Street 14 Café
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In October, Street 14 Cafe began a week-
end dinner service. And while just getting out
of the gates, it’s been a promising start. Indeed,
the meals I’ve enjoyed beneath the glow of that
neon red “Coffee Shop” sign have been some of
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talizing I’ve had since taking over as the Mouth
this spring.
The transformation of Street 14 from cof-
fee shop to cafe has been roughly three years
in the making. Espresso enthusiasts Micha and
Jennifer Cameron-Lattek bought the business in
October 2012. Last December they ran a public
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ly zero-interest loans. Construction began this
spring and was completed in September.
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14 hoped to “serve more locally and sustainably
sourced foods” and that’s mostly what they’re
doing. The menu’s list of sources includes some
of the North Coast’s most renown producers like
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Farmstead Creamery, Jacobsen Salt and more.
Most everything but the animal proteins comes
from the region. (Micha Cameron-Lattek says
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And while you or I or anyone can take top-
shelf, fresh ingredients and turn them into some-
thing worthwhile, a talented chef can make them
transcendent. And that’s what Andrew Catalano,
who came up at New York’s illustrious Gramer-
cy Tavern, is doing. At Street 14 chef Catalano is
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responding each week to what’s locally avail-
able. That much is clear from the menus, which
are printed anew for each Thursday-through-Sat-
urday dinner service. One week, for instance, the
Braised Pork Belly was accompanied by white
beans, rosemary and sunchoke chips; the next it
came with beans and preserved tomatillo.
Thus far Street 14 appears determined to do
only a few things and do them well. There were
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options — at the time, a spaghetti with locally
foraged mushrooms and a black-eyed pea stew.
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designed to be coursed. (Which is to say: one en-
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are a handful of salads, a trio of crustini, a few
obvious odds and ends like bread, cheese and
olives, and the lone appetizer, Seared Squid with
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On each trip to Street 14, I had two dishes and
cleaned every plate — both because they were
delectable and modestly sized. I never left want-
ing, nor syrupy and tired — indeed, I bounced
out satiated in the afterglow, my tastebuds still
12 | December 3, 2015 | coastweekend.com
twinkling. (But I may also have had a midnight
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lightly seared, dripping in brown butter and dot-
ted with capers. While the edges were perfectly
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required chewing. The accompanying fennel sal-
ad was sharp, a briny exponent to the capers that
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were just enough to buttress.
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dent and drool-worthy as anything on the North
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and crisp, the innards so succulent as to defy
gravity. In the bowl alongside the standing slab
was a thin slice that would make traditional ba-
con sweat with inadequacy.
The white bean and rosemary mélange (along
with tidbits of other greens I couldn’t quite make
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against the almost gluttonously fatty, salty, de-
licious pig. The wavy, quarter-sized sunchoke
chips, however, added little to the dish that need-
ed neither more salt or crunch. (Which may ex-
plain why, the next week, they were no longer
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My second visit began with the Marinated
Photo by Joshua Bessex
The Pork Belly and Beet Salad at Street 14 Cafe.
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and golden, were prepared in a way that mel-
lowed without removing their essence — these
were indeed agreeable beets. They were joined
by arugula, hazelnuts and pickled rhubarb, on
a bed of chevre, which too had seemingly been
softened, perhaps whipped, the goaty bite eased.
It tasted delightful as it felt healthy — and, of
course, fresh. In the dark room, the nuts could be
a bit of jolt. The more welcome surprise was the
pickled rhubarb, which resembled a grand new
mouth
OF THE COLUMBIA
COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW
Story by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com
STREET 14 CAFE
Rating:
1410 Commercial St, Astoria
503-325-5511
www.street14coff ee.com
HOURS: Dinner is served from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday
to Saturday
PRICE: $$ – Entrees hover between $12 and $19 and
are portioned to be coursed
SERVICE: Knowledgeable and unpretentious
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN OPTIONS: Vegetarians should
do well, vegans can make it work.
DRINKS: Cocktails, beer, wine, coff ee and espresso
fruit. While marvelous, the beet salad was small
and over too quickly.
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to the chef’s liking. “Have him do his thing,” I
said. “I’m not scared of a little blood.” It arrived
sliced; the edges were caramelized and sprinkled
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allowed to speak for itself. It came with Brussels
sprouts atop a subtle, creamy celery puree. As
intended, the side dishes were evocative of the
fall season.
Like everything I ate at Street 14, the steak
wasn’t trying to re-invent the wheel. The goal,
rather, was to be perfectly round.
The food was matched by the feel. It’s in-
timate, hip but not radical. Street 14 would be
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and share multiple dishes or have a quiet date.
Though the adjacent, essentially private sin-
gle-tabled room could be a gas, the main din-
ing area still resembles more coffee shop than
restaurant, with those damned tall stools and
chest-high tables.
It must also be mentioned that the attentive
service and pristinely prepared food I received
came while the Street 14 was relatively empty.
Indeed, the word has yet to get out. So for every
bit that this is an exhalation it’s also an expecta-
tion. Once pressure and monotony set in, here’s
hoping Street 14 can remain in the moment.
KEY TO RATINGS
poor
below average
good & worth returning
excellent
outstanding, the best in the
Columbia-Pacific region
