Dinner at Maple Street Café was a pleasant experience.

I went to 7623 Maple St., right in front of PJ’s Coffeehouse, to this small, yet elegant place.

The Maple Street Cafe is a small restaurant on Maple Street offering a fancier dining atmosphere with meals at resonable prices.

It would be an excellent place to have a first date or business lunch.

In the Maple Street Cafe there are three seating areas.

The first is by the window overlooking busy Maple Street.

Second is inside, dining by candlelight or sunlight from the window.

The third is more casual outside dining with a beautiful mural.

Maple Street Café offers such things as a full-service bar, friendly waiters and (most important) excellent food and atmosphere at a great price.

Our appetizers were delicious, and best of all, we were excited about the unique flavors.

My friend had the eggplant cake with crabmeat sauce. I ordered the shrimp in phyllo dough.

Both appetizers were comfortably priced, and the taste was not like any other we had tried before.

We loved the appetizers because of their exquisite flavors and presentations.

My caesar salad was classic, with a twist of extra spices.

My friend’s soup was portabella mushroom and tomato. This is where our opinions differed.

I tried it and liked it, however she didn’t feel the same, because she expected there to be more of a mushroom taste.

Our entrees were the perfect size, and the plates were decorated beautifully.

My friend had the salmon, and I had the glazed pork chop.

The sauce on the pork chop was sweet. Both plates were delicious, adorned with vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Everything had a singular taste, and we cleaned our plates.

For dessert, the usual cheesecakes and pies are offered, but the café also has delicious sorbets.

My friend ordered the coconut sorbet, and to our surprise, it came served in a real coconut shell.

This added mystique to the dessert.

It left us wondering how they made such a wonderful sorbet with amazing coconut flavors that we had never tasted before.

The gourmet taste offered is complemented by the careful attention to details.

This makes Maple Street Café the perfect setting for a lovely lunch or dinner.

Maple Street Cafe is the perfect place for a formal dinner or date. Located across from PJ’s Coffee, the restaurant is easily accessable from Loyola.