|
|
|
APRIL 22 / 2002 |
BACK TO ARCHIVES |
|
Café Lacombe I met a friend and former colleague, Barry, for lunch at the Café Lacombe, the main downstairs restaurant of the Crowne Plaza, Chateau Lacombe. Often overshadowed by the more renowned "La Ronde", Café Lacombe is nonetheless an excellent dining establishment with quality food and superior service. Menu items are varied and reasonable in price. The restaurant is bright, roomy and cheery, and some of the staff have happily worked there for years upon years. The big feature of the Café Lacombe at lunchtime is a superb hot and cold buffet. The array of vegetables and salads alone is sufficient for most. However there are always fish and seafood selections, cold meats and fruit enough to dine well, and in good health. Hot offerings will include elegant soup, such as Cream of Cauliflower, Clam Chowder or Pumpkin Soup. These are not your everyday, run-of-the-mill soups. Almost everyone stops by to check out from where come the inviting aromas. Hot dishes include potato choices, pastas, fish and chicken medleys that change daily. All are delicious and any single dish on the buffet could easily be featured as a higher-end menu item. By the way, the buffet is only $14.95. Special wine is always featured, usually highlighting the produce of a particular country or region. The lunchtime wine list is not extensive, but it is sufficient. I realize this is a rather unusual review, as reviewing buffets is nearly impossible. However, Café Lacombe has been, and remains, one of my favorite restaurants, particularly at lunch. Obviously I'm not alone in that thinking, as many times you won't get a spot without a reservation. This might seem like a quirky review; but that's OK. I thought you might want to rediscover Café Lacombe. It's well worth the effort. BEST POINTS: AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: RATING CATEGORY: |