Dining Deal: Mack's Cafe, Pompano Beach

October 30, 2008

Run by the team that ran the cafe at Mack's Grove in Pompano Beach before it closed, this popular breakfast and lunch spot recently began serving dinner. They have a few kinks to work out, but if you order right from the early bird menu, it's a great deal.

Begin with a glass of wine — cab, merlot, chianti, pinot grigio or chardonnay. It's included.

You won't go wrong with either soup or salad. The salad is mixed greens with red onion, cucumber and tomato slices and your choice of dressings. Perfectly passable.

The night we dine there is a choice of chicken noodle or beef vegetable soup — both house-made. The chicken soup is a rich broth with plenty of chicken, carrots and celery. The best part is the thick, doughy noodles that make it very hearty.

We get two brown-and-serve dinner rolls that prove stale. Pass them by. You'll need room for your entrees.

The meatloaf ($8.95) is two pleasantly meaty-tasting slices with a coating of tomato on top. They come with a bouillon-flavored gravy studded with canned mushrooms that goes well with the hearty meatloaf.

Chicken Francaise ($8.95) is a lightly egg-battered boneless skinless chicken breast that is pan-fried until golden brown. It is garnished with three lemon slices and served with a light but very flavorful lemon sauce. It's delightful.

Other entrees include calf's liver ($8.95), tilapia with herbed bread crumbs and wine ($9.95), hand-dipped fried shrimp ($9.95) and chargrilled petite chateaubriand with bearnaise sauce ($10.95).

Entrees come with your choice of two side dishes. Skip the fresh veggie, which this evening proves to be broccoli stems with a slice of carrot and one cauliflower floret. Much better are the oven-roasted potatoes cooked until golden and seasoned with rosemary. French fries are cooked to order and wonderfully crisp. Cole slaw is creamy and flavored with celery seeds.

For dessert, what's billed as angel food cake with berries turns out to be bakery pound cake with a few blueberries and some blueberry sauce with a bit of whipped cream. Opt for the fresh fruit cup with two orange and one fresh grapefruit section and a piece of fresh pineapple. It's small but after a filling meal, it's just right.

Address: 1004 E. Sample Road

Phone: 954-942-4390>

Dining deal: Early bird menu served 3 to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday includes soup or salad, entree, two sides, bread, dessert, coffee or tea and glass of wine for $8.95 to $10.95.

Service/atmosphere: They've done a nice job dressing up a storefront with lace curtains, three booths, tables and chairs and a booth with stools. Fresh flowers grace the tables. The young waiter isn't particularly professional but is friendly, helpful and tries to please.

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

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