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More than a year ago, I decided to review World Cafe Live in University City. It was a Tuesday night and I figured the place would not be too crowded. The hostess told me the restaurant/music venue was closed for a private party. Time passed and so many new restaurants were opening I forgot about World Cafe Live. While enjoying a glass of beer at a local pub, several people were talking about it and the light went off: I had to go back.
Happy hour was in full swing when cousin Carl and I arrived at about 5:30 p.m. The bar was full of students swigging $2 beers from the bottle while the shirt-and-tie guys were sipping pints from a glass. We snagged the last two seats at the bar.
A bartender advised us certain beers were two bucks, house wine was four and well drinks were five. Carl opted for a beer and I sipped my martini ($11.75), which I thought pricey considering it’s a casual place.
Happy hour freebies included slices of baguette topped with shaved roasted turkey, bacon and tomato. Not bad. Tiny squares of fruit looked like it had seen better days while the pan-fried pork wontons were slightly greasy.
Irish nachos ($9) was a mound of house-made potato chips — with some not properly fried — topped with crisp bacon, chopped tomato, pickled jalapenos and Vermont cheddar. Sour cream, salsa and guacamole arrived in plastic cups so small we had difficulty dipping. The guacamole was fair, but the salsa was a shame. It tasted like watered-down hot sauce and was thin and runny. There was no cilantro, chopped tomato or onion.
Grilled asparagus ($7) fared better. The plate contained about a dozen nicely cooked spears bathed in a homemade pesto. It arrived hot, though we expected the spears would be cold since it was a warm summer evening. Shavings of mild Asiago were strewn across and a small serving of dull, overdressed mesclun came on the side.
The bartender told us about a flight of three, two-ounce wines available for $8. You can choose any three from the wines by the glass list.
A 2006 Nobilio Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and grassy, exactly how I like it. Australia and New Zealand are producing fine inexpensive Sauvignon Blancs.
Carl ordered the crab-cake sandwich ($13) and I went for the pulled pork ($10). Both were disappointing. The crab cake was bland and could have been hotter. It comes with either fries or a salad, but for $2 you can substitute eggplant fries. Although the fried eggplant was hot, it was greasy and tasteless. We had to shake salt and pepper on for flavor.
The pulled pork was even more tasteless. It was lukewarm and came with french fries, which also were lukewarm as well as greasy, and a small plastic cup of run-of-the-mill coleslaw that should have been chilled. I didn’t care for the plastic cup of smoked barbecue sauce so I stuck with the salt and pepper for a flavor boost.
Both sandwiches were supposed to be on a toasted sourdough roll. They came on a boring, doughy Kaiser instead.
"I think the best part of the sandwiches are the pickles," Carl said with a chuckle.
Back to the wines. At World Cafe Live, the wines are better than the food. Part two of my flight was a glass of 2006 Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir. We stock it at home because it goes well with pork and chicken. It is light, but bursting with fruit.
The final flight was a real winner. The 2005 Glorioso Rioja Reserva from Spain was the finest of the lot. Spanish wines are coming into their own because of the rise in popularity of tapas bars and Spanish cuisine throughout the U.S. It was a deep ruby red and rich in flavor. If you order this Rioja by the glass, it is only $9.
I studied the wine list carefully. It was well-planned and reasonably priced. I only wish the bill of fare matched. It needs to be modernized.
The bartenders kept everyone happy and service was friendly and attentive. Happy hour was still going strong when we left at about 7.
One tip of the toque to World Cafe Live.
World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut St.
215-222-1400
Credit cards accepted
