Coes Cafe

You can still enjoy a good meal at Coes, but it's hard to forget the creativity that went into the owners' now-closed sister bistro, Kamanitza's

by Margaret LeRoux

Coes Cafe 242 Mill Street Worcester 754-9622 Hours Lunch Daily 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dinner Sun.-Thurs. 4:30-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 4:30-11 p.m. Major credit cards Full bar Handicap accessible

Dinner at Coes Cafe has been on the agenda for quite some time. Several people have recommended it, and I was a big fan of Kamanitza's, the former restaurant run by Coes' owner Mark Johns.

Kamanitza's, which was located on Main South near Clark University, was a clever bistro where the meals were imaginative and the prices quite reasonable. The Johns family sold it several years ago, and, though hints of the bistro's cuisine appear on the Coes Cafe menu, the flair that made Kamanitza's so outstanding just isn't at Coes.

A friend and I recently stopped in for a late meal; it was too dark to enjoy outdoor seating and the view of Coes Pond, so we ate inside.

The restaurant is a long, narrow room lightened by blond wood booths and cream colored walls and ceiling. A bar occupies one side; non-smoking diners are separated by a low, glass partition, which does a poor job of keeping the section smoke-free. The atmosphere is casual, and the restaurant seems to have a following; several diners greeted each other by name.

Marring the friendly atmosphere are two large ceiling-mounted TV sets. I found them very distracting. TV images overtook my peripheral vision, though I admit to being drawn into a documentary on Princess Diana -- not a very polite way to eat dinner with a friend.

Hunger persuaded me to tear myself away from the screen and review the menu. Appetizers include standards like buffalo wings ($5.95), fried calamari ($4.95), and a deep-fried onion ($3.95). But there are also a few interesting items, such as pot stickers ($3.95) and crab cakes ($5.95). We opted for grilled portobello mushrooms ($5.95) with balsamic vinegar and garlic. The serving was generous: three large mushroom caps on a bed of wilted greens. We expected the meaty taste of the mushrooms we've come to love, but instead it was a sharp sting of too much vinegar that saturated the poor mushrooms, smothering their natural flavor. After several bites, we put the plate aside.

We fared better with the Albanian salad ($4.95), a large plate of mesclun mix, roasted red peppers, walnuts (the menu said toasted, but they weren't), and onions with a creamy dressing, supposedly garlic, but very mild. This salad, or one of the Caesar variations with chicken ($6.95) or blackened swordfish ($7.95), would make a light meal along with a hunk of the crusty bread we saw on other diners' tables. When we asked our waitress for bread, she obliged. But we shouldn't have to ask, nor should we have to repeat a request for water.

Coes' menu is heavy on chicken breast served with a variety of sauces, and a few veal and seafood dishes at the higher end of the price range (there's nothing over $12). Most pasta is under $10. There are also burgers, including a grilled ground-turkey burger ($4.95).

I was intrigued by moussaka ($8.95); if it had been made with ground lamb instead of ground beef I'd have been hooked. Instead, I chose salmon baked in parchment ($9.95), while my companion selected veal saltimbocca ($11.95). Both came with salads (romaine, onions, cucumbers, and a cherry tomato), which were served with either a tasty homemade blue cheese or a Parmesan peppercorn dressing.

There's a limited wine list; we enjoyed the Hess chardonnay ($4.75 a glass; $19 a bottle).

The veal was our favorite, a great value considering that the plate contained several scaloppini-style slices in a rich cream sauce enhanced by fresh sage and a generous sampling of prosciutto. The rice pilaf was homemade with browned bits of vermicelli. But the fresh green beans that accompanied both our meals were gray and overcooked.

The salmon -- another generous serving -- rested on a bed of thick slices of onions and red peppers with thin slices of lemon on top. The whole package was wrapped in parchment then baked till tender. On the side were wedges of oven-roasted potatoes, nice and crispy. Nothing wrong here, but nothing that would make me want to order the dish again. I couldn't help but remember a dish of peppered salmon filet, pan seared with white wine and served over spinach fettuccini with garlic, which I once enjoyed at Kamanitza's. Now that was a dish that made you sit up and take notice. In comparison, the salmon at Coes is so ho-hum.

We declined dessert, though espresso and cappuccino are offered. Our bill came to $54, not including tip.