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Café offers coffee, treats in Prince Frederick
Friday, May 9, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL
Laura Baker of Main Street Café in Prince Frederick shows off her espresso, canolli, cinnamon roll and croissant.
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Sharing a building with a law firm near the Calvert County Courthouse in Prince Frederick, Main Street Café is unimposing from the outside. But the sunny pastel décor and outdoor tables are sure to charm anyone who ducks in for a light lunch, a sweet treat or just a cup of good hot coffee.
Café co-owner Laura Baker takes coffee seriously; the various coffee drinks are described with the same precision and creativity others reserve for fine wines.
For instance, one ‘‘coffee of the day,” the Sumatra Mandheling, was described as having a ‘‘heavy syrupy body, rich and complex, pungent earthiness with notes of cherry.”
Even the ordinary black coffee gets the royal treatment. Baker and her daughter, Abby Sparks, created it by trying different blends of coffee varieties from their Annapolis roaster until they came up with one they agreed was perfect. And patrons can now enjoy the results of their patient experiment even when they’re at home, as the ground coffee is now for sale under the label ‘‘Tranquil Mornings.”
More froufrou hot and cold mixed coffee drinks are also on offer; we tried the ‘‘almond joy” and the chocolate cherry frappe, and recommend them both for the way the flavorings don’t overwhelm the taste of the excellent coffee.
But coffee isn’t the café’s only selling point.
For Baker, the café represents a refreshing change of pace from her and her husband’s last endeavor, Vic’s Place Family Restaurant in southern Prince Frederick. She decided to open a café because the smaller scale and earlier hours promised less stress and more free time.
She also welcomed the chance to offer her patrons lighter, healthier fare.
Her signature homemade salads form the backbone of the café’s lunch offerings; the chicken, shrimp and tuna salads are available plain, in a wrap or as part of a sandwich.
One of us tried a daily special, shrimp salad on a Kaiser roll. I [Gretchen] was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no skimping; the sandwich was packed with shrimp and light on dressing.
Those not interested in shrimp can rest assured that the chicken and tunaÊsalads are filled with flavor and equally satisfying. After all, according to the menu, ‘‘We’ve got lunch all wrapped up.”
The sandwich nearly filled me up, but I was able to make room for a side dish. I chose pasta salad, which was a delightful alternative to the standard potato chips offered elsewhere.
There are various side choices including broccoli salad which is crisp and light, potato salad, and sweet macaroni salad. Selections vary daily but never is there a bad choice.
For those seeking even lighter fare, the ‘‘Vegetarian Delight” wrap will not disappoint, featuring an array of vegetables and a choice of cheese and dressing.
Perhaps the best part of the experience is that, after eating such healthy food, we almost felt justified in indulging our sweet tooths.
A visitor can nibble on free samples before choosing from the array of fresh-baked cookies, muffins, cake slices and other delicacies on offer, which are almost as tempting to the eye as to the taste buds.
I [Erica] tried the cannoli, a traditionalItalian dessert of sweet ricotta cheese mixed with chocolate chips and added to a pastry shell. It hit the spot. The butter rum muffins and cranberry raisin scones do not disappoint, either.
We also recommend the oatmeal raisincookies.
