Main Street Garden Cafe

Garden-to-Table: Fava Beans

tara — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 03:40:34 +0000

May 2013

In the Garden

Favas are sown in the late fall and take nearly 6 months to fully mature, but they are worth it. We grow a whole bed of fava beans in the garden every year because they are such a generous plant. In addition to fixing nitrogen in the soil and looking beautiful, the plants furnish the kitchen with tender leaves, sweet and delicate flowers, fresh beans, and dry beans!

In the Kitchen

The fresh fava beans are a lot of work, since they have to be shelled as well as peeled, but they are well worth the effort. The entire kitchen staff and sometimes even the servers will pitch in to help with the shelling. Check out the list below to see how we’re using the fresh beans this season. Chef Chris uses fava leaves in a myriad of ways- from fava leaf pesto to a springy green garnish on our burratta plate. The flowers add a touch of sweetness to many of our early spring dishes as a garnish, and the dried beans were used in soups during the winter.

On the Menu

Menu items will be posted as Chef Chris create them.

Creamy asparagus & garden fava soup, garden leek, olive

burrata, garden favetta & radish, flatbread

Garden to Table

tara — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:13:42 +0000

Find out what’s being featured from the garden this month, and what we’ve featured in the past!

Fava Beans: May 2013

Asparagus: March & April 2013

Mache: January & February 2013

Sunchokes: November & December 2012

Apples: September & October 2012

Garden-to-Table: Asparagus

tara — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:15:30 +0000

March & April 2013

In the Garden

Finally! After 2 years of patiently waiting for our plants to mature, we are harvesting our first asparagus. Asparagus are picked nearly every day to ensure that each spear is at the height of perfection when it arrives in the kitchen. We will harvest spears from our plants for about two months before we allow them to leaf out and gather solar energy for next spring. These plants should continue to bear asparagus for the next 10 years or more now that they are mature.

In the Kitchen

Asparagus are a herald of spring in the kitchen, and contribute a fresh, green touch to any dish. Expect to find them prepared in a myriad of ways as the season progresses. Also look for other exciting spring vegetables such as shelling peas and green garlic.

On the Menu

Menu items will be posted as Chef Chris creates them.

California swordfish, squid ink risotto, shaved asparagus, arugula, fennel, orange vinaigrette

Wood-fired asparagus, garden breakfast & daikon radishes, breadcrumbs

Wood-fired asparagus, avocado, garden radish, breadcrumbs

Farfalle, garden asparagus, garden mint & fava leaf pesto, parmesan

Asparagus soup, garden green garlic & fava leaves

Ricotta gnocchi, asparagus, garden fava leaves, spring onion, pecorino

Wood fired pizza: Asparagus, dates, pine nuts, garden kale, cream, provolone

Asparagus & garden egg ‘cassoulet’, cannellini beans, garden spinach, parmesan, breadcrumbs

Garden-to-Table: Mâche

tara — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:14:06 +0000

January & February 2013

In the Garden

Winter is a perfect time to plant mâche. Mâche (also known as corn salad) is a small, delicately flavored, gourmet salad green popular in Europe. It grows incredibly slowly, forming perfect little rosettes, and enjoys the cool, damp weather during winter. The entire plant is picked when it is 1-2″ in diameter.

In the Kitchen

Chef Chris Carloni uses mâche rosettes primarily as a garnish. Because of its delicate leaves and flavor, mâche is never cooked, and is usually paired with lighter flavors, such as fish.

On the Menu

Menu items will be posted as Chef Chris creates them.

Cara cara, blood & mandarin oranges, radish, celery root, garden mâche, olive oil

Delicata squash, chevre, pistachio, spinach, fingerling potato, celery root, cream, pecorino

Local swordfish, smoked garden sunchoke, castelvetrano olive, garden mache, mandarin-chile vinaigrette

Arugula, quinoa, puntarelle, gaeta olive, garden mâche, kumquat vinagirette

Burrata, strawberry-beet jam, garden mâche, olive oil, bruschetta

Lamb & chard pot pie, ricotta salata, beet puree, garden sorrel salsa verde & mâche

Neighborhood Night

tara — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:51:53 +0000

WEDNESDAYS 5:30-9:00 pm

Menu for Wednesday, May 1, 2013:

Antipasti

Warm house-marinated olives 6

Salumi, peach mostarda, pickled beets, flat bread 12

Burrata, strawberry-beet jam, arugula, olive oil, bruschetta 9

Warm kale, summer squash, pepitas, pecorino, cannonau vinaigrette 8

House-made Pasta

Ricotta gnocchi, asparagus, green shallot, lemon, capers, cream, parmesan 16

Tagliatelle, snap peas, arugula, creamy green garlic pesto, pecorino 15

Squid ink linguine, manila clams, garden spinach, spicy tomato sauce, lemon, breadcrumbs 17

Wood-fired Pizza

Chevre, provolone, pecorino romano, tomato sauce 15

Burrata, arugula, olive oil, tomato sauce, asiago 16

Fogline Farm chicken, snap peas, taggiasca olive, chile, cream, provolone 17

Pork sausage, broccolini, green garlic, tomato sauce, mozzarella 17

Prix Fixe $30

please choose one from each course, also available a la carte

Wood-fired asparagus, herbed chevre, fennel, breadcrumbs

Lettuces, local olives, ricotta salata, green shallot vinaigrette

Creamy cauliflower & pine nut soup, pickled currants, sweet chile oil

Garden borage pappardelle, beef ragu, tomato sauce, garden chard, parmesan

Seared halibut, farro ragu, broccolini, braised beets, lemon brown butter

Wood-fired pizza: asparagus, dates, pine nuts, garden kale, cream, ricotta, parmesan

White chocolate pot de crème, fig coulis, meringue

Fennel pollen panna cotta, apricot syrup, strawberry

Garden-to-Table: Sunchokes

tara — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:36:05 +0000

November & December 2012

In the Garden

Sunchokes, or Jerusalem Artichokes are a sunflower relative that is grown for its potato-like tuber as well as its pretty flowers. They grow throughout the summer and ours got nearly 12 feet tall this year! We started harvesting the tubers the first week of November, and will continue to harvest them through the winter. This year’s plants sprouted from tubers that were missed during last winter’s harvest.

In the Kitchen

Sunchokes are complex and knobby, which makes them hard to clean and even harder to peel! They have a sweet, starchy flavor, similar to a potato, and can be roasted, pureed, fried, or mashed.

On the Menu

Dishes will be posted as our Chef adds them to the menu.

Wood Fired Pizza: Pork belly, dates, garden arugula, garden sunchoke cream, provolone

Wood Fired Pizza: Chicken sausage, taggiasca olive, kale, garden sunchoke puree, pecorino toscano

Garden sunchoke soup, creme fraiche

Garden sunchoke & parsnip fritters, lemon aioli

Wood Fired Pizza: Garden egg, apple, fennel, spinach, garden sunchoke puree, fontina

Local swordfish, smoked garden sunchoke, castelvetrano olive, orange-chile vinagirette

Garden sunchoke & spinach pot pie, chevre, garden arugula, shaved parsnip, carrot & fennel

Squid ink linguine, swordfish, garden sunchoke, tomato-chile broth, breadcrumbs

Squid ink linguine, smoked local herring, garden sunchoke, chile-tomato broth, breadcrumbs

Garden to Table: Apples

Amee Chapman — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 00:52:42 +0000

August & September 2012

In the Garden

This month we have been harvesting apples from our tree. We are unsure of the variety because the tree was established several years ago, but the taste is very similar to a McIntosh. This fall/winter we hope to add more fruit trees to the garden.

On the Menu

Our apples have been featured on the menu in a wide variety of dishes. Here are a few:

Salami, garden apple mostarda, pickled garden dandelion, flat bread

Butternut squash & garden apple soup, sweet chile oil

Pork & garden apple sausage

Lettuces, garden apple, preserved lemon