(530) 596-3366
By Jan Cox
Tourist and residents alike do not have to go far to find excellent food at Lake Almanor. Just outside the lower Peninsula gate at 449 Peninsula Drive you will find Café Q.
Arriving on a warm July noon, we entered into this bright, comfortable restaurant and were seated by our smiling waitress, Kayla Doughty.
Looking around we noted the cheery country décor with white wainscoting topped with mustard yellow walls adorned with pictures. From our corner table we could see the entire establishment.
Executive Chef Conrado Quevedo was busy cooking up his creations in the kitchen while his wife, Kathleen, acted as hostess, greeting incoming guests and attending to the diners.
We were immediately served lunch which was delicious. I had the special that day, a scrumptious five cheese tortellini in a creamy pesto sauce. My guest had one of the three luncheon salads: Firecracker Chicken salad, Caesar salad with chicken or shrimp and Maple Pear Chicken salad (which by the way has become a popular favorite of many patrons).
Chef Conrado also makes his own desserts and on this day we could choose between Key Lime Pie with a custard base, Crème Brule, and our choice, a delicious, warm Chocolate Souffle that was perfect to split between the two of us.
You could tell that our waitress, Kayla, loved her job as she cheerfully served us and the other tables. At one point she stopped to tell us excitedly, “I took home a copy of Mountain Valley Living and made the recipe for ‘Poor Man’s Pesto’ for my parents and they loved it.”
Café Q opened in May of 2008 when Chef Conrado and his family returned to this area. This is the first time they have owned their own restaurant. Prior to that they were found at another café Q in Ajijic, Mexico which is located on Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara. In our area, Chef Conrado formerly served as Food & Beverage/Executive Chef at Susanville’s Diamond Mountain Casino.
Trained at the prestigious California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, he has worked with renowned chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Stars owner Jeremiah Tower, creator of “California Cuisine”, and Martin Yan. He has been featured in publications such as the Gluten-free Guide to Bay Area Restaurants and planned and opened the kitchen of Palo Alto’s Cabana Hotel.
Café Q has a breakfast and lunch/dinner menu to which is added specials of the day. We asked about the favorite breakfasts and lunches of the diners. One guest told us that his favorite was the Veggie Omelet with mushrooms, onions, spinach, tomatoes, and Jack Cheese for $7.95. Another big favorite is the Café Q breakfast with 2 eggs, apple wood – smoked bacon or sausage, country potatoes and toast. The low-carb breakfast looked great to me and included a spinach frittata with cottage cheese and fresh fruit.
For lunch, one can choose between salads, grilled sandwiches with their special rosemary-dusted fries, a gazpacho soup or their café Q burger. Kids’ meals are available at $5.50 for breakfast and $7.50 for lunch or dinner.
Guests may order off the regular menu or choose one of the chef’s specials on Friday and Saturday evenings. Our mouths began to water when we heard about the Filet Mignon—served with a gorgonzola mushroom cream sauce and accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and a house salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
The Earl Gray organic iced tea is delicious. They also offer espresso, cappuccino, latte, hot cocoa and an enhanced soda called Nutrisoda along with regular coffee, teas, sodas and oj.
Café Q is open from 7:30a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. (for dinner) on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 7:30-2:00 p.m. on Sundays. The lunch menu begins at 11:00a.m. Reservations are suggested for groups of 6 or more. The telephone number is 530 596-3366.
We also noted on their take home menu that all items are available to go.
