Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Caffe Diva by Karyn Zoldan
These days you either love or hate the word “diva”.
Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Diana Ross come to mind. If Diana Ross was Jane Doe, her alleged Tucson DUI would have already been history and Ms. Doe would have lost her license, been doing community service, or paying a hefty fine.
But I digress. Back to Caffe Diva. I personally think this restaurant has an identity crisis. From the name you cannot tell what it’s selling. You could assume that the owner and/or wait staff are a bunch of divas and there’s enough lousy service in this town already. I frequently drive past Caffe Diva on 2965 N. Campbell and never stop.
When an acquaintance suggested we meet at the eastside Caffe Diva (7865 E. Broadway at Pantano), I was pleasantly surprised. The surroundings are typical of the non-ilk restaurant but the food and service demand your attention. Drive by and there’s a bigger banner announcing drive-thru espresso. The banner faces east which is good signage because commuters are driving to work on that side of the street. Located on the corner, Caffe Diva invites easy in and out and on your way access.
The menu is huge but the quiche and salad combo caught my eye and the price was right. What I noticed were many different salad offerings with a mix of unusual ingredients. I opted for the Homer – a hefty fresh blend of spinach, fresh mango and avocado, grated carrots and tomatoes, and a choice of home made dressings. You wouldn’t expect home made dressings in a non-ilk coffee/bagel fast food type of restaurant.
I ordered the pickled ginger vinaigrette while the owner tried to convince me to go with the passion fruit dressing. Sticking to my whims, ginger won out (as it usually does) and the dressing was almost like an aphrodisiac. I wanted to bottle it and take it home to rub all over my body. It was like liquid ginger with bites of finely diced ginger in a semi sweetness that had an afterthought kick. The salad with dressing went pop, pop in my mouth with an explosion of flavors. The quiche was delicious too but next time I’m going to order a whole salad and probably take some of it home because servings are generous.
Lots of coffee drinks prevail along with freshly made bagels, croissants, muffins, cinnamon buns, and baklava. The owners are a husband and wife who work hard and it shows. No diva-ing allowed.
Delicious copy2go
These days you either love or hate the word “diva”.
Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Diana Ross come to mind. If Diana Ross was Jane Doe, her alleged Tucson DUI would have already been history and Ms. Doe would have lost her license, been doing community service, or paying a hefty fine.
But I digress. Back to Caffe Diva. I personally think this restaurant has an identity crisis. From the name you cannot tell what it’s selling. You could assume that the owner and/or wait staff are a bunch of divas and there’s enough lousy service in this town already. I frequently drive past Caffe Diva on 2965 N. Campbell and never stop.
When an acquaintance suggested we meet at the eastside Caffe Diva (7865 E. Broadway at Pantano), I was pleasantly surprised. The surroundings are typical of the non-ilk restaurant but the food and service demand your attention. Drive by and there’s a bigger banner announcing drive-thru espresso. The banner faces east which is good signage because commuters are driving to work on that side of the street. Located on the corner, Caffe Diva invites easy in and out and on your way access.
The menu is huge but the quiche and salad combo caught my eye and the price was right. What I noticed were many different salad offerings with a mix of unusual ingredients. I opted for the Homer – a hefty fresh blend of spinach, fresh mango and avocado, grated carrots and tomatoes, and a choice of home made dressings. You wouldn’t expect home made dressings in a non-ilk coffee/bagel fast food type of restaurant.
I ordered the pickled ginger vinaigrette while the owner tried to convince me to go with the passion fruit dressing. Sticking to my whims, ginger won out (as it usually does) and the dressing was almost like an aphrodisiac. I wanted to bottle it and take it home to rub all over my body. It was like liquid ginger with bites of finely diced ginger in a semi sweetness that had an afterthought kick. The salad with dressing went pop, pop in my mouth with an explosion of flavors. The quiche was delicious too but next time I’m going to order a whole salad and probably take some of it home because servings are generous.
Lots of coffee drinks prevail along with freshly made bagels, croissants, muffins, cinnamon buns, and baklava. The owners are a husband and wife who work hard and it shows. No diva-ing allowed.
Delicious copy2go
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