We enjoyed lunch recently at two off-the-beaten-path eateries, one in Massena and one in Colton. You might need MapQuest to find them, or just ask a local for directions. Either way, we found them a good find.
COMMON GROUNDS COFFEE SHOP
53 WILLOW ST.
MASSENA
769-2183
First, let me get you there.
There's a Dairy Queen on Route 37 about two miles before St. Lawrence Centre mall. Turn there onto Parker Avenue, cross the bridge and bear right onto Center Street. At the next light, take a left onto Willow Street. A few blocks down, you'll see Common Grounds Coffee Shop on the left.
It's pretty plain on the outside, mostly gray vinyl siding, but very warm and inviting inside. I really like the tin ceiling look. Lighted pastry display cases tempt you with gigantic cinnamon rolls, homemade muffins, and pies and cakes galore, sliced and ready to serve.
The aroma of coffee drifts from fancy electronic coffee makers behind the counter. They've got all the coffeehouse stuff you'd expect: cappuccino, latte, cafe mocha and espresso. A line of blackboards on the wall lists the breakfast and lunch choices.
The sign by the register says "Order Here." After studying the overhead blackboards, we did just that. The friendly counter lady offered to keep our order open in case we wanted dessert later. Are you kidding? No way we were leaving without trying one of those good-looking sweets.
The place is quite spacious. Tables are nicely spaced so you don't feel like the people next to you are eavesdropping. And the made-to-order food came out fast — really fast — which is important for people who have to get back to work.
But we were at work, so we were in no hurry.
The soup of the day was chicken, available in two sizes, but we went for a crock of French onion, which was more than enough for two. It sported a light broth, a noticeably oniony vegetable stock, and lots of sautéed onion. Mozzarella cheese was attractively melted on top, supported by what appeared to be untoasted wheat bread.
Choices of café-style sandwiches, wraps, sandwich melts and hot wraps abound: turkey breast, Danish ham, corned beef, roast beef, all-white tuna or chicken salad; grilled, Cajun, barbecue or teriyaki chicken; Reubens, BLTs and clubs.
Hot dogs and hamburgers, too, all served with Uncle Ray's chips and a pickle.
I really liked my corned beef on rye — lots of meat, a thick slice of tomato and thick slices of red onion (easy to pick off if you have to go back to work) and a leaf of fresh lettuce, moistened with Hellmann's mayo and Dijon. I ordered homemade macaroni salad as my side. It was excellent, spiced up with a good amount of mustard.
A simple ham and cheese was great as a panino, a new option at Common Grounds. We forgot to ask for it "dressed," but it tasted fine without anything on it. A side of pasta salad was excellent too, with lots of olive oil, finely chopped black olives and what we thought were minced sun-dried tomatoes.
Dessert time. We found out that the breakfast pastries are homemade but the pies and cakes come from a commercial supplier. We sampled a piece of tiramisu and white chocolate mousse cake. Tiramisu cake was OK, but nothing like the real thing. White chocolate mousse cake was merely chocolate layers with some white chocolate frosting underneath chocolate frosting.
We spotted cabbage rolls on the menu and took an order to go, especially after we heard they had just came out of the oven. Two big, fat cabbage rolls, a family recipe, smothered in a sweet, dark, meaty marinara sauce became dinner that night.
Lunch for two cost $20. The cabbage rolls were $5.50.
Common Grounds Coffee Shop is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, serving breakfast and lunch.
HIDEAWAY CAFÉ
20 GULF ROAD
COLTON
262-2750
You can't miss Kunoco Food Mart at the intersection of routes 56 and 68 in Colton. Gulf Road is on the right side of the food mart. Go about a tenth of a mile; hidden on the right is the Hideaway Café.
It's a folksy place. Seniors jawing about their health in one corner. A middle-aged dad with a young lad at the counter. A 20-something couple coming through the door for a bite to eat. It's 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon — and we thought we'd be the only ones there.
Debi Stone has worked in the food business for many years and has been proprietor of the Hideaway for about five of them. Her pledge, right there on the front of the menu, is "good home cooked food from scratch."
I've always said, a good soup is the sign that a good meal lies ahead. Debi's cream of broccoli and tomato-macaroni-beef were amazingly good.
The broccoli was slightly food-processed into a buttery roux; some specks of carrot added color and flavor. White pepper added an interesting zip. The tomato-mac was loaded with chunks of flavorful tomatoes and ground beef in a hearty, savory broth.
Grilled ham with American cheese (Swiss was the other option) was excellent, overstuffed with real ham (not deli ham) and perfectly grilled until the orange cheese just oozed out the sides of the sandwich.
Many menu items are named after employees and regular customers.
Moni's mesquite chicken is named after one of the waitresses. It's a chicken breast grilled with a splash of mesquite barbecue sauce, topped with bacon and melted mozzarella, served on a fresh D'Italiano bun with chips and pickles on the side. Very tasty.
A dozen homemade desserts were listed on the marker board: apple pie, raspberry pie, pineapple cream, and so on.
We got rice pudding with raisins and a hint of nutmeg and a layer of custard on top. Warm apple crisp with whipped topping was heavy on the cinnamon. The apples still had a bit of a crunch to them.
We were intrigued by "Wilson's wings," so took a dozen home to try. It boasts "Dannie's secret sauce." Our waitress told us Dannie Wilson is a guy who lives down the road and loves to cook. We dissected his sauce: hot sauce, butter and vinegar, but we assume Mr. Wilson snuck some other mystery stuff in on us.
Lunch for two came to $19. The wings added $5.99 to the tab.
There's a separate dinner menu, too, plus nightly specials on the board on the wall, with favorites like chicken and biscuits, prime rib and, on Sundays, turkey dinner.
Hideaway Café is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They close an hour earlier on Sunday and "sometimes earlier in the winter months." They do not accept credit cards.
We commend and appreciate hard-working restaurant owners who work long hours and have mastered the art of putting out good food every time.
You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.
