Last summer, Old Crown Coffee Roasters on North Anthony started offering a special dinner menu on Friday evenings. We’ve gone several times and have been blown away by the quality of the food. Though they’ve struggled to handle the volume of business (we’ve been there for hours before waiting for our food), we ventured over early on Friday evening and had no problem finding a table and enjoying our meal in a timely manner. The menu is always different, and you can find out what will be served by checking Old Crown’s Facebook page each week.

Here is the menu from Friday evening:

Jon opted for the Raspberry Ginger Root Glace Halibut and I chose the Vegetarian Black Bean Loaf. Not only were both presented in beautiful fashion, but the flavor combinations and textures of both dishes were superb, as well.

The Halibut paired with the sweetness of the raspberry and smoothness of the mashed yukon gold potatoes was simply mouthwatering.

My Black Bean Loaf was comfort food at its best, served with a delectable parsnip carrot puree and spring peas. I don’t even like peas. I mean, I loathe peas. I will not eat peas, and I ate every dang pea on my plate. They were fresh and crispy and blended perfectly with the puree and black bean loaf.

After we were finished eating, the gentleman at the table next to us were served their meals. They overheard us talking about the dishes and our Recker-mendation and offered me the opportunity to photograph their meals, which they raved about. One had the Double Teriyaki Grilled Cast Iron Chicken and the other Cuban Beef Pot Roast. Just the smell of these dishes made my mouth water and I suddenly wished I had a bottomless pit for a stomach.

Perhaps even better than the culinary experience, is the neighborhood experience. Most everyone in the place is from the ’05 neighborhood and there’s an undercurrent of pride that emanates from each table as neighbors greet neighbors and rave about the wonderful food being served. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy the food and the company if you live in another zip code. In fact, we want as many people to know about this wonderful gem as possible. It’s doing wonders for the North Anthony business corridor and we want it to stick around for a long time. If you do plan to enjoy a Friday evening at Old Crown, come early. The place fills up fast.