Messy and Picky

One day, out of the blue, we decided to have a post-holiday lunch at Caribou Café. It was a weekday, and the place was pretty much empty, but we got some good vibes when we walked in. Large old French movie posters dominated the walls. Tall sculpted female figurines stood on the bar serving as lamps, and screens broke up the area between the serving floor and the back area near the restrooms - a nice touch.

Messy began her meal with a good, strong coffee and a few slices of bread. We both found the complimentary bread and butter to be somehow addictive. We can't tell you exactly what made it special, but it was so good we ended up eating two baskets full. Messy had the soup of the day for $5.50 — an excellent red pepper tomato bisque. However, it didn't come with any crackers (this is where that second basket of bread came in handy). Messy also had the Salad de Chèvre (baked goat cheese in pastry with a frisée and a red beet vinaigrette). She found the salad to be a little too beet-y. If you're really, really into beets (and who is?) this one's for you. If you just kind of tolerate beets but you really like goat cheese, skip this one. Messy was also confused as to why this particular salad is $11 on the lunch menu and only $9.50 on the dinner menu. Perhaps there is a difference in size? Although Messy really liked the ambience, she was dissapointed by the menu — there are almost no vegetarian options except for soups and salads. And this is definitely not a place for vegans.

Picky's Croque Monsier came with a nice helping of fries and a salad. On the menu, it was supposed to be a choice of one or the other, but he got both and ate it all up graciously. The Croque Monsieur is a grilled Parisian ham and cheese sandwich served on a brioche. Oh, those French and their simple ham and cheese sandwiches! Picky recalls seeing many a ham and cheese sandwich in various eateries when he visited Paris as a teenager. The whole sandwich was nice and warm and the cheese melted, but not overly gooey - after taking a bite, the rest of the sandwich didn't ooze out.

Caribou also offers a $16 prix fixe lunch menu which includes the soup of the day or a small salad and one of their classic French entrees. There's also a $29 prix fixe dinner menu which includes a wider selection of first courses and entrees. In addition, Caribou offers up a weekend brunch menu which varies slightly from their regular lunch menu with treats such as omelettes and crêpes.

Messy ***
Picky ***

The final word: Good French food in a nice setting, but not a lot for the vegetarians among us.

Caribou Café
1126 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 625-9535
Fax: (215) 625-2423
Mon - Thu: 11:30am to Midnight
Fri & Sat: 11:30am to 2am
Sun: 11:30am to 11pm