California Cafe at MOA

Tom and I took our four kids to the Mall Of America on Monday night and decided to give the California Cafe a try. I have eaten there before, but we have never brought the kids. This is the kind of place that has low lights, white table cloths and food on the menu that is a bit foreign to children. The kids are now older and have grown past the mac n’ cheese on the kids menu, so we went in.

The California Cafe is a chain restaurant that caters to the business person or group of people who want to enjoy a “California” style meal with good California wine. Fish and chicken prepared with lots of vegetables are the main attraction on the menu. Tom and Gabrielle ordered the salmon with a grapefruit glaze and Victoria had the braised short-ribs.  Tom and I both thought her choice was the best. The meat was very tender and just the right amount of seasoning, as not to be overpowering in flavor. Tom started with the Sesame Ahi and he really enjoyed it. There was a sauce with it, and he said it was good, although he would always take wasabi and soy sauce above anything else offered.

The kids, who have always been calimari fans, started with a plate of calimari and rock shrimp. These were great! They were perfectly done, not overcooked and dry or chewy. Very good.

For Tommy and Elizabeth we ordered off the kid’s menus. The kids menu is a very good deal. It offerers a bento box, where the child picks items off of 4 lists. Tommy had BBQ ribs, french fries, fruit, and salad along with a drink and a homemade ice cream sandwich, all for $6.90. The sandwich was made from two large homemade chocolate chip cookies with creamy vanilla ice cream inside. We ordered the grilled cheese and fries for Elizabeth. Of course, she ate none of them. Victoria ate her Cesar Salad and said it was great. There are crayons and paper to keep them busy. Even though this isn’t the place you would expect to take kids, they treat them very well.

I enjoyed the squash soup, which was truly wonderful, top off with sunflower seeds for a nice little crunch. For dinner, I order the special, Hawaiian Waahoo, a firmer light flavored fish from the Pacific. It was served with rice and julienned vegetables. The fish was overdone for my taste. Fish should be moist and tender, this was neither. Note to self: never order Hawaiian fish if you can’t hear the ukelle playing.

The best part of our visit was the staff. We had a server, Jan, who was training a young man named Doyle. We usually avoid sit down restaurants with Elizabeth, unless she requests them. This night, we bribed her with a trip to Sam Goody, and she was behaving relatively well. She did try a few of her tricks, just to make it interesting. She stared off by trying to re-name Doyle, George, which Doyle mis-took to think that her name was George. After Jan called her “young man” we strightened it all out and they were great with her, never making us feel like would needed to apologize for her behavior. We were able to enjoy a family dinner out, with plenty of conversation and laughs, and never had too worry about what Elizabeth was doing that might be inapproriate.

I am sure we  gave Jan and Doyle a few things to go home and tell their families about. No one ever forgets meeting Elizabeth.

If your looking for a place to take a break from the mad holiday shopping crowds at the Mall of America, give the California Cafe a try and have a glass of great California wine. I suggest the Coppola.