As many times as I’ve lunched at this Grand Avenue spot, known for its homemade soups, salads and desserts, I had never had a pizza in the cafe side of the restaurant.
A Thai chicken pizza at Cafe Latte in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
My daughter, a musician, is home for the summer, and a fellow musician who used to run an open mic she performed at, Zachary Scot Johnson, was playing in the cafe. Johnson, known for his YouTube Song a Day project, where he has played a new song every day since 2012 (!), has a long list of awesome covers and originals, and is the perfect solo performer for a space like Cafe Latte. He performs there about once a month.
So we decided to head down and grab a bottle of wine to share and a few pizzas.
I was a little disappointed when I saw that the crusts were pre-made, but our very 1990s-California-Kitchen-style Thai peanut chicken pizza was actually pretty delicious. Peanut sauce, tender chicken, carrots, red onions and cabbage, along with plenty of melty mozzarella, satisfied my husband and me. The progeny enjoyed their margherita and pepperoni pies, and our bottle of Portuguese vinho verde hit the spot on a warm day.
It’s not my first choice of pizza in town, but because it comes with entertainment and decent wine, I’ll probably do it again!
Cafe Latte: 850 Grand Ave., Suite 5, St. Paul; 651-224-5687; cafelatte.com
