Restaurant Review: Café Caturra

Café Caturra in Stone Creek $$ ★★★★☆

Location: 600 Ledgestone Way (corner of High House Rd. and Cary Parkway) Cary

Café Caturra is different from most other casual dining establishments in Cary. At Café Caturra the guest orders and pays for their meal at the front and they are given a table number placard. You pick your own table and the food is brought out to your table. You can keep an open tab in case you decide to order additional wine or dessert. The menu is posted above the cashier, so I suggest you look at the menu online before you get there saving you from straining your neck to decide what to order.

Nathan Bartlett, the directing partner for this restaurant, has put together an eclectic mix of fine wine and good but reasonably priced food in a casual setting.

They boast a collection of 25 wines, that they are so confident that you will enjoy them, that you can taste test any of them at their wine bar. You can order 3 oz, 6 oz, and 9 oz glasses or entire bottles of most of their wines. The Reserve selections can only be ordered by the bottle.
They have a good selection of sandwiches, paninis, wine fare (dishes that compliment wine tasting) and pizza cooked in a wood burning oven.

I tasted their paninis and I have to say they were excellent. They were comparable to anything I would make at home.  The bread was the right thickness and texture and it had a wonderfully crisp surface that was complimented by a perfectly seasoned and cooked center. I had the chicken mozzarella panini and I could not have made it better myself, and it was enormous. To top it off you can have a side of any of their salads or soups with your meal. I had the Gumbo and it had great flavor but lacked much seafood.

My only complaint was the flimsy plastic cups that they give you for your drinks and the fact that you have to get your own refills. However, I’m looking forward to going back to try their wood fired pizza.