Coffee Bean Cafe gets reviewed by the Tribune

Thanks to Torgo, I've learned that the Coffee Bean Cafe was reviewed by the Tampa Tribune. Yea!

Because the Trib's articles don't hand around very long, I've included the whole review.

The Coffee Bean Cafe
By Amanda Henry of The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 19, 2005

TAMPA Someday, supposedly, Starbucks is coming to spearhead the Hyde Park-ification of Seminole Heights. Until then, there is The Coffee Bean Cafe, a new breakfast and lunch spot that caters not so much to the future of the neighborhood as its present.

The Coffee Bean Cafe is the latest restaurant to try to make a go of it in the funky green strip mall at the corner of Florida and Osborne avenues, also home to several good antiques stores, a gift shop and a gym. Judging by weekend crowds in its first few months of business, The Coffee Bean may be on to something.

The menu offers breakfast and lunch, as well as coffee drinks and ice cream, with a retro comfort-food feel. That means things like biscuits and gravy, homemade corned beef hash, crustless cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, an authentic Sloppy Joe and a variety of grilled sandwiches — including PB&J — and wraps. There also are some vegetarian options, including quite a few salads.

For an area that’s still a mix of working class and starving artists, this is probably a good niche. (Lovers of radicchio and truffle oil may want to stick to south Tampa; the menu here is more likely to trumpet its use of mayonnaise.)

Highlights of several recent visits include the homemade soups — the vegetable was rich enough to pass for beef stew — a classic Reuben, and the Wild Turkey sandwich (turkey, ham and blue cheese dressing). The Uncle Milty wrap is a heartier version of the latter, with added roast beef, bacon and avocado, though the sun-dried tomato tortilla was on the dry side. Sandwiches come with a bag of chips, but you might want to upgrade to the bacony delight of the country potato salad.

The cobb salad was simple, but clearly prepared to order, and therefore fresh and tasty — no wilted lettuce or slimy avocado. Even the tomato tasted like tomato, an increasingly rare quality in restaurant salads. The fruit salad also was prepared fresh, but is probably a better choice when there are more and better fruits in season (the mealy apples didn’t cut it).

A more palatable option was the caramel apple walnut pie, served warm with a side of vanilla ice cream. While not prepared on the the premises, it was clearly homemade somewhere, with a thick, authentic crust and none of that canned goop in the middle.

Another fun dessert is the Old Fashioned Soda, a blended mix of club soda, milk and ice cream, with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top. (Think milk shake, with fizz.) Among the other beverages, a plain cappuccino was excellent, but the Cafe Mocha was far too sweet. The selection of teas is extensive, and serving them in antique china cups is a nice touch.

There are some new-restaurant jitters at The Coffee Bean. When it gets busy, service can be slow, and everyone is still learning the menu — and the espresso machine. It would be nice to see some fresh pastries in the morning for those on the run, instead of individually wrapped danishes, and a few more pies or other desserts for the afternoon coffee/tea crowd. The homemade biscotti is a good start, though, and there are at least a dozen flavors of the delicious Working Cow ice cream.

Room for improvements notwithstanding, this is a nice neighborhood hangout. The interior is bright and cheerful, with an eclectic mix of antiques, and the friendly staff doesn’t mind if you linger over a hot beverage. With its reasonable prices and nostalgic cuisine, The Coffee Bean could be a keeper.

Tribune reviewers eat anonymously. Amanda Henry can be reached at (813) 259-7569.



BOTTOM LINE: Home cooking, plus coffee and ice cream, in a cozy, non-corporate setting

WHERE: 4715 N. Florida Ave., Tampa

HOURS: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

CREDIT CARDS: AE/MC/V

CHILDREN’S MENU: Can accommodate

ALCOHOL: No

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

PRICE: Breakfast and lunch entrees range from $2.99 to $6.99

CALL: (813) 237-5808