Cheap Eats: Cafe in the Park

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Cafe in the Park's espresso / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Cafe in the Park's espresso / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Cafe in the Park
Inside Payne Park, 2010 Adams Lane, Sarasota
361-3032
This is the umpteenth entry in a weekly column dedicated to eats that are cheap. If you have an idea for a place to feature in Cheap Eats, comment below, email me at cheapeatssrq@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter:@LeveyBaker.

The first thing I like about Cafe in the Park is the literalness of its name. The new café is indeed located in a park, downtown Sarasota's Payne Park, which from the get makes this place a winner.

Our city has a deep stock of lovely parks, green spaces perfect for strolling around or setting up shop with a book, but nearly all of them lack the touches that could convert them into genuine community gathering places—i.e. food and drink. I have always loved the concept of the piazza, the church-anchored town squares that dominate social life in Italian cities and small towns. They are free and open to everyone and are used by everyone. Kids kick a soccer ball around the cobblestone square while young lovers neck by a fountain, and the adults sit at the cafés that line the piazza, guzzling coffee or Campari and chatting with friends or reading.

Cafe in the Park's 'Zoe' sandwich / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Cafe in the Park's 'Zoe' sandwich / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Like most Sarasota parks, Payne has always been pleasant enough, but it's also always lacked something, and it's into that void that Cafe in the Park steps. The eatery sits directly adjacent to the Payne skatepark, in a narrow building with all-glass walls around the dining area. The interior is industrial-European chic, with a metal ceiling and an enormous duct snaking the length of the interior. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong trade verses of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" on the stereo, while tots scamper about the circus-themed playground on the other side of the walking path.

The menu is limited, thank God, with pressed sandwiches like Cubans ($7.25), cheapo grilled cheeses ($4), baguette sandwiches ($7.25-$8.25) and salads ($6-$8). I zero in on the "Zoe," a Belgian sandwich with prosciutto, goat cheese, honey and pine nuts slapped between two hunks of baguette. The best part of the sandwich? That bread, which is so crunchy I have to sink my teeth into it and tear the rest away from my mouth. By the end of my meal, the roof of my mouth is raw and sore, the true sign of a well baked baguette.

Cafe in the Park / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Cafe in the Park / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

My only criticism would be that the goat cheese tends to dominate. Prosciutto sandwiches are tricky to pull off, because while the ham is so damn tasty, its subtle flavor can easily be lost when paired with powerful accompaniments. That happens to the Zoe, too. It doesn't mean the sandwich isn't delicious, but I kind of feel like the prosciutto's going to waste. Excuse me. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it.

All the sandwiches come with a scoop of solid potato salad. For $1, you can get a pickle on the side, which: totally worth the upgrade. In addition to the usual selection of sodas and juices, the café serves up espresso drinks ($2-$3.50) that might not be Perq-worthy but are still satisfying. An ice cream sandwich ($3.50) for dessert—do it.

Cafe in the Park's ice cream sandwich / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Cafe in the Park's ice cream sandwich / COOPER LEVEY-BAKER

Another nice touch is that the shop also stocks takeaway snacks like candy bars and chips to give you a boost while you chase your toddler around the Payne playground. Or... perhaps I could just sit here with my coffee and keep an eye on my kiddo from afar. Hmmm... Yes, I think, yes, I'd enjoy that more. Hey. That's how they do it on the piazza.

Last modified: October 27, 2014
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