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Familiarity Breeds Contentment at Cafe Alicia | |
| By Anne Wilson -- Special To The Tribune | 07/26/2002 | |
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What that certain "something" is isn't always obvious to newcomers. But success like that has to be taken seriously. Consider Cafe Alicia, a fixture in Bountiful since 1984, maybe even a landmark, although it probably doesn't qualify for that distinction because it moved halfway through its long restaurant life. For nearly two decades, the cafe has been serving a menu that is startling in its variety, from a large selection of Mexican specialties to fine dining entrees such as prime rib and lobster tail. The portions are large but prices are reasonable, which is always appealing to cost-conscious Utah families. It's been that way ever since Louie and Alicia Marquez opened the place with the help of their kids. The concept was casual fine dining, but with Mexican specialties instead of Italian. Their son, Aaron Marquez, bought the place five years ago, and has stuck to the original plan while expanding the menu even further. Variety, consistency and value are certainly contributors to Cafe Alicia's longevity. But the liquor license, a rare commodity in Davis County, also helps. Add to that the fact that most of the food is pretty good and you have a winning formula. The building itself -- a blockish, split level located behind a car wash and divided between the restaurant and an Elks lodge -- doesn't have much curb appeal, although it is equipped with a covered driveway that would be handy in bad weather. A private club with no connection to the restaurant occupies the basement. Inside, the most noticeable features about Cafe Alicia are its knotty pine, which sets a casual tone, and the fisherman mannequin propped at a table by the door, which serves as a sort of restaurant mascot. Local artwork on loan from the Lamplight Gallery and hung on the restaurant's second level adds visual interest to otherwise routine decor, but Cafe Alicia is more about function than looks: Booths and tables are spacious and comfortable and ceiling lights are there to provide illumination. The Cafe Alicia menu includes daily specials (some of them offered on more than one day), plus an extensive lineup of fish, steaks, prime rib, seafood salads and the popular Mexican entrees. While variety is the spice of life, a menu this large is challenging for any kitchen, so some things will get short shrift. Side dishes, for example, tend to be mundane. Carrots that came with the Carolina ribeye steak looked as if they had been cooked earlier in the day. And the hard rolls served on our second visit were hard inside and out. Cheese nachos ordered for a picky young eater came as a huge pile of chips with cheese, but the cheese was hard around the edges. Cafe Alicia's customers appear willing to overlook this occasional mediocrity as a necessary evil. For the most part, the kitchen does a good job of serving up good food in generous portions. The ribeye, for example, was large and well-marbled (although it could have used just a bit more trimming), and came slathered with sweet, bacon-infused sauce that is homemade and finger-licking good. It is served with an acceptable rice pilaf and a choice of salad or soup, which that day was a steaming hot, homemade chicken noodle with fat strips of pasta and the kind of flavor you wish for during a bout with the flu. That same barbecue sauce comes on the ribs, too, but we could only imagine how they would taste because that special had a big "86" next to it, meaning it was gone. Some specials go fast at Cafe Alicia, so it pays to get there early in the day. Fortunately, the prime enchilada ($9.95) wasn't gone. This was something better than we imagined, a flour tortilla stuffed with tender pieces of flavorful prime rib, mixed with cheese and served with rice and beans. It was a prime piece of heaven and the perfect foil for one of Cafe Alicia's very good margaritas, which can be made with any selection from its nice menu of premium tequilas. Margaritas wouldn't make a bad chaser for a Cafe Alicia chile verde burrito, either, a nicely seasoned rendition of that perennial Mexican favorite ($6.95). People who like milder Mexican might sample the chicken quesadilla ($6.95), an appetizer which held no surprises but was hot, fresh and tasty. "Southwest fare" is another mildly seasoned dish, a burrito whose main flavoring is tangy cream cheese ($7.95). Quesadillas and nachos ($5 to $15) are popular fare at Cafe Alicia and come in multiple flavors, including crab, shrimp and beef. Be careful when ordering these appetizers: they are large enough to feed a family of four and could easily satisfy an entire table of hungry adults as a prelude to a meal. Service at Cafe Alicia is friendly but perfunctory, mostly because servers must handle multiple tables at once. On days when only two servers are working the whole restaurant, service tends to drag a bit. And diners are expected to take their own checks to the cash register. If variety, reasonable prices and big portions fit your requirements for dining out, Cafe Alicia could become one of your favorite stops. While it won't dish up any surprises, Cafe Alicia has the comforting familiarity of your favorite T-shirt and isn't likely to mess with that success. Cafe Alicia 544 W. 400 North, Bountiful; 292-7002 -- Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner, Monday through Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. -- Prices: Dinner entrees from $6 to $36 -- Liquor: Full bar, wine list -- Handicapped Accessible: No -- Reservations: Yes -- Takeout: Yes -- Outdoor Dining: Sidewalk tables -- Kid's Menu: No -- Parking: On-site lot -- Credit Cards: All major Anne Wilson is The Tribune's restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Wilson welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at wilwrite99@aol.com. |
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