The large, slanted windows of the Ashland Bistro and Café (formerly Ashland Bakery and Café) are one of the main reasons the restaurant has always caught our attention on walks through downtown. It thoughtfully displays a modestly decorated dining room, which under closer inspection has been given considerable creative touches leading to a comfortable ambiance. For our dinner experience at the Ashland Bistro and Café, we chose to sit by one of these fantastic windows so we could have both a view of the bistro and the plaza. Our only recommendation for the environment is to dim the lights a bit and add candles on the tables. This would create a nice distinction between the lunch and dinner menus.

We were impressed with the range of local wines on the drink menu, but chose to go with a French wine due to our dinner selections. Our meal began with the crab cakes, which came in a group of three, over a warm bed of greens. The cakes were thick and tender, with subtle spices and a creamy smoothness. It would have been our preference to have crab cakes that were a bit thinner and crispier, giving them a firmer overall effect. In order to try as many different menu selections, one of us chose the clam chowder and the other a salad with the balsamic vinaigrette. The portion size for these pre-dinner items was generous and presented thoughtfully. The clam chowder was creamy with ample clam and potato, typical of café faire. A salad, in some people’s opinion, is not that important for a rating. Our opinion is quite different on this. There are many ways to overdo something so simple, or to overlook the details. This particular salad was full of a variety of crisp lettuces, a small assortment of other vegetables, and only a hint of vinaigrette…which deserves top ratings in our opinion. For our entrees, we decided to keep it simple, which is sometimes the best way to get an accurate judgment. We shared both the Pomodora and the Lasagna once again, the presentation was elegant and appetizing. The Lasagna was cheesy and chock full of taste. For the Pomodora, it offered exactly what it had advertised. It was light and simple, with hints of garlic, basil, and parmesan. The basil was a little light, but it was not to the effect that the dish came off bland.