Cafe Texan — Restaurant in Huntsville

So glad we stopped in for lunch while exploring Huntsville. The cafe claims to be the longest in years of operation. Not sure if that is true but it certainly was far and above on the quality of food and service that one typically gets at a cafe. It is housed in an old brick building on Sam Houston Avenue across from the Walker County Courthouse. I was there with a group of friends and we had been exploring Huntsville all morning and worked up quite an appetite.

As we entered we were greeted by a server who quickly seated us. The decor inside is quite modern, very clean and bright in appearance. They have a semi open kitchen at one end and their museum is in an adjoining room. Drinks were ordered and then we all ordered our lunch entrees. We were pleasantly surprised when they came out, the servings were very generous without being overpowering and nicely plated. Two in our party ordered hamburgers with French fries which looked and tasted lovely from what they said. Two of us had the Crab Cakes which were very good, 3 in heart shapes on each plate with a nice remoulade and corn/black bean salsa. One member of our group had a salad.

After lunch we walked through the museum which has lovely lighting and display cases. It's an odd mix of artifacts but after touring the HEARTS Veterans Museum as well as the Prison Museum we enjoyed the difference in items displayed. And even the restrooms were spotless!

I saw where a previous review claimed it was too expensive but we would disagree. You get what you pay for and we got great food and lovely service. If you want cheap, go to an average chain restaurant. People forget that since Covid, the price of ingredients is way up as well as employee salaries, rent and insurance.

We heartily recommend this establishment. Please see...

It is a shame the quality of the menu items presented did not live up to the grand expectations set by the lavish facility.

Wife and I ate here at 10:45am on 11/27/2023. The dining area is amazing. The new owners have put a large amount of money into the rejuvenation of the interior, the upgraded seating, tables, cutlery, dishes, flooring, lighting, wall coverings, and decorations.

Our server, Zech was very proficient in taking our drink orders, presenting menus, refilling water glasses and coffee cups, ensuring the kitchen could still serve an Eggs Benedict, and answered all of our questions.

On to the food.

"Stuffed French Toast with Sage Sausage." It had the visual representation of what was described, but the French Toast was flavorless, and the "stuffing" merely tasted of nutmeg, and nothing else. The Sage Sausage was too thin, dry, and tasted of old frying oil. Overall the dish didn't seem fresh.

"Country Eggs Benedict with Haystack Potatoes." Every item on the plate was clearly "batch made" hours before, and assembled at plating. The hollandaise sauce was cold and flavorless. The poached egg was watery. The bacon was substandard and cold. The biscuit was average, and not warm. The best item on the plate was the "Haystack Potatoes" which was not as described, but more like a large, non-crispy tatter tot.

We each ate only about half of our plates, and turned down Zech's offer of To-Go boxes. In the words of Prue Leith (Judge on "The Great British Bake Off"), "It's just not worth the calories." It certainly wasn't worth the $41 + tip.

Batch cooking has a place for breads and bases, not fragile sauces or fried items that go sour or stale. The kitchen staff needs to be taught how to cook plates to order, and not just...

Initial thoughts: I went in on a Sunday morning, just myself. As expected, they were very busy, which wasn't much of a bother at all. The place is thoughtfully decorated, lively, and the staff seem to be kind. I unfortunately wasn't given my waitresses name, but she was great! That is about where the positives stop, though.

Dining experience: I had to wait a good 6 minutes before my waitress came over. During that time, the host got my drink order, which was lovely. This, however, didn’t phase me as they were incredibly busy, and I am a server as well. I ordered the avacado toast because it was the cheapest main dish on their breakfast menu at $11 and a side of maple bacon, which costs $4. Unfortunately, I do not know if it was the pressure of the busy restaurant, but the food was unsatisfactory. The bread on the avacado toast could hardly be called toast and was soggy. They did not seem to cook it long enough, so it didn't get that classic crisp that toast should get. In addition, the garlic aioli that comes with it was placed on the plate itself and under the "toast," making the bottom slice of bread soggy. There was also a very thin spread of avacado. I asked for the manager, who was polite but brief, which I rarely ever do because I know how much of a bother it is, because I couldn't eat soggy bread. She came back out with a plate without the garlic aioloi, which helped, but the "toast" still had that soft, squishy texture. The bacon was the best part of the meal. However, half of the pieces I received didn't have any maple flavor at all, but the half that did was great!

Final thought: I may go back at lunch instead of breakfast as it might be better quality. Plus, their proceeds go to charity, so it is nice to support...