Café Felix, located in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor on Main Street, is one of those restaurants that is always moderately busy but never advertised or talked about. Although Cafe Felix opened primarily as a coffee house in 1997, it quickly recognized its potential as a European Bistro and began serving up brunch, tapas, and even a full dinner menu alongside an extensive martini and wine list to its patrons. As a senior at the University of Michigan, I almost felt obligated to try this "Ann Arbor staple" at least once before leaving campus this spring. It just had to be good.

This past Saturday night my boyfriend, Bryan, and I arrived for our 8:15 p.m. reservation and were greeted by an upbeat and friendly hostess. Upon telling her that I had made a reservation for two people, she smiled pleasantly without asking for my name or any other questions and immediately showed us back to our table.

I looked like a tourist on the way to my table, gazing in all directions at the European bistro decor. Besides the white tile floor beneath me and expansive yet vacant, dark-mahogany bar with brass accents to my left, I engaged in the vivid bistro scenes painted on the walls. According to our waitress, the people painted in the murals are family members of the owners. Unfortunately, the bistro atmosphere Café Felix hoped to create was slightly lost on me by the extremely high ceilings and significant amount of underutilized space. The openness of the floor plan diminished that cozy, homey feeling I was really hoping for.

As soon as we were seated, a lady at the table next to me lit a cigarette. I was disgusted. When I made my reservation earlier in the week, I clearly asked for a non-smoking table in the front of the restaurant. Needless to say, we asked to be moved immediately.

Finally settled, we ordered drinks. Our waitress did a wonderful job working her way through the extensive martini list, recommending certain ones according to our individual tastes. Unfortunately, the restaurant was out of many ingredients in its most popular martinis. On a Saturday night? Anyway, I ordered the Emerald Isle made with vodka, sour apple schnapps and a splash of lime juice. Bryan ordered the Picasso, an abstract combination of Bombay Sapphire, Barenjager Honey Liqueur and triple sec. Both martinis were very well made, smooth and refreshing.

To get the European bistro experience, we ordered a combination of different tapas. We also asked that each be delivered as a separate course so that we could enjoy the flavors of every dish rather than worrying that others would get cold. Our waitress fulfilled the request to a tee. Unfortunately, the restaurant was out of a few tapas, including the mussels frites dish that I was looking forward to ordering. Also, if I had not inquired about the separate pizza menu, we would not have known it even existed.

First to arrive were the gulf shrimp, served by the piece with a sapphire gin cocktail sauce. The shrimp were perfectly chilled and the sapphire gin cocktail sauce was an enjoyable, zesty addition. Still, was my one piece of shrimp worth $2? Questionable.

As soon as we finished the shrimp, the Escargots & Grilled Chicken Turnovers were delivered. Each turnover was filled with grilled chicken breast and escargot sautéed with garlic and served in a parsley almond green sauce. Unfortunately, all I tasted was phyllo dough, lots of garlic and butter. I have to admit that those three flavors are delicious, but the garlic was offensively overpowering. I almost refused to order the turnovers originally because the menu says "loads of garlic," but I never thought it would be so significant. The chicken and escargot added no real flavor, and while the parsley and texture of nuts in the cream sauce were tasty, they, too, were lost in the butter and loads of garlic on the escargot.

Next to arrive was our water. Yes, we were already at our third course before two glasses of water were finally delivered.

The prosciutto and artichoke pizza showed up soon after. The thin, olive oil brushed crust was topped with chopped garlic, crisp prosciutto and quartered artichoke hearts and sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. Although the sauce was minimal and cheese quite burnt, I enjoyed the complimentary flavors of the salty prosciutto and mild artichoke. The crust was nicely crisp on the outside and chewy, warm on the inside.

The giant portobello mushroom caps baked with a Gorgonzola crème cheese stuffing and topped with a sage cream sauce came next. Although Bryan and I are not fans of Gorgonzola cheese, our waitress insisted that this was one of the most popular dishes and we had to try it. She was right; all three components balanced to make a delicious dish. The portobello was smooth, Gorgonzola not too sharp, and the rich cream sauce made every bite almost melt in my mouth. I would definitely order this dish again.

We ended with the chicken breast stuffed with herbed chevre cheese over a roasted red pepper coulis and dried cherries. While nothing about the dish was outstanding, the chicken was prepared well and nicely soaked up the savory roasted red pepper sauce. Together, when paired with the sweet cherries, I thoroughly enjoyed each bite.

French crêpes are a classic bistro menu item, so for dessert we ordered the chocolate dessert crêpe. Surprise, surprise, they were out of chocolate dessert crêpes. We settled for the apple crêpe served with a chopped walnut cinnamon sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The crêpe, along with our two cappuccinos, was the highlight of the entire meal. The mouth-watering walnut cinnamon cream sauce accented the warm, sautéed apples that were perfectly sweet and juicy. The crêpe itself was a perfect thickness, or should I say thinness, and the dish continued to taste better as the vanilla ice cream continued to melt.

I definitely saw a different side of Ann Arbor dining at to Café Felix, but am not disappointed that I had not gone sooner. While the service could not have been more attentive and the menu was not at all overpriced, Café Felix needs a little rejuvenation and life as a full dining establishment. For key ingredients to be missing from all aspects of its menu on a Saturday night is unacceptable. Until change is made, I will only be back for a crêpe and cappuccino, hopefully when I can sit outside and enjoy the warm, spring weather before graduation.

Café Felix
Address: 204 S. Main St. (between Liberty St. & Washington St.), Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Phone: (734) 662-8650
Payment: Credit Card or Cash
Alcohol: Full Bar
Prices: Moderate. Tapas ~$10; Dinner plates ~$25
Wheelchair access: Yes
Smoking section: Yes
Outdoor seating: Yes, weather permitting
Reservations accepted: Yes Specials: Martinis 50% off on Mondays; Bottles of wine 50% off on Wednesdays

Sarah Mintz is a new contributor to AnnArbor.com's Food and Drink section. She is a senior at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. You can follow Sarah's other dining blog and contact Sarah at smintz@umich.edu.