It’s a bird, it’s a plane . . . no! It’s a jet rocket BLT!
If that statement confuses you then you probably haven’t been to the Countdown Café. The café, located inside of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, 2 Institute Drive, is your typical café in the sense that it serves assorted sandwiches, salads and all that jazz, but it’s unlike any other in Concord due to its fun-to-say space-themed entrees. I imagine it’s the sort of place that Captain Kirk would hang out at when he’s not cruising the USS Enterprise.
Since William Shatner has yet to swing by the café, I figured it was time the place had a celebrity sighting, so I dragged my food companion along for lunch. It didn’t take much to sell her on it since her interests are much like a child’s and she gets a kick out of food with funny names. This explains her fondness for Little Debbie snacks.
The café immediately scored a point upon our arrival. Due to the center’s proximity to the NHTI campus, we feared the center’s lot would be flooded with student vehicles. The wise folks at the center already thought of this and put up signs that read “discovery center parking only.” Crisis averted!
The café is located to the left when you walk into the center, just before the ticket counter. You do not need to pay admission to eat at the cafe. However, if you haven’t been to the center since its expansion, consider checking it out before or after you eat. It’s a great way to spend the afternoon solo or with the kids.
Inside we located the menu on the wall and pondered what we wanted to eat. Notable choices include a 7-inch personal pan pizzas ($4 to $4.75), the Moon Struck Chef’s Salad ($7.50 for the entrée size, which includes a croissant) and the Mars Apple Walnut Wrap (mixed greens, tomatoes, dried cranberries, toasted walnut, blue cheese crumbles, Granny Smith apples and a sweet vinaigrette for $5.95). I selected the Galaxy Vegetable Panini (zucchini, summer squash, roasted red peppers, red onion, baby spinach and provolone cheese for $4.95) and my food companion chose the Tuna Moon Melt (swiss cheese, tuna salad, bacon and tomatoes for $4.95) and a cookie ($1.50). Our sandwiches came with a dill pickle and our choice of pasta or potato salad. We went with the pasta salad.
As for beverages, I chose a Vitamin Water and my food companion got a Diet Coke from the selection of bottled drinks. The café also sells coffee ($2), cappuccino ($3), espresso ($2), latte ($3), assorted teas ($2), wine ($5) and assorted bottled beer ($4).
Although we were there during prime lunch hours, the place wasn’t too busy and there was plenty of seating. Plus, there’s a room next door to the café with lunch tables for school groups – because although kids are lovely, you don’t need busloads of children running around your table while you’re trying to have a peaceful meal. Thank you for this, Countdown Café.
Since there was only one worker that day and she was in charge of taking orders and making the food, our wait was rather lengthy. We watched several people get their food and let our mouths water at the sight of every wrap that passed our table. Near us, a child was throwing his macaroni and cheese onto the floor. I briefly considered sliding under the table and picking up the cheesy debris. Instead I had a few bites of my companion’s chocolate chip cookie. Although it was impressively homemade, large and delicious – I really wanted my lunch.
When our food came out our server apologized for the wait. This made me think that perhaps the café was understaffed that day and that service is typically quicker.
My vegetable panini was hot, crispy and oozing with cheese – all requirements for a good panini. On it was a sundried tomato mayonnaise that amped up the flavor and made the vegetables taste, well, less vegetably. Across the table, my companion was equally enjoying her tuna melt. I asked her if the bacon was necessary since I had never seen bacon and tuna paired together. She said she liked it, which I suppose makes sense because, in theory, everything is better with bacon.
We both found the pasta salad made with red peppers, black olives and feta cheese tasty, but I enjoyed it slightly more. My companion’s serving had several olives in it which are far too fancy for her oh-so-refined palate, but she was able to throw them onto my plate since my serving was sadly oliveless.
Because we were not in a hurry, we decided that our food was worth the wait. It’s the price you pay to know that your lunch is made fresh on the spot. There are several “grab and go” snacks available, too, ranging from hummus and locally grown vegetables ($4) to yogurt parfaits ($1.50), so the café also makes for a great spot to hang out, sip coffee and munch on something light.
Café hours are Saturday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 271-7827 for more information or visit starhop.com.
