08/18/03

If the typical food-court, grub-on-the-go fare isn't your idea of a great meal at the mall, you may want to check out this upscale eatery.

by Contributor

The Scene

A tres trendy decor, softly playing music, and complementary packets of SPF 15 sunscreen are all designed to set the mood for West Coast?style dining?but be forewarned, the prices are West Coast too.

The Food

To start, consider the sweet roasted Gilroy garlic served with cambozola cheese and tomato chutney. Their California-style salads all make excellent appetizers. Entrees include brick oven-fired gourmet pizzas (smoked salmon, chive marscapone cheese, capers and red onions top one); pasta dishes like fettuccine jambalaya and vegetarian rigatoni; and other lavish fare such as macadamia nut-crusted snapper with tropical fruit salsa, lemon-rosemary chicken with bosc pear chutney, spit-roasted rack of pork with maple whipped yams, and grilled center-cut filet mignon with glazed shallots and port wine sauce. For dessert, try the warm sour cream fudge cake or white chocolate cheesecake served with a blueberry-orange compote. After one sip of the Cafe Californian (Kahlua, Bailey's, Hershey's chocolate, espresso and steamed milk), your shopping may be over for the day.