It took me awhile but I finally got around to having lunch at the Café at Artisanal Foods. All the recommendations I had gotten were spot on. This place is good! I was fortunate to be able to order a prix fixe lunch with Chef Johnny Church deciding on the items I'd get. They were:
Ibérico ham amuse-bouche with caviar
Curry Kabocha squash soup
Piedmontese beef and octopus carpaccio
Lion fish ceviche
Pancakes with seared Sonoma foie gras
Hand cut pappardelle with Bolognese
Crispy brick chicken thigh
Hexx chocolate pot de crème
This lunch was dinner also because there was a lot of food and I didn't let anything go unfinished. I was impressed with ingredients and preparations I don't normally see. Tremendous creativity. One of the last things I would have ordered would be the pancakes. Yet, it was an excellent dish with a mix of three kinds of grape made into a gastrique and served with foie gras topping the small stack of mini pancakes. Fantastic flavors and since I don't use maple syrup, a delight having a sweet that was so different with pancakes.
Chef Church asked me which pasta of two on the menu I wanted. I looked at both and went with the Bolognese. What he did was serve me the Bolognese with the hand cut pappardelle which was the other pasta. The pork sausage, ground lamb, and chicken liver confit along with the tomato and mirepoix provided a great pasta. The Bolognese was very rich.
I need mention the soup. The curry squash soup had a very good flavor of curry and was a delightful soup on this cold day.
Finally, the crispy chicken thighs on mushroom bread pudding was outstanding. Chicken thighs cooked and removed from the bone, then put back together with a layer of truffle and quickly fried crispy and served on the bead of mushroom bread pudding. Outstanding!
Finishing off with a light dessert of Hexx chocolate pot de crème topped with orange slices and topped with fennel pollen. Chocolate and orange is always a great combination and this was a winner, too!
I'll be returning and enjoying some of the other items on the menu. This café, although small and seating maybe twenty people at one time, is one of those places that will draw me back. A most memorable lunch!