Mystic's Cafe 511 offers simple, lovingly prepared faves

July 08, 2015 12:00 am • Last Updated: July 08, 2015 1:20 pm

By Rick Koster
Day Arts/Features writer

Folks in my position get used to "friendly tips" from readers. These are much appreciated, and through emails, phone calls and even street conversations, I've learned about bands, films, books and restaurants — all because thoughtful citizens were kind enough to share.

One aspect of this, though, is that the Professional Journalist gets to the point where we can sorta tell when there's a vested interest.

"I'd never visited New London, Conneticut" — intentionally misspelled — "and was so lucky to stumble across the Italian po'boy" — using provincial "po'boy' instead of local "grinder" — "at a place called Excellent Sandwiches run by someone named Andy Kookerturkey" — and, just before "Andy," the correspondent had written "my Uncle" and then crossed it out. "Sincerely, Doug from Iowa."

By contrast, it's cool when enough genuine tips sprinkle in and I feel a bit of excitement start to build. This was the case with Café 511 in Mystic, a spot in an old donut shop on Main Street that serves a variety of sandwiches, wraps, breakfasts, salads and paninis. In a glorious tourist village that has a wealth of high-end and archly-conceptualized restaurants, a place like Café 511 — where the food and service are top-notch and billed as "A little taste of home" — is a welcome and beautiful thing.

The layout is simple. There's a small open foyer with a bakery/dessert display case on the right and the cashier straight ahead. Folks take your order at either. There can be a bit of a bottleneck if you need to grab a menu and think about things. A lot of the action at Café 511 is take-out, and regulars are always dashing in and out, but it all works out because The 511 people are almost eerily nice and eager to please. I hate to sound weird, but they're kind of ... Southern in their open kindness!

You can also dine in. A lot of locals and even tourists luxuriate at the two-tops, window-front counter or the larger tables off to one side. It's easy to spend time there. As for the food, well, it's a simple menu done very well. Breakfast, bagels made on-site, salads, sandwiches, wraps and paninis. Here are some highlights.

Fried Mac and Cheese appetizer ($4.95) — Huge pucks with a crisply-breaded exterior stuffed with Velveteen mac and cheese. They come with ranch or barbecue sauce. Get the ranch — it's outstanding, with fresh herbs and a hint of garlic. If it's not homemade, we'd be shocked.

Egg Salad Sandwich ($5.95) — My wife judges all delis by their egg salad. She loves the 511 version. It's creamy but not gloppy, and the egg flavor really comes through.

Chicken Salad on a Grinder Roll ($7.25) — Me? I judge all delis by their chicken salad. This is a very fine version, with plenty of chunk breast meat delicately mixed with tangy mayo — and no grapes or raspberries or raisins to ruin it. The grinder roll was a bit dry but didn't interfere with my inhalation.

House Made Veggie Burger ($7.50) — A black bean patty that actually retains its shape! Dense, with a good "chew," as they say. There's a vaguely Mediterranean vibe because of the scallion/cucumber yogurt sauce. Excellent!

Roast Beef Au Poivre Panini ($7.49) — Very lean and tender slices of the intensely peppered beef with affectionate daubs of melted Gorgonzola. Perfectly crisped in the grill.

El Cubano ($7.49) — Another Panini effort and a terrific variation on the traditional Cuban. Along with delicate pork, spicy ham and Swiss, the 511'ers add a European mustard and slightly sweet pickles. So much fun.

In terms of breakfast, the bagels are hand-rolled and daily-baked and are worth a trip. But don't ignore other morning options. A favorite is a wrap called "The Bob" ($7.25), in which sliced ham, diced sausage and crisp bits of bacon are folded with two fried eggs into a warm tortilla.

Café 511 is a perfect complement to the multi-faceted Mystic dining scene.