You’ll want to revisit charming Demitasse Café again & again

By Lori Pierce Abendschein
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

If only I had more time, I would spend it at Demitasse Café. The world outside seems to come to a halt when I’m inside this cushy Victorian cafe in the City of Poughkeepsie.

A couple at a nearby table recently played a game of chess, a woman knitted at the back table over a foamy cappuccino, while another customer admired the artwork on the walls and the library of late 19th-century novels. I pondered the menu, which is actually sizeable considering the size of this small eatery.

Thanks to the vision of Jon and Tiffany Behrends, Demitasse, which is just one of Jon’s many marvelously restored buildings, complements the art galleries along Main Street’s 200 block. When you visit, ask one of the staff for the photo album that highlights the project from start to finish. The pictures leave you with a true appreciation for the building and well-appointed interior.

Try a singing apple

The cafe is filled, beginning in the morning with patrons enjoying foamy lattes, frozen fruit teas and pastries. Coffee beverages with special flavors like Hawaiian coconut or espresso drinks run the gamut, as do blended yogurt smoothies. Some will delight in the fresh fruit and vegetable juices that result in such combinations as the singing apple — a mix of apple juice and ginger. Tea drinkers can rejoice in the cafe’s tea service that offers a choice of a cup or a pot. If you want real milk or cream instead of the prepackaged creamers, you will need to ask.

Breakfast is available until 11 a.m. during the week and until 1 p.m. on the weekends. Warm up first with one of the coffees or a rich hot cocoa ($2.75) — Mexican spiced or San Francisco style with Chiradelli.

Burritos ($5.75) make up a goodly portion of the options: country style with eggs, chicken breast, bacon and cheddar; vegetarian; or American freedom, which offers a choice of sausage, ham or bacon or none at all. The Mediterranean burrito packs loads of sliced pickled jalapenos along with scrambled eggs, sausage, caramelized onions and provolone into a wrap. Even my dining partners’ fondness for spicy food didn’t prevent them from plucking many of the peppers out of the wrap.

Crepes with apple chutney and mascarpone ($5.95) have strong appeal, as do the cinnamon swirl french toast. They may have been a better bet than the Belgian waffle, which was sadly overcooked and cold by the time it appeared at the table, draped in strawberry puree ($5.75).

For lunch, homemade soups, panini, wraps and salads are offered daily. On the day of my visit, I was pleased by the fresh flavors of a carrot, asparagus ginger soup ($3.95), which made for a welcome starter.

Fresh ciabatta serves as the base for several pizzas ($6.25): white with caramelized onions, tomatoes and Parmesan; spicy sausage, provolone and pesto; or a garden version abundant with portobellos, spinach, roasted red peppers and olives.

Panini ($7.25) are also quite good. I favor the Italiano for its combination of sweet Italian sausage, caramelized onions, spinach, melted provolone and tangy garlic spread. The description on the menu also lists hot or sweet peppers. I know that I received the latter — I’m not sure if this should have been a choice. Spicy pork and Virginia ham make up the Cubano, which is also a fine choice. You can design your own sandwich ($6.25) from a menu of meats and veggies, cheeses, breads and spreads. Sandwiches, like wraps and panini, are served with a choice of a side salad, which may include selections such as Asian sesame noodles, cheese tortellini, or haricot verts in mustard vinaigrette.

Desserts range from rich cookie bars to fanciful cakes, pastries and a dozen of Jane’s homemade ice cream flavors. The staff, many of whom are students at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, pointed out that it is best to walk up to take a look at the selection in the display case. They were right, and it resulted in a guaranteed sale. I ordered a few of the fat cookie bars — a triple chipper and a blackout bar made from Belgian chocolate, and a cappuccino, and reclaimed my chair, thinking perhaps I’d stay just a bit longer.

Service is good considering how busy this small cafe can be, but during my visit, it seemed to lack focus and organization. I needed to remind our server to bring my soup after we received our entrees. It took a little longer than we would have liked to receive our check and small details, like refilling beverages, were overlooked.

Demitasse Café, however, makes some good, lasting impressions, which make me, and I’m sure others, want to return.

The Poughkeepsie Journal pays for the meals that are the subjects of restaurant reviews and reviewers do not identify themselves prior to the end of the meal. Lori Pierce Abendschein is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.