Wonderful homemade Tuscan-style bread is served with the Cafe’s own mixture of herb induced extra-virgin olive oil. And, if you happen to order the superb Mussels Marinara ($7.95) appetizer, don’t be afraid to use this great bread to catch the left over herbed shellfish and tomato juices. It’s refreshing to see a restaurant in Harrisburg that serves polenta - that cornmeal staple of Northern Italy turned trendy in the big cities a number of years ago. The What If...Cafe presents their version as an Athenian Polenta appetizer ($5.95), crisp and topped with feta cheese, Kalamata olive paste and tomato salsa. A far cry from the creamy basic mush of the motherland. An appetizer of Char Grilled Portobello with Lump Crabmeat baked in a Mornay Sauce ($9.95) moves the passe’ crab stuffed mushroom a couple of rungs up the culinary ladder. With Mornay traditionally accompanying either fish or veggies, the Cafe’s take works incredibly with this dish. Although, the price for the Portobello mushroom appetizer begins to rival the entrees’, please forgive these restaurants that don’t serve alcohol and give them their right to charge a few more dollars to stay in business (remember that profit margin on the drink end).

The immense salads offered at the What If... are all outstanding and incredibly fresh, from the tender crisp leaves to the accompanying ingredients and dressings. Both the Field Greens with toasted walnuts, sun-dried cranberries and crisp, warm homemade Gorgonzola croutons with balsamic vinaigrette, and the Spinach Salad served with poppy seed dressing, are a steal at $1.75 with dinner. One-half of the salad portion with a dinner would be more than adequate to satisfy any salad craving. Off the menu, they are both $4.75, and well worth it.

There are no “specials” per se, as several menu items change here every few days. Wild mushroom lovers look out, as the Cafe uses the palate-friendly fungi in so many of their entrees. All members of our party had a tough time deciding between several of the innovative and quite distinguishable creations for dinner. A toss of a coin landed one of our fence-sitting dining companions with ultra-sheer homemade Wild Mushroom Ravioli ($12.95) sheathed in a lightened version of Alfredo sauce, grilled portobello mushrooms and freshly fragrant crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Our interest was piqued by the Chicken Piquante ($14.95), earthy and integrated, the sauteed chicken with wild and domestic mushrooms, and flavored with sweet chestnuts in a Madeira wine sauce, was served over a crisp wedge of polenta. Veal Frangelico ($14.95) featured a delicately seasoned veal with walnuts, mangos and hazelnuts in an intoxicating Frangelico brown stock. No matter what the potato du Jour happened to be, the choice of basmati rice was the foremost accompaniment for this veal entree, as the chef coaxed that nut-like flavor from the fine-textured rice. Tortellini Alfredo ($15.95) featured a light Alfredo sauce so delicate as to not hide the subdued flavor of the lump crabmeat tucked inside the homemade tortellini. East meets west ($16.95), primed in a ginger soy vinaigrette, grilled to an appropriate medium degree of doneness and drizzled with black olive extract served aside tomato salsa. Simple goodness found its way into the Grilled Salmon Pesto ($13.95), which made us glad the making of pesto found its way to the U.S. from the Italian Riviera. The wonderful time-honored combination of basil, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts tops a delightful salmon filet. (Unfortunately for those living in the Italian Riviera, these cold-water doting fish do not swim near the Mediterranean.)

What if... you possibly saved room for dessert? Among the selections on our visit, were a variety of homemade cakes - carrot, macaroon and the popular Jewish apple cake which steals the dessert scene. However delightful these baked-up goodies are, the What If...Cafe’s fresh and delicious assortment of starters, salads and entrees definitely . . “takes the cake.”

Location:
Easy to find

Parking:
Self-serve

Handicapped Access:
Entrance

Exterior Appearance:
Well Maintained

Initial Interior:
Restaurant

Reservations Necessary:
Weekends

Preferred Dining Attire:
Neat & Clean

Wait (to be seated):
None

Wait (for service):
None

Lighting:
Romantic

Meal-time Music:
Jazz/Mix

Dining Area Appearance:
Well Tended To

Noise:
Light Chatter

Climate:
Fine

Tables:
Cloth Covers

Chairs:
Comfy

Booths:
N/A

Table Setting:
Cloth Napkins

Your Meal:
Menu Entree

Automatically Served:
Rolls & Water

Appetizers:
Very Creative

Soups:
Du Jour

Salads:
Caeser

Main Course:
Seafood

Desserts:
Made in-house

Coffees:
House Specialty

Staff Attitude:
Friendly

Staff Appearance:
Neat & Clean

Hospitality:
Felt at Home

Cleanliness:
Cleaner Than Average

Wash Rooms:
Exceptional

Crowd (Qty):
Packed

Crowd (Attitude):
Casual/Laughter

Food (portions):
Satisfied

Food (prices):
Fair

Overall Service:
Attentive