April 17, 2004

Fabulous Fries Far From Boardwalk

Every so often, this job delivers an unexpected revelation. Most recently, it was the discovery of some mighty fine french fries coming out of a basement in a Towson bank building. I mean, these were terrific, Rehoboth Beach boardwalk-quality fries being cooked by Cafe Gourmet, and costing just a buck.

The Cafe Gourmet - one of two in Towson - sits on the lower level of the Mercantile Bank Towson building, a no-nonsense edifice with lots of marble. The cafe holds down a small, noisy space next to the offices of Patuxent Publishing, and it’s easier to find by coming off Pennsylvania Avenue.

Open from 7am to 3pm, Monday through Friday, the eatery caters to Towson workers. It offers a breakfast menu, including on item I suppose I’m dying to try next time: “Heart Attack Pack Sandwich,” with egg, bacon, sausage, ham and cheese on toast.

The lunch menu is heavy on salads, wraps, sandwiches and pastas. We were pleased with almost everything we tried from the moderately priced menu

The Bambino Burger ($5.75) was a hit, a tasty slab of ground beef on a fresh roll. For an extra dollar, it came with the fries.

The Fly by Night Charlie ($4.95) turned out to be an upscale tuna melt, and a very good one, with sprouts and Havarti cheese on an English muffin.

The Philly cheese steak ($5.25) was packed with shaved meat and was devoured by my 15 year old son, who pronounced it “solid”. The Wrap it Up ($5.25) was essentially a Caesar salad with big chunks of chicken, wrapped inside a sun-dried tomato tortilla. It, too, was a winner.

A cafe salad ($4.25) included a nice selection of greens and came with a tasty garlic- laced Italian dressing.

One item on the menu - sun-dried tomato and pesto pasta ($5.75) - seemed to be mis- named. While there were indeed tomatoes in view, there was, alas, no sign of a pesto sauce. The penne dish, was, however, perfectly fine. The one disappointment was the crab soup ($3.75) which was too sweet and lacked that peppery punch one expects.

Desert offerings were a few. I picked a brownie ($1.50), which was laced with chocolate chips and may have been the sweetest thing I have ever eaten. As for parking, there are some metered spaces on the street, and garages nearby.