windsor pizza. Its wonderful and I just don't order anything else. Tso loves the fish too. John and Linda are great people and it shows in the food.
Sam's Cantina, on Wyandotte, by the University is an icon. People talk about it in the old days, I have bought pizza from them for about 20yrs and endured years of "ok you want a large special, yes, name... small...so you want a small.......no a large special.. but you asked for a small". Now this would be ok when they got new staff, BUT this went on with the same guy for years. I really don't think he did it for fun... don't think he was at the U for a PhD. Well tso and I had our first date there so its rather special. What more can I say but simply the best pizza in the city, add great appetizers and cost effective drinks and you have a great night out.
A new one in the west end is Alcamo Caffe, on Tecumseh, near Partington. It's in a strip plaza but they have done a great job decorating it. The menu is a masterpiece. I have seen most of it on Mario Batali's shows. There is stuff I have never seen on a menu. The food is great and real. The small kitchen is exposed and you can watch them making the food so it ain't boil in a bag. Tso and I had lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. They're coffee is great too. My only complaint is the wine list so have a mineral water with your meal and enjoy it cos it tastes really real therefore really good.
