Tempe's Culinary Cafe lives up to expectations
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We arrive at noon on a Sunday, and our waitress says we can sit anywhere.

Service: Sort of a homey, truck-stop friendliness. Example: My husband decides to change his style of eggs, and the waitress/co-owner says, “You know, we charge extra for changes.” Her serious tone turns to a smile, and we all have a laugh.

We see our plates waiting for us at the kitchen counter for a minute or two, but the lunch rush has hit, so we give our server a little slack. She delivers our dishes, asks if we need ketchup, Tabasco or jam and rushes right back with the two we request. She checks on us twice during the meal and promptly delivers the check.

Meal: The thin, white-bread French toast looks a little emaciated on the plate, and some sections are soggy, but the flavor is great. The tasty triangles soaked up enough of the vanilla-nutmeg-cinnamon egg batter and raspberry butter to make me pass on syrup — an impressive feat indeed. The dozen ruby red raspberries tossed on top are all perfect — firm, tart and sweet.

The Protein Platter (three eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links and ham) is a good test of basic breakfast elements. The over-easy eggs are done right — nice runny yolk and solid whites. The sausage is plump and hot, but the bacon is slightly overcooked and lukewarm.
As for our last a.m. plate, the biscuits and gravy are weak. The gravy has cooled so much it is solidifying, and the half-inch-thick biscuits could pass for pucks. I feel silly using a knife to cut into a biscuit.

On to lunch — the chicken salad sandwich is dripping with mayo, but the chopped celery adds a nice crunch. The croissant it's on is big — not the most buttery, flaky thing ever, but perfectly acceptable. It’s paired with an enormous pile of store-bought, ridged potato chips. Nice, but probably more than anyone would ever want or need.

Scene: Narrow, strip-mall cafe with 30-odd seats and mismatched lavender- and gold-topped tables. Grape bunch lights wrap around the top of the wall, but they weren’t on and probably never are, since the place closes at 2 p.m.

Bathroom break: It’s one of those tiny, in-the-kitchen ones you have to hunt to find.

Tab for four: $43 with tip and tax for raspberry French toast ($5.75), biscuits and gravy ($6.95), chicken salad croissant ($7.25), Protein Platter ($6.95), side of toast ($1.25), side of home fries ($2.25) and two drinks ($1.65 each).

If work weren’t buying: Pretty much what I’d expect in a neighborhood cafe — simple, slightly above-average eats in a warm atmosphere.

SCORECARD
Food B-
Service B
Scene B
Bathrooms C
OverallB-

Culinary Cafe
6340 S. Rural Road, Tempe

Major cross streets: Rural and Guadalupe roads
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Monday Reservations accepted:
Health report: One major violation on May 19 Kid friendly: Yes Web site: www.culinary-solutions.com/cafe.htm