Dining: Dandelion Cafe
Delightful flavors pop up at Dandelion Cafe
By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: Aug. 3, 2005
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At Dandelion Cafe, the attractions include free wireless Internet access and housemade soups such as jalapeņo cream, top right, and vegetable minestrone. Customers on a recent afternoon included Olga Herrera, left, Clayton Stemple and Lauren Hendley.
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Photos by Andrew Price/AA-S
Breakfast choices at Dandelion Cafe include breakfast pie (above right, foreground) and huevos rancheros over black beans and corn tortillas (a Saturday special). The cafe on East Eleventh Street is owned by Stephanie Schoonover (in green) and Marybeth Casias. Dandelion Cafe. 1115 E. 11th St., 542-9542. Rating: Forks up. Price: Cheap. |
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The Dandelion that recently sprouted across the Victory Grill on 11th Street in East Austin is a bloom in the second category. The cafe is full of fresh, bright flavors that spring from its soups and sandwiches.
The jalapeņo cream soup ($3.75 for a bowl) was a smooth and addictively hot soup that left a long, slow burn on the palate.
The turkey sandwich ($5.75), an ordinary item in most hands, turned special at Dandelion with the addition of thinly sliced pears with the mixed greens, Swiss cheese and herb-roasted turkey on whole wheat bread.
The chicken salad sandwich ($5.75) featured big chunks of meat in a pesto mayonnaise with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts on sourdough.
The Italian grilled cheese ($5.75) put smoked mozzarella, pesto and tomatoes on sourdough for another step above the usual treatment.
The only ordinary item I sampled was the Swiss cheese-tomato-mushroom breakfast pie ($3.50), which basically was a crustless quiche. The ingredients, unfortunately, made it watery. Also, I'd rather see the cafe charge more and put something more interesting than a single slice of toast with it.
Another breakfast item, offered just on Saturdays, was a tasty version of huevos rancheros, with eggs over black beans and corn tortillas covered in a spicy ranchero sauce with a side of home-style potatoes.
With that lineup, Dandelion Cafe has become another delightful eatery on a rejuvenated stretch of East 11th Street.
drice@statesman.com; 445-3859
