Mocca Cafe - Tribeca

I went to NYC for a short business visit and treated myself to some higher grade (ahem, more expensive) dining with my friend Dana while I was there.

Mocca Cafe, a somewhat upscale cafe known for its gourmet coffee and Mediterranean style dishes, was our lunch destination. The Romano Roast Beef sandwich caught my eye--nothing fancy, I just love roast beef. It came on ciabatta bread with honey mustard, mayo, swiss cheese, red onions, roasted red peppers, olives, and lettuce. The flavor was somewhat underwhelming, but I guess I was expecting something striking in the mix of ingredients--it all blended well together to make a filling sandwich with no gimmicks. Fries were large, thick, and crispy--not too salty.

I really appreciated the small side salad oddly enough. I think it was the effort they put into it. Most places simply slap a chunk of wet lettuce on the plate and here we had a mix of light greens and cherry tomatoes with a proportional amount of light dressing. Why am I so grateful of this? I'm not sure.

Washed it down with a strawberry mango smoothie; refreshing with a good thick consistency and not too sugary,fresh as advertised. A substantial lunch--but at what cost? The roast beef sandwich was $11 and the smoothie was $6.50--plus the fries cost an extra couple dollars as well. That's around $20 dollars without tip for a single meal.

Waitress did her job, although unsociable and scowling somewhat. Take that as you will.

Dana got a seared Ahi Tuna Steak for lunch. Damn.

Reade and Church St., New York, 10007, 212 233 7570