Coffee Cantata

Singing the praises of a JP institution

by Liz Zack

ON THE CHEAP

By the standards of ever-gentrifying Jamaica Plain, where businesses come and go, Coffee Cantata is an old-timer. For five years now the coffee shop and bistro has been providing JP's artsy nonprofit types with a place to discuss their activism over coffee. It's a place where you can order your regular and the cast of lively counter servers will know exactly what that means.

Brunch is the forte here. In addition to fresh-baked cakes, pastries, bagels, muffins, and scones, Cantata serves delectable meals at prices that haven't shot up like JP rents. Homemade cheese blintzes ($5.95) are three lightly browned nuggets bursting with mascarpone cheese and topped with a tart fruit compote. (Plan on walking it off at Jamaica Pond if you manage to finish all three of them.) You can get a plate-size, inch-thick frittata filled with your choice of ingredients for $5.95. Breakfast is served all day, but Cantata also has a deliciously cheap lunch menu. The grilled cheese ($4.45) is a swanky twist on an old favorite: tomato and white cheddar nestled between thick slices of focaccia, fried crisp in lemon-herb oil. The vegetarian sandwich is another tasty choice, cramming lettuce, tomato, red pepper, artichoke, cheddar, and fresh mozzarella into a baguette ($4.95). The food is so good and so cheap that on a Saturday you might have to wait a bit for a table. Bring the paper.

Coffee Cantata, located at 605 Centre Street, is open for breakfast Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lunch service begins at 11 a.m. daily. Dinner, served Thursday through Saturday, is a bit more expensive. Call (617) 522-2223.

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