May 2003 Dining Out With Ed || People Around Aromas || Current Articles
Diedra Kmetovic's husband decided to surprise her with a dinner at the Café Aromas. He invited her parents and friends to join her in celebrating her birthday. Diedra appeared very surprised as she looked at the party hats and favors that were part of the table settings. Our hosts, Caryl and husband Tom floated about the dining room making sure that a good time was had by all even as friends Linda Bjornsen and Lynette West stopped by to wish her well. A simple Tuesday evening took on the feel of the weekend. The group was well represented by the "Baby Boomer" generation who is well traveled, has a sophisticated pallet, well educated, and in a time of their life when they want to enjoy the simple life along with fine food, good wine and the camaraderie of friends. They also form approximately 48% of the adult population of Aromas and 52% of neighboring Prunedale (The baby boomer generation was born between 1946 and 1964). Tom and Caryl have labored a long time to create an environment that mimics an established European café and they look after your every need and strive to make you feel comfortable and welcome in fact, it is served in abundance. At Tom's request I sampled a Merlot from Oregon as an aperitif then a glass of Merlot from France to enjoy with dinner. Bite size pieces of foccacia were served on a breadboard with a glass dish with oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping (The best Balsamic Vinegars are rated on AromasCaOnline.com). An appetizer of six mushrooms followed each stuffed with a mound of sausage. A special sharp 2-pronged fork was provided to help harpoon the slippery fungi. A pleasant selection of International music added to the European flair. The salad course was served pre-tossed on an individual dish each lettuce leaf was covered with dressing. The romaine lettuce was crisp and flavorful. Janet thought she had ordered a portabello mushroom stack rather than a portabello mushroom stacked with vegetables. Caryl graciously brought her a mixture of various sautéed mushrooms with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese that far exceeded her wildest expectation. This gesture is of the type made when you visit someone's home and you are made to feel special. I ordered penne pasta with pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and pancetta. I was impressed that each noodle was coated with olive oil, which slows the rate at which you eat, adds more flavor and appears to keep the noodle hotter longer. Our friend Barbara Scoles and another patron ordered the vegetarian version of the same dish (sans pancetta). This dish was decorated with a leaf of miner's lettuce and shaved Parmesan cheese. This dish was bursting with flavor yet defied description.	Caryl Simpson is an official olive oil taster for the California Olive Oil Council; so you can expect to find the best in fine olive oils at the Café Aromas. Bread is baked fresh every morning and Caryl bakes her own desserts one in particular is my personal favorite, bread pudding. Even if you are not a fan of bread pudding you must try a bite of this dessert served right out of the oven and made with blueberries with a caramelized top it is the best bread pudding I've had since the Naw'leans Cookery in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Another evening, I stopped in for dessert and coffee and decided on a strawberry fondue and a frothy cappuccino made with soymilk. Six sweet juicy strawberries are placed on a dish each with its own fork ready to be to be dipped in chocolate. You're going to have to make reservations, I made several attempts to be seated between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. but only succeeded on the occasion mentioned above. San Benito County has placed an arbitrary seating capacity on this business without looking at all of the facts. Not only is the business handicapped in its ability to serve the community but limited in its growth. The Aromas Business Association can no longer meet on Tuesday evening at the Café because the total number of patrons would exceed the established limit. Caryl said, "The Fire Marshal has cleared this business for twice the current seating, even the outdoor patio tables are counted against the seating maximum. The upshot is that the county is losing revenue by limiting the seating." Sunday "Supper" has finally arrived; a limited number of dishes are carefully prepared and served family style. The Café Aromas was closed Easter Sunday but will resume serving family style on Sundays. Call ahead for reservations and serving times. Café Aromas is closed on Mondays and is located in downtown Aromas near the corner of Carpenteria and Blohm

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