Relaxing at Cafe Diem 2004, not much changes but the people walking by
Summer has started and the laissez les bons temps roulez
We don’t think we miss Victoria Row all fall, winter and spring until the first hot day hits. Then there is no other place to be for supper and the evening. Admittedly one doesn’t get the grass cut whiling the time away but who cares.
Thursday last week was too hot for supper so off we went. Now things have changed. Brennan’s is a construction zone opening this week as the International or something. I’m hoping for a Euro-Trance or Euro-Disco bar like Club Bulles in Paris. If I’m disappointed, c’est la vie.
We settled into Cafe Diem for supper and drinks. Right away, the differences started to irritate. No bottled beer is served. They only have draft from the Gahan House which is owned by the joint owner Kevin Murphy, seemingly the owner of all food establishments. Only two kinds of wine which seems slack. No entrées, no pasta, only soups, sandwiches and cheese cake. Even the desserts are deserted.
Cafe Diem has fallen back to it’s old coffee shop business model after the departure of last year’s manager Mamdouh Elgharib. Mamdouh converted the Cafe Diem to a smaller version of the popular Meeko’s Restraurant which he has sold the year before to Murphys. Mambouh was the perfect host for a small restaurant, always friendly and gracious he added charm to the many afternoons and evenings spent at Cafe Diem and Meeko’s.
Time moves on so we sampled the lobster sandwich and I had a medium ale named after a dead prime minister. The shiraz was the choice in red. The view and the conversation made up for the limited menu. Two couples from Ontario left when they couldn’t order drinks. Somehow, I’m not sure how their menu will work, perhaps as a lunch and desert cafe. The jazz musicians were playing and it made a fine evening.
Fishbones on Victoria Row, better menu and a new chef
We went back on Friday and moved past Cafe Diem and the International/Brennan’s debris to Fishbones which had gotten a good review in the Guardian. I always thought the bar was good but not convivial. The food fair to good. I especially like the Jambalaya we’d had there before.
The staff at Fishbones are friendly but they don’t get on a first name basis like the people at any number of restaurants we frequent like Papa Joe’s, Hunter’s, Old Dublin, Churchill, Baba’s. The student servers are nice and we did see the new chef out greeting people which is cool. Food is only one part of a dining experience. Fishbones could up the congeniality factor a little.
Fishbones has a decent menu with lots of choices and the bar is well stocked. We sampled a few things throughout the evening in our 4 hour stay. We had the sausage and chicken nachos which were better than average with strong jalapeño peppers. They were very good. Coffee choices were limited. We’d been spoiled by the espresso from previous years.
The music at Fishbones is better than anywhere. Right across from the stage the sound is immediate and enjoyable. At either end of the street it could be background music.
We only partly come for the food. One must eat. It’s the atmosphere, the convivial conversation, people watching and general easy times that draw us back year after year.
We’ll be back soon to try the other entrées as the weeks progress, enjoying the summer nights on Victoria Row. I perform Tuesdays at lunch and manage the Singer Songwriter lunches. That means several lunches a week.
As a friend said, where else would we spend the summer?
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License – NJN Network Inc.
Lorenzo decordenzo
Steven I agree Cafe Diem with it’s poor beer collection is a drag thus I and my friends avoid it….we are not fond of the MURPHY brews..and besides it is expensive…..
michelle
The experience on Victoria Row is more for the ecclectic feel than for the food, that is true. I lived in Victoria Row and loved being able to walk down to get a beer, a glass of wine, or if hungry a meal at Fishbones or Castillos, and if I wanted a light fare I could walk into Cafe Diem for a sandwich. What I don’t agree with is how they bash Cafe Diem. It’s a CAFE hence the light fare food. I found their bread soft and tasty and not overpowered by the sliced roast beef. The lobster sandwich was also good. The side salad was equally enough and quite good with a fresh balance for the summer flavors. I found a beer, glass of wine, or cup of coffee perfect and enough. As for the crew who worked the cafe I found absolutely outstanding and friendly. Because we were frequent visitors they got to know us on first name basis. I found them fun, courteous, and attentive without being annoyingly so. As for Fishbones I found the food good, but the service discourteous. Our waitress forgot to inform us the tea machine died, and when she finally did she didn’t seem too concerned. She was rude, didn’t feel like she wanted to be there, and when she served our food it was just put in front of us. Then Castillos had ok food and lousy service. The hostess looked directly at us for about 10 minutes (mind you it wasn’t full)all the while talking to a waiter. Our waitress only came to us twice…to take our order and give us our food. After that she forgot about us all together, Oh, yeah, when we paid. She was terrible and absolutely bored with work. Now, once the new restaurant GLOBE opened it was a hit with both food and service. We tried it and sat at a great table of one of the garage windows, it’s openess was heavenly on a summer day. We not only had the host seat us, but about 3 people came up to us to ask if we needed anything, asked for our drink order, brought us a delicious appetizer, and through the entire time we were there they came over (not annoyingly). We lingered and left a big tip. So, my advice to anyone…you can read what other people think, but do your own trip down to historical Victoria Row and taste, drink, and sip for yourself.