Cafe Expresso makes much ado about its desserts, which are thoroughly American in concept and execution. Nothing subtle about these cakes, pies and cheesecakes, but on the other hand, they're not cloyingly sweet either. Disappointing was a piece of coconut cake, essentially a white layer cake with an icing that incorporated dried, sweetened coconut, a product that resembles real, moist and intense coconut about as much as a paper napkin resembles damask. Cafe Expresso provides a pleasant environment, especially for a hotel restaurant that must be open morning, noon and night. A useful wine lists offers bottles and glasses at reasonable prices.
Service is so snappy and friendly that it verges on perky, but there are disturbing anomalies.
And a waiter should never bring an individual bottle of wine to the table already opened, no matter what kind of restaurant it is. Reviewers visit the restaurant unannounced, order from the menu, eat and pay the bill without being identified. The reports are not related to whether the restaurant advertises in The Commercial Appeal. A star rating is assigned to restaurants according to their performance in the areas of ambience, service and food. To reach Fredric Koeppel, call 529-2376 .