Ever since I received a rave review about a fairly new place in town, I’ve been dying to give it a try. Come to find out, Ted and I are two of the last people to hear about this ecclectic cafe on Lincoln Ave. in Utica. “The Tramontane Espresso Bar & Cafe”. It opens early to serve breakfast and the menu offers Vegan, Vegetarian, and Meat options. There is something for everyone.
The staff have created a welcoming, warm atmosphere we all can enjoy.
“The Tram” offers great food, an amazing array of beverages (non-alcohol),
mouth watering desserts and, based on our own experience as of Thursday, super tasty sides, salads, and sandwiches.
Our Lunch at The Tram:
I was excited to see quiche on the menu. It looked so good, this huge slice of 2 1/2” thick quiche on my plate. But then I saw….ham. Oh nuts! I didn’t see the first ingredient in the wonderful details describing the quiche (it may be time for reading glasses 
). I explained the error to the waitress who, without a blink, said “no problem”, returned the quiche and brought back my second choice which was plain tuna with my salad.
You don’t realize how wonderful it is to be able to get just plain tuna. It is usually offered pre-mixed with .… MAYONNAISE! EEEWWW! Unless I bring my own can and ask the kitchen to open it (imagine 
?! ), I get a green leafy salad and nothing more.
We began with a side of Hummus & Tabouli ($5.95). Look at all that pita bread! I believe it had fennel in it. The taste and texture was perfect. Does the staff at The Tram make the pita there? I’m not sure but it was good! The hummus was just the right consistency with the perfect pairing of lemon and garlic. The tabouli was fresh and vibrant and went so well with the hummus smeared on the thick pita slices.
Ted had a (ah hem…..) Roast Beef “STUPENDOUS SANDWICH” ($5.25). This was served with veggie “French fry” shaped chips. They were really light, almost like eating a crispy, salty bubble in the shape of a stick.
I had a wonderful green side salad topped with feta cheese. On the side was my favored tuna which I topped with balsamic vinegar and mixed into my salad ($7.00).
A perfect lunch. A perfect setting.
By the way, our friend Bob often suggests to the students at Munson Williams to pay a visit to “The Tram”. It is alcohol free and offers “open mic night” where musicians offer their talents to the patrons so lucky to be there at the right time. Make sure you pay a visit to “The Tramontaine (why do I keep wanting to add an “i”???!!!! )Tramontane Espresso Bar & Cafe” soon.
You’ll love it!
Joanne
Once again .. excellent photos. Good review of a fun place.
The Tram is one of my favorite spots in Utica. Nice review. The pics are making me hungry. 😉
The hummus and tabouli look so delish. I would have ordered the same! And that pita! To die for.
I just enjoyed lunch @The Tram today. These pictures now have me preparing to hit them up later tonight for a post-hockey game snack!
The Tram is so famous for music, plays, games, chat, internet cafe, coffee, tea, movies, etc. that the food sometimes doesn’t get mentioned. Thank you for taking the time to share this great info. I love the fact that we can call an order in, then run in and grab it – when we don’t have time to dine in.
One last thing. People from all walks of life frequent The Tram. City court judges are seen sitting with heavy metal thrashers (and all people in between) – it’s normal at this wonderful establishment.
Joe, Mark, Dawn, & Rick: Wow! Thanks so much for your comments. You have offered additional information that is so helpful when our community is in search of a good place to get good eats and relax.
Thank you very much for enjoying The Tram!
To answer your question, we do not make the pita at the Tram. We get our pita from Barady’s Bistro on Genesee St. We also get our bagels from the Bagel Grove, and our lovely biscottis from Mrs. Short’s Sweets.. (that’s Ricks wife ;-P). But just about everything else we make here. Robin made the hummus and I made the tabouli.
It makes me happy to see someone enjoying our food!
~loyal minion of The Tram
Support a local business like THE TRAM and the spin off is that THE TRAM buys all their ingredients LOCALLY .. from SMALL family owned business. I even think the beans come from Utica Roasting Company. Bottom line is that if you enjoy local business .. better support them! They struggle and appreciate your business. One thing unique to Utica *IS* the local owned places… lets keep them in business!! (The TRAN has a facebook fan page too – -JOIN IT )
Visit the TRAM for FABULOUS homemade vegetable soups daily! They post the daily offerings on their FACEBOOK page and you can plan your week of lunches this way! It’s also a fun spot for relaxing, visiting, or having some homemade goodies and beverages while playing Scrabble with your pals. juss sayin’… : )
I love the tram, we finally moved away from our usual
which consists of
2 veggie turkey sammiches on rye with all the fixings (especially the hot pepper spread)
and finally tried the hummus which was some of the best we have ever had, and being the cooks we are that says a lot
the tram is always a great place to relax, have a snack, play a game, and most nights we show up there just so happens to be some form of live entertainment!
the tram is also great for anyone, from freaks to geeks to suit types
This wed. (dec 2nd) there is even a craft night!!!
I cant wait! I will be bringing some extra yarn and needles and sharing some basic knitting skills….hope to see some folks there!
[…] The best part of the day was lunch. I was on Facebook the other day and noticed that a college friend was going to be in the area. I sent a note “call me”. He did! YAY! Ted and I met my good friend Mike B. for lunch at The Tram. […]