Café 46

• Cuisine(s): American, Brunch
  Hours: Sun 11am-10pm, Tue-Thu 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm
  Price: $$$ $$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards, cash
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Brunch, Dinner
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine
• Reservations: Accepted, Not Necessary
  Parking: Street, Valet

Description

Mario Rubeo, who warmly greets patrons as they enter his café in Buena Vista, is well known after having done likewise for many years at the popular Joe Allen. Café 46 is something of an ode to that erstwhile South Beach restaurant -- the menu is nearly identical. Another lure of Joe Allen was the clean, minimalist dining room, but the décor of this 50-seater is on the dark and dismal side. The food is, at best, inconsistent. Cucumber salad with feta cheese, olives, and fresh mint scores well, as does smoked trout salad with peppers and chickpeas. Pizza, however, disappoints with a cracker-like crust, and the red sauce on ravioli tastes almost like ketchup. Main courses are comfort foods done the old-fashioned way: dense meatloaf, overcooked salmon, and a tough wedge of sautéed calf's liver. Actually, the fare is not really that bad -- more like middling food at affordable prices (most mains are $13 to $18). Skip the banana cream pie, which eschews custard for a gelatinous filling. The owner's heart is in the right place, but the food he serves misses the mark.