Go Gilbert Magazine - July 2009
WRITTEN BY BROOKE ROMNEY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARL SCHULTZ
When you enter Country Cottage Cafe, be prepared to leave as family. It's obvious owner Lynda Halls and her husband Gary have poured their love into every inch of the cozy space.
The decor evokes the happiest moments of spring with lime green and purple paint, fantastic white woodwork, artistic photos, and modern black details. But the real attention getter is the mass of eclectic chairs around each white table cloth.
"When we were starting our shop, I realized we needed more chairs but didn't have the money to buy them. I knew lots of business owners from working at the Chamber of Commerce and approached them to see if they would 'sponsor' a chair," says Lynda. The idea was brilliant. Lynda was given whimsical, quirky chairs to outfit her beautiful restaurant and business owners got a bit of free advertising and free access to the restaurant during off hours.
"People come in and just love the chairs. It really adds to the ambiance," she says.
While the chairs are definitely special, they still take second place to the incredible food. Halls somehow creates comfort food that is still filling, fresh, healthy, and delicious.
The salads are second to none. The most popular is the Country Cottage Signature Salad ($7.95) which is a huge portion of greens, purple onion, bacon, mozzarella, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and her own raspberry poppy seed dressing served with two thick pieces of homemade banana bread.
"I just love their signature salad," says Kathy Langdon. "This place is such a great, healthy alternative. The ambiance is charming and the service is always wonderful here."
The Lyndio ($9.75) will also have you drooling. Chunks of baked chicken lie on a mix of spinach and salad greens with purple onions, feta cheese, tropical fruits, pineapple, purple grapes, mandarin oranges, and pepitas covered in orange citrus dressing. The dressing is original, tangy, and fresh. This salad comes with a slice of coconut macaroon bread.
If your stomach requires something heartier, the chicken, ham, or tuna salad sandwiches ($5.50-$6.95) will fill you up and make you feel a bit nostalgic. The Chairholders Club ($7.50) full of turkey, ham, bacon, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, and mayo and The Wall Street, ($6.95) turkey, lettuce, sprouts, and homemade cranberry sauce are also divine.
Each sandwich comes with two sides, and Grandma's baked beans are a must. Gulp it all down with a fresh Strawberry Lemonade ($1.95).
At Country Cottage Cafe, there is always room for dessert. The moist lemon cake makes you pucker, then take another bite; the butter pecan cake has smooth cream cheese icing and caramel swirls and the Frookie (a sugar cookie with cream cheese icing and fresh fruit) might look healthy enough to take away the guilt after you eat the whole thing.
Since the Cafe's breakfast and lunch offerings have been so successful, Lynda and Gary will also be serving dinner Friday night.
"I wanted to be able to offer my customers more, so we're going to open on Friday nights and offer our regular menu, plus a few hot plate specials that I love to cook. We're really excited about that," says Halls.
And Gilbert should be excited too. This new spot is worthy of a date night, family dinner, or take out on the way to the park. |
