European-style at Legal Grounds Café in Elsmere

Patricia Talorico
The News Journal

Elsmere attorney Robert Pasquale wanted a place where his staff and clients could find very good, reasonably-priced food, terrific coffee and he could always get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread.

Barista Rico Adams works at Legal Grounds Cafe in Elsmere.

But when the Legal Grounds Café at 1208 Kirkwood Highway opened last summer, it wasn't just a private dining room for the law offices of Doroshow, Pasquale, Krawitz & Bhaya, a practice with more than 20 lawyers and 90 employees.

The Elsmere breakfast and lunch spot also welcomed in the public.

Located smack dab in the middle of the tiny town across from the fire company, the cafe occupies space in the bottom floor of the white building with a clock at the top.

Legal Grounds Cafe in Elsmere brings an "old world feel" to customers who stop by.

A physical therapy business is next door and the law offices are on the second floor.

Parking can be a little confusing. There are some spaces out front, but it's easiest to park in the back lot.

When traveling down Kirkwood Highway, turn onto Bungalow Avenue. An unmarked entrance (look for the blue door) from the parking lot leads inside the cafe.

Legal Grounds is a sandwich shop/coffeehouse with contemporary pizzazz. It has a Parisian air, by way of New Orleans, and bright, eye-catching artwork by Michel Lode, a French street artist who paints on the Pont des Arts in Paris.

Designer Kathleen Magner-Rios says she wanted to bring a flavor of Europe and "old world feel" to the Legal Grounds Cafe in Elsmere.

Designer Kathleen Magner Rios says she was looking to bring "a flavor of Europe and an Old World feel" to the cafe.

It's open and airy, with seating outside when the weather permits. There's a separate back room with tables for larger groups. It also can be used for private breakfast or lunch meetings.

Staff at the cafe said the room is used by the law office, but it can also be booked by others for gatherings. The cafe still seems relatively undiscovered. There were only a few customers during a recent lunch.

Barista Rico Adams, a smiling, welcoming presence at the shop, is a coffee wizard and latte artist.

Our cups of cappuccino and café mocha – made with Philadelphia's excellent La Colombe coffee – were cheerily decorated with flowers, hearts and stars. He has also been known to make hummingbird designs.

The Legal Grounds brief menu is straightforward, unfussy and focuses on refining classics. Food is made to order and tastes very fresh.

Barista Rico Adams is a fixture at Legal Grounds Cafe in Elsmere.

Breakfast sandwiches ($5) can be made on a bagel, croissant or a choice of toast. Pasquale's favorite, PB&J, gets an adult upgrade by using strawberry preserves instead of grape jelly. The sandwich is $5, as is the quiche of the day. 

The most expensive item is $8 for a salmon avocado toast. Nine-grain bread is smeared with cream cheese and piled with layers of tomato, capers, red onion, avocado and smoked salmon. It's filling and very good. 

Another favorite is the chicken caesar salad ($7) made with crisp Romaine, juicy white meat chicken and shards of Parmesan cheese. 

The chicken Caesar salad at Legal Grounds Cafe is $7.

Other sandwich choices include grilled cheese with Swiss, Muenster and Cheddar ($7); turkey sandwich ($7) on a French baguette with roasted peppers and provolone cheese; and a BLT ($7). All sandwiches come with a bag of potato chips.

The cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (302) 543-7350 or visit the Legal Grounds Cafe Facebook page for more information.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

ChesDel bows out after 38 years

New chef, new menu at Domaine Hudson 

Coming soon: Stitch House, downtown Wilmington's only brewery