I want so badly to like the singer Bjork.  Her music is tantalizing, I love her costumes and her stage shows are very creative .  But then she opens her mouth and it’s over for me.  I just can’t enjoy the shrill sounds that come from her head in most of her songs.

I feel the same way about My Florist Cafe in Ventura.  I love the ambiance: the lighting is perfect, the have a fantastic patio with a big-screen projector, and it’s the only restaurant here where you’ll hear Thievery Corp while you dine (when the piano player takes a break). The half priced wine special isn’t bad either… they actually don’t mark it up 4x to give you half off.  I compared the prices to other outlets and they’re very reasonable.  But then the food comes, and on one occasion it all came out at once (cheese plate, salads and entrees together).   The food isn’t terrible so it may sound like I’m making too much out of it, but it doesn’t live up to the expectation that the atmosphere builds.  The only thing I’ve had there that I would completely avoid is the chicken and dumplings, which come out as a very watery broth with some small dumplings and chicken at the bottom.  My favorite entree so far has been the meatloaf, which is quite tasty especially when you pair it with the Firestone IPA they have on tap.  My friend had the lasagna which garnered an “ehh” response, as did the other entrees ordered at the table.

Such a pity because the potential is there to be so much more.  The wait staff is unpolished (except for the bartender) but they’re friendly enough to make up for it.   I do hope it’s still a work in progress… Ventura needs a restaurant like this where the food matches the style.