Calistoga Cafe is open. Yeah!

Bob and I stopped at the new Calistoga Cafe for dinner last night and didn’t have to wait in line. Anytime a new restaurant opens in Lexington, there’s a line out the door the first week or two.

Calistoga Cafe opened Monday at the corner of Winchester Road and Sir Barton Way. This is the first Calistoga to be built outside of Florida, and it has a huge, comfortable patio that I’m sure will be packed as soon and the word gets out.

Orders are placed at the counter and even though there’s a menu board for selections, it’s a good idea to pick up a menu, grab a table and then order. You’ll need to read the descriptions of the salads and sandwiches, or you’ll be changing your mind several times.

Bob ordered the Italian meatball melt on Asiago cheese baguette. The meatballs were tasty, but it was the bread that made this sandwich outstanding. I ordered the soup and half salad combination. Six soup selections change daily.

Wednesday’s selection was French onion, broccoli cheddar, chicken noodle, tomato basil, white chicken chili, and Harvest mushroom bisque. Salad selections included Cobb, chef, Pacific ahi with an Asian sesame dressing, and tomato & buffalo mozzarella. I chose the Cobb salad, which was served with a very nice bleu cheese dressing. Best of all, the cafe serves Gold Peak sweetened green tea.

Breakfast is served from 6:30 to 11 a.m. and selections include omelettes, bagels, and oatmeal. But it was the cinnamon roll that tempted me. So I got up a few minutes earlier this morning so I could stop on my way to work and buy a cinnamon roll. It definitely was worth the … hmm … several hundred … calories.

I hope they get a lot busier because if the parking lot is full, I won’t be tempted to stop on my way to work every day.

Calistoga has several designated parking spots for carry-out and an outside window for quick pick-up. Take a look at the menu online at www.calistogacafe.com and call ahead at (859) 543-8642. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.