Met a friend today for lunch at an old Favorite, Cafe Brenda. I have never been disappointed in their food, which is maybe why I often look for excuses to go back there. Today I ordered one of their specials, a Winter Vegetable PIe, Served with a salad with roasted beets, apples and a balsamic dressing. I should have taken a photo of the plate when I was done because it was totally empty. Not a grain of rice. Okay – maybe one or two. But it was so good. I believe it contained leeks, parsnips, squash and obviously some other good stuff. The crust was light and delicious without being rich. The rice was a nice addition to the savory filling.

This is one of those dishes that will haunt me. I wonder if I could get the recipe or try to find something that could come close. Any ideas, faithful readers?

I met a friend for lunch the other day at another favorite restaurant, Cafe Brenda. And I noticed that I’ve been spending a lot of time at Cafe’s named after women. That’s just fine with me. It’s better than eating at placed with no history in their names, like Applebees, TGIFridays, Outback Steakhouse. You get it.

But anyway, we had a delightful lunch in the the bright, sunny dining room. I had one of the daily specials, the Indian Plate. It included Black Bean Dahl, Jasmine Rice, Yogurt, Chutney and Green beans. Sticking out of it was a crispy Papadum. The whole place smelled like curry when I walked in so I knew it would be a good choice. I was right.

My friend ordered what she always orders, the Brenda Burger. It’s a burger made of brown rice and nuts. It looked hearty and really delicious. I didn’t dare ask for a bite.

After eating there, I looked back at my posts and realized I hadn’t reviewed Cafe Brenda yet. I have reviewed her other restaurant, Spoonriver, a number of time, but never the original. So here you go. They’re both fabulous, each with their own personality. An ideal day would be lunch at one, dinner at the other. Takers?