Cafe Aldente

As we were going to lunch today, one of our neighbors asked where we were going. When we said we were going to lunch, he strongly suggested we try Café Aldente which is located in the same mini-mall as Chin Chin on Ventura but way in the back. We asked about the type of food and he told us they make the best lentil soup and Greek salad he has ever had. He also said their pastas are delicious. I am not the biggest fan of Italian food, especially when I am watching carb intake, but I am a fan of going to new places and I like lentil soup so we took his advice.

I really wonder how anybody finds this restaurant. It is truly hidden behind escalators. We walked in and saw a menu on the wall. There were no other patrons there but it was after 3:00, a little late for lunch and too early for dinner. They had some lunch specials but we were too late for them. The menu is definitely eclectic – skewers, pizza, pasta, sandwiches and paninis, chopped salads of all kinds. The walls had movie posters in Italian but we ended up choosing Mediterranean which is surprising for me. We each ordered lentil soup and then shared chicken skewers.

First we were served 4 small garlic rolls that were really good. Then they brought the very large bowl of lentil soup. This soup has no animal fat or dairy products and it is pureed. My mother-in-law used to puree all her soups and this was thick as were hers. It is probably made from yellow lentils and had a light Mediterranean flavor. Both of us really liked the soup and I was looking forward to the skewers. Much to my surprise, we were served a chopped salad that was quite full of small cubes of fresh vegetables. The problem with the salad was that it had a dressing which to me tasted mostly of vinegar. I hated it and did not eat the salad at all and actually B ate a little and did agree with me about the dressing. One plus was that they divided our meal for us which was great. We each got a skewer with chicken, onion and green and red peppers which we asked him to leave off and he didn’t. The skewer was atop some good rice which was very buttery. There was also a roasted tomato which I didn’t taste. We also got some nice pita bread and a small but sufficient amount of good tasting hummus.

I didn’t care for the taste of the chicken. I can’t really explain why but there was some flavoring that I didn’t care for. I do eat Mediterranean food but I didn’t like this. It was all white meat and there was plenty of it. I felt some was dry but B did not find hers to be like that. We had too much food and brought some home which B can eat since I will pass.

The food was OK. The service was iffy. I had to ask to have our table washed. I was not offered a refill for my iced tea until we had finished eating. We told him that we wanted to take the remainder of our food home and he forgot to give it to us. When B went to the register to charge the bill rather than wait for him to come, after signed the receipt, she had to ask him for our take-home which he had for us. I see no reason to go back there. However, they have some nice specials. On Tuesday night, kids eat free with one adult meal. The specials on Tuesday are pasta dinners for $7.95. Since I didn’t eat a pasta meal and I know the garlic rolls are delicious, I can’t really say whether or not this is a good deal.