New Deal Cafe

Ellen Siegel left the Bay Area a few years ago, returning to Greenbelt to be with her recently widowed mother. Mrs. Siegel is not the only beneficiary of the arrangement. For years, this small, cooperatively owned cafe, across the plaza from the historic Greenbelt movie theater, survived mostly as a coffeehouse with an eclectic music scene, its food merely an afterthought. No more: The younger Siegel, who worked for many years in the restaurant culture of the Bay Area, has broadened the small, largely vegetarian menu to venture beyond soups, salads, and sandwiches. This California influence has been dramatic—and welcome. An eggplant napoleon with roasted red peppers and goat cheese is a special that's as attractive as anything a downtown bistro might serve up (it’s speared with a sprig of rosemary) and executed with uncommon sensitivity (the basil vinaigrette is merely a light dressing, not a dousing of sauce). The quiche of the day is marred only by its being reheated before serving; room temperature would more than suffice, especially for such a light, delicately herby pie. An accomplished baker, Siegel is also responsible for whatever’s in the glass case by the cash register; the treats have included a terrific wild-blueberry pie, the purplish beads spilling out like caviar from a thin, shortening-rich crust. The coffee is the real deal, too. That all this goodness can be found in such a legitimately bohemian setting—no slumming yuppies scratching reflections in their journals here, thank you very much—feels, well, revelatory.
—Todd Kliman, July 20, 2004