A visit to Caffe NV is an any-time triumph

January 17, 2017 11:00 pm • Last Updated: January 19, 2017 10:45 am

By Rick Koster
Day Arts/Features writer

Hummus and bisque at Caffe NV (Rick Koster/ The Day)

Driving down Boston Post Road in Waterford towards the Stop 'n' Shop (to see what else has been added to the list of Rick Koster Essentials they no longer stock), we passed Caffe NV. It had snowed the day before, and the idea of their bold Mediterranean food options warmed my January heart. We resolved to sample after confirming that the grocery store wouldn't have any Krakus Polish Ham or Beer Nuts (they didn't).

Onward, then, to Caffe NV. Over the course of two visits, we were completely won over by a casually elegant and friendly place where the food is triumphant.

The NV folks make the best of a cozy floor plan. There's a small dessert counter/hostess station as you walk in, with the open kitchen just to the right. Step beyond and into the dining room, a reverse L-shape with several two- and four-top tables nestled around the tasteful brick and parchment walls, one of which features a colorful and dominating triangular stained glass pattern that lends a cathedral vibe to the ambience.

The kind and prompt staff always starts your experience off with a basket of fresh warm rolls and seeded wheat bread and, of course, pats of butter. This is all dangerous in that the delectability factor is high, and you can seriously derail your appetite before you've spent even three minutes luxuriating with the menu and specials possibilities.

Appetizer, soup and salad options are plentiful, and one could make a truly filling meal without venturing beyond those three starter categories. Over the course of our visits, we tried hummus with pita wedges ($5.50) and Fig & Mascarpone Bundles ($10.95), and I spent quality time with a specials-menu cup of lobster and crab bisque ($4.95. $6.95 bowl).

The hummus was clearly homemade, with a velvety texture, rich chickpea foundation and a tart hint of lemon. The pita chips were also just-crafted and of a proper thickness to ensure solid support when dragged through the vat of goodness. My bisque was a superb version. The sherry/cream ratio was luxuriant, and flecks of celery provided nice counterpoint to a suave duet I like to call "Ballet des Crustacean."

A special note about the fig & mascarpone: this beautiful creation works as a dessert just as well as an appetizer. Six phyllo purses, pulsing with a filling of creamy fig and buttery cream cheese — savory and sweet on their own — were elevated to the "angels singing celestially" level by a thick and addictive balsamic reduction. Wow.

The sandwiches/wraps choices are extensive and range from classics (including roast turkey, egg salad, pastrami), specialty concepts (like grilled vegetables ladled over a portabella), hot sammiches (such as lamb meatballs with provolone and minted tomato sauce), or a Nantucket chicken salad wrap with dried cranberries and pecans. They were all enticing, but a specialty creation caught my eye: meatloaf with cheese and Thousand Island dressing on sourdough bread ($10.95 with chips or pasta salad). It was a thick slab of mellow, remarkably comforting meatloaf, coaxed to maximum flavor potential by the teasing qualities of the dressing, biting Swiss, and the chewy, crusty loaf.

We also enjoyed a dishes from the entrée/Greek specialties/pasta categories that explore everything from Shrimp Saganaki and moussaka to Boursin-stuffed chicken breast to sautéed scallops and a bone-in ribeye. My wife Eileen enjoyed a "sublime" Penne Garbonza ($18.95), a mound of toothsome penne the size of a Smart Car, lightly kissed by a wine/garlic/lemon sauce and topped with tomatoes, feta, red onion, basil, artichoke hearts and plenty of the titular legumes.

Bonnie's Pecan Salmon ($23.95) was a wonderful winter dish. A thick plank of fresh fish was ladled with a dream-inducing maple-mustard sauce and finely chopped, toasted pecans. It's a dish that makes you want to take your time and measure each of the components as they land on your tongue. It came with a bowl of savory mashed potatoes au gratin — yet another clever dimension.

And a spinach pie platter ($11.95) is a deft combination of feta and spinach crammed phyllo triangles — nestled affectionately next to a generous salad containing romaine and baby spinach, red onion, cukes, Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, pepperoncini, feta and a sharp vinaigrette.

Warning: if you try this place, count on being a regular.