Dining On The Mezzanine

[Full disclosure: In 2007, I apprenticed (and got paid) at Mustard Seed Market in Solon in the baking department for two months. I also gave away several gift cards provided by Mustard Seed Market in my blog post about the grocery part of the Montrose store back in May 2012.]

I find it both odd and interesting that having lived and worked in and around Akron for much of my life that I really haven't spent all that much time trying out the cafe portion of Mustard Seed Market. With their recent acquisition (and subsequent departure) of one Mr. Lanny Chin, I decided that perhaps now was as good a time as any to investigate further. As when any new chef starts, he or she invariably takes control of his predecessor's menu and has to execute it until it can be replaced with something new. This was the role that Lanny played.

Fortunately for me, Mustard Seed Market prominently features not only their cafe and its mission but also the menu online for all to see. Given the variety of healthy choices (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, etc.), it was also nice to see that they offered something as hearty as a burger (grass-fed beef, bison, or veggie). Before each of my visits, I was able to study the menu in such a way that would allow me to try maximum tastes for minimum cash outlay.

First on the discussion block are soups. The Tomato Bisque was a member of the regular menu:

Tomato Bisque

Although I thought that the soup was a bit chunky to be called a bisque, the flavor of the tomatoes was pretty profound. The acidity of the tomato matched well with the cashew cream used to give the soup its body. While perfectly tasty on its own, don't make the mistake that I did and pair the soup with something equally acidic, like the whole wheat gemelli with marinara sauce.

While the other soup always on the menu is the Miso Soup, always be sure to check the daily specials. On a different visit, the Chicken Florentine Soup struck my fancy:

Chicken Florentine Soup

Rich and velvety, this was a hearty soup that satisfied. There was ample chicken and spinach in the liquid and the soup itself was the perfect consistency. The only real complaint I had about the soup was that since the chicken had been shredded, I pulled many a spoonful of soup out of the bowl where chicken was hanging over the edge of the spoon, mercilessly taunting the shirt I was wearing. Needless to say, the perilous trip from cup to mouth was fraught with danger.

While the soups were delicious and relatively worry free, both of my salads had me perk up and say, "Hmmm." One of the niceties of the cafe's current menu was that many of the salads were available in both half and full portion sizes. All the salads pictured here were of the half-portion size variety. First was the Avocado Salad:

Avocado Salad

The avocado was rich and buttery and the acidity of the dressing on the greens balanced the richness of the fruit. The bisected cherry tomatoes were a nice touch, but sadly, my salad came from the kitchen missing the fresh raspberries the menu promised. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until after I had eaten most of the salad, so there was no sending it back to the kitchen. Regardless, it was still a tasty salad sans raspberries.

The more dubious of my salad experiences was when I ordered the Spring Panzanella Salad during a different visit:

Spring Panzanella Salad

With fresh peas, asparagus, and more bisected cherry tomatoes, this was a perfectly serviceable salad. Except no one bothered to tell the chef who made the previous menu that what he actually created was a garden salad with croutons, not a panzanella salad. Traditionally, a panzanella salad is made by taking day old cubed bread and tossing it with cut up tomatoes. As the mixture is tossed, the juice from the tomatoes softens the bread. Other ingredients can be added, of course, but clearly what I had been served was not panzanella.

Here was the conversation that ensued when I released the picture on Twitter with a comment:

Tom Noe @tnoe27 21 May
Listed on the menu as a Spring Panzanella Salad at @MustardSeedMrkt, Bzzzt, wrong! It WAS a tasty salad w/ croutons. http://flic.kr/p/enFXvy

Mustard Seed Market ‏@MustardSeedMrkt 24 May
@tnoe27 We apologize for mixing it up and giving you the wrong salad. Mistakes do happen but not often in our Cafe. We hope to see you soon.

Tom Noe ‏@tnoe27 24 May
@MustardSeedMrkt So, based on the picture I posted, I am curious as to what salad you sent me instead of the Spring Panzanella Salad?

Mustard Seed Market ‏@MustardSeedMrkt 24 May
@tnoe27 Looks like a garden salad with croutons but let me check and get back to you. -Gabe

Mustard Seed Market ‏@MustardSeedMrkt 24 May
@tnoe27 It is our Panzanella salad but not a traditional Panzanella salad. I hope you enjoyed it and come back to see us again soon.

So, the basic point I am trying to make is that if you expecting a more traditional panzanella salad, I'd avoid the one at Mustard Seed Market. If you are looking for a tasty garden salads with croutons, this one's a keeper.

Now that we've covered soups and salads, we move forward to sandwiches and entrees. On my initial visit to the cafe, I decided to go with a plate of Whole Wheat Gemelli and Turkey Meatballs:

Whole Wheat Gemelli

The picture doesn't really do the platter of pasta justice. At only $8 on the menu, I EASILY received enough food for two meals (or two people). Honestly, they could've given me half the pasta, kept the two meatballs and only charged $6 for it. I had no problem with the texture of the cooked pasta, but as you can see in the lower bottom right corner of the plate, the kitchen hadn't drained the pasta completely before saucing it. The meatballs were tasty, but a touch on the dry side. Overall, this dish scored an average rating.

At Lanny's suggestion, I gave the Bison Burger a try on my second visit:

Bison Burger

The cafe has sort of a "build your own" burger philosophy. You pick the protein, the cheese (or soy-based alternative), the toppings, and the side and the kitchen will send you out exactly what you ordered. In this case, I went with grilled onions and a side of the house made cole slaw. I knew that bison was a lean meat, so I ordered my burger medium rare. And that was exactly how it came out of the kitchen. The burger was marvelous: juicy, seasoned properly, and cooked perfectly. While the house made whole wheat bun held up well against all the juices coming out of the patty, it was also just a touch stale. The cole slaw was a creamy salad, unusual in that it had large planks of colored bell peppers in it.

The first time I ordered chicken was as the Pan-Seared Chicken Breast:

Pan-seared Chicken Breast

Fanned over a savory fennel and tomato farro and adorned with a herb pistou, everything on this plate tasted fantastic. The chicken, sadly, was a touch overcooked and dry. The pistou helped in that regard, but too much pistou and it tasted like I was eating an herb garden. The whole cherry tomatoes were hot and when I bit into one, the hot cherry juice exploded into my mouth.

My second experience with chicken fixed one problem, but introduced others. Here was the cafe's take on Pasta Carbonara:

Bucatini Pasta Carbonara with Chicken

This time around, the chicken was seasoned and cooked beautifully. The chicken was actually an add-on to the base dish of bucatini pasta carbonara (which was vegan). Many of the dishes offered at Mustard Seed Market operated in this fashion. Start with a base and add whatever "topping" you'd like, for an additional fee. The problem with this dish, and I think it is pretty clear in the picture above, was that the pasta carbonara portion of the dish was just too much: too many ingredients and too much sauce. A traditional carbonara is made with pancetta, which is smoked. I wondered how that particular flavor profile would be recreated. It turned out that the mushrooms were lightly smoked and really infused a remarkably similar flavor to this vegan dish. While in the end this was a tasty dish, it just tried to be too many things to too many people.

Of all the entrees I tried during my visits to the Mustard Seed Market cafe, none were so perfect as the Black Pearl Grilled Salmon:

Black Pearl Grilled Salmon

Served exactly medium rare over a grapefruit quinoa salad that had been drizzled with a balsamic gastrique, this was heaven on a plate. The fish was eminently juicy and perfectly seasoned, the quinoa had amazing depth and was slightly chewy while still being cooked and the grapefruit supremes embedded in the quinoa matched the sweetness from the gastrique very well. Honestly, the grilled baby bok choy was cute and added a contrasting color, but was wholly unnecessary.

The final sandwich I tried during my visits was the good old Turkey Reuben:

Turkey Reuben Sandwich

Served with Kettle potato chips, a pickle spear, and a side of "1000 Island" dressing, this was a decent interpretation of the real thing. Actually, on the sandwich itself, the rye bread could've been a bit more toasted and the sauerkraut could've been a bit more tangy, but the quality of the turkey was quite lovely and the sandwich more or less worked. What didn't work so well was the vegan 1000 Island dressing. It was a bit on the thin side and just didn't pair as well with the sandwich as the real deal. The potato chips were salty and crunchy and tasted like, well, potato chips.

Lest you think the cafe doesn't have anything for your sweet tooth, I took a taste of two of their desserts. On my first visit, I tried the Warm Chocolate Chip Sundae:

Warm Chocolate Chip Sundae

The dish consisted of a scoop of vanilla ice cream that had two warm chocolate chip cookies pressed up against it, topped with whipped cream, sliced strawberries strewn among the plate and drizzled heavily with chocolate sauce. I'm not going to lie; this was good. But it was good in the way you'd expect a quality vanilla ice cream to taste. And homemade chocolate chip cookies to taste. In other words, the individual components were tasty, but put together, it wasn't really breaking any culinary ground.

The Knock Out Cake, however,

Knock Out Cake

elicited several moans of culinary ecstasy. With the cake layers and the mousse layers and the fresh raspberries and the generous chocolate ganache coating, it was all I could do to restrain myself from licking the plate clean. My server didn't indicate whether or not this cake was vegan. If it was, my hat is off to the baker who came up with this recipe. Even if this was a traditional cake, my hat still goes off. If you are in the mood for something sweet at the end of your meal, this is definitely the route to go.

I should also say a little bit about service. During all of my visits except one, service was prompt and efficient. The kitchen definitely wasn't cranking out dishes quickly, so I wouldn't advise the cafe for lunch if you have less than forty-five minutes available. The one service issue was the day when I ordered the Chicken Florentine Soup and the Black Pearl Grilled Salmon. After what seemed to be an enormously long time to get my soup, thirty seconds or so after receiving my soup, my server returned to my table to deliver the salmon. As he was setting the plate on the table, I was finishing my first spoonful of soup. He helpfully offered to put the salmon under a warming lamp, but realizing that would kill the dish, I moved the soup aside (I had tasted it after all) and accepted the salmon. I'm glad I did.

Overall, I think the cafe did a pretty good job. While there were a few nitpicks with the food here and there, (just like most restaurants), there were dishes that could've been improved upon (or simply renamed) and others that were utterly perfect just as they came out of the kitchen. While Lanny Chin has moved on, I'll be curious to see which executive chef they bring in next and the changes (or not) that get implemented. I recommend that you give Mustard Seed Market Cafe a chance the next time you are in Montrose and looking for a restaurant that can serve up food to folks with dietary restrictions and for folks who are just looking for something tasty.

Winner, Winner, Chicken ... No, I'm Not Going There

Well, today wraps up the giving and sharing and turns into the having and the receiving of the Mustard Seed Market gift card giveaway. At 6 AM, I finished building my spreadsheet of contest entrants, loaded up Random.org and clicked on the "Generate" button until it coughed up two numbers, 13 and 29. After cross-referencing my spreadsheet, I see that the following two lucky readers have been selected:

Renee (who has provided me with an email address)
Jackie (who tweeted the contest on @Donny_Davis, but did not provide an email address)

I have contacted Renee directly (and am still waiting for her response). Jackie, please contact me to claim your prize. You have one week from the date of publication of this blog post.

Congratulations to the contest winners for both Earth Fare and Mustard Seed Market and Cafe. For those who didn't win, I encourage you to check out both stores and see for yourself how they can make a positive change in your life.

Fairlawn Showcase Part II: Mustard Seed Market & Cafe

[Full disclosure: I worked an apprenticeship in the bakery department of Mustard Seed Market at the Solon location for two months back in November and December 2007. I don't know whether this was a factor or not in Mustard Seed deciding to participate in this particular series, but I thought I'd throw that out there just to make sure everything is on the up and up.]

Today's second post in the Fairlawn Showcase series may be a day late due to a technical snafu at Blogger, but it certainly won't be a dollar short. If you recall, in my last post, I had the privilege of taking a pre-opening tour of the new Earth Fare location in Fairlawn. After showing me the lay of the land, my tour guide, Kristi, gave me my very own $50 gift card to do with as I pleased. I decided that in order to get just one more reader in to try out the store, I would give mine away on that blog post in addition to the two others that Earth Fare had generously donated.

After receiving the initial inquiry from Earth Fare, I immediately thought what a splendid idea it would be if I could not only spotlight this national chain based out of Ashville, NC, but also bring a locally founded and operated company based right here in northeast Ohio into the mix as well, especially as their Montrose location just celebrated its formal re-opening one week ago today to celebrate their thirty year anniversary.

Founded in 1981 by Margaret and Phillip Nabors, the couple saw a serious need for a grocery store that could provide high quality natural and organic foods along with education and information on food issues and the environment. From the very beginning, Mustard Seed Market has been a local pioneer in the tradition of strict ingredient standards - no artificial colors, flavorings or harmful chemical preservatives, no saccharin or aspartame, no irradiated foods, meats raised without the use of growth hormones and never fed animal by-products.

Now with two store locations, Solon and Montrose, and a third on the way in the Highland Square area closer to downtown Akron, the entire Nabors family has been or is currently involved in making Mustard Seed Market the pre-eminent market for those concerned with putting high quality, nutrient-dense food onto the dinner table day after day. In fact, my involvement from initial meeting through the photo shoot and follow-up emails were made through Gabe Nabors, son of Margaret and Phillip, who is the Purchasing Manager and also in charge of their social media accounts (e.g., Facebook and Twitter).

The Montrose location of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe was located at 3885 West Market Street, Akron, OH 44333 and can be reached at either 330-666-7333 or toll-free at 888-476-2379. In addition to their corporate website, they also have Facebook and Twitter accounts which are updated quite often with reminders, specials, and the occasional informative tidbit. Parking was in the large lot in front of the entrance.

Speaking of storefronts, here was Mustard Seed Market's:


As I got close to the front door, I noticed the following sign hanging right above the entrance:


Always concerned with getting their products into as many hands (and mouths) as possible, the folks at Mustard Seed had listed seven different ways in which shoppers could save money while shopping. I'll leave the description of the right sign, "Free Water," for a bit later in the post. Once inside, I met up with Gabe and we began our walk around the store, virtually documenting our trip with photographs.

Here is where the prose in the form of paragraphs will end for now as we begin the trip (as well as the tense of my verbs).

The first area we come to after entering the sliding glass doors is the produce area. As you can see from the photo above, it is large, spacious and fully stocked. Mustard Seed has a commitment to not only organically produced fruits and vegetables, but also partners with local growers to get as much seasonal product as possible.

Just to the left of the produce section (and right inside the main door) are several large wooden crates of organic mangoes, Packham pears, and Fuji apples. This is one of the many "Seed$avings!" specials that rotate throughout the store on a regular basis.

Along with whole fruits and vegetables of every kind imaginable, the folks at Mustard Seed understand that shoppers lead very busy lives. Here are shelves of pre-cut and pre-mixed containers of organic fruit, ready to eat.

One of the main sources of pride at Mustard Seed Market is the newly expanded bulk foods section of the market at the rear of the produce area. On the right side of the aisle, you will find pre-packaged bulk foods in various sized containers ready for purchase and consumption.

The left-hand side of the aisle contains a very large selection of bulk foods, ranging from organic seeds, nuts (salted and unsalted), grains, legumes, flours, coffee, rice, and much, much more.

As you exit out of the rear of the bulk foods aisle, you will find yourself at the right rear of the store in the Market Kitchen. Here, workers prepare small batch quantities of prepared foods that completely fit in with the natural and organic philosophy of the store. Small batches made throughout the day ensure that the food stays fresher, tastier, and ultimately more healthy.

Here is a shot of some of the prepared foods inside the display cases.

In addition to the prepared foods in the cases, a sushi bar where fresh selections are made on a daily basis as well as a salad bar island directly in front of the Market Kitchen offers several dozen items from which you can build a healthy and tasty salad to meet your exact needs.

Just behind the salad bar is one of Mustard Seed Market's pride and joy, a reverse osmosis water dispenser. While the water is typically $0.25 per gallon at this dispensary (which in itself is a bargain), until May 22nd, if you spend just $5.00 at Mustard Seed, you can get 10 gallons of water FOR FREE! This popular service is one of the market's larger draws for regular shoppers.

In addition to the daily made bread in the baskets at the Market Kitchen area, additional baskets of bread are available next to the salad bar area. Having baked many a loaf of this bread in the kitchens of Mustard Seed in Solon, I can tell you that every single loaf is made daily and from scratch to ensure freshness, taste, and good nutrition.

Another of Mustard Seed Market's trademarks is their commitment to vitamins and supplements of all kinds. The photograph above is one of TWO complete aisles committed to making sure you, the shopper, have access to a myriad of choices. Lest you think you will be all alone to navigate this sea of products, the market has extremely knowledgeable staff willing to help out whenever you feel overwhelmed or are looking for something particular.

Towards the middle rear of the sales floor is the seafood and meat department. All of the ground meats (turkey, chicken, beef, and pork) are ground on-site several times a day. In addition to whole cuts of meat being available for sale, pre-marinated or fabricated (think chicken kabobs) items are also available to help the busy cook get dinner on the table faster.

This is a shot of one of the two cheese cases available at Mustard Seed. In addition, prepared cheese spreads are also available.

Behind the cheese case already pictured is the freezer case where the pre-packaged Gluten Free frozen food products live. Additionally, in the aisle across from the cheese case, the Gluten Free foods are congregated in a single area, each marked with a blue "Gluten Free" tag to aid those having to navigate the somewhat confusing world of gluten-free foods as easily as possible.

Across from the Gluten Free shelf-stable products is an entire assortment of chocolates, ranging from organic to conventional, from all parts of the world and containing different percentages of the cacao bean.

In the wine aisle, a vast selection of bottles of wine are sorted either by country of origin, kosher or organic.

Here is a shot of some of the organic wines available at Mustard Seed Market in Montrose.

Right around the corner from the wine section is the beer cooler displaying all manner of local and national brands of beer.

This painted wall mural behind the beer case emphasizes Mustard Seed Market's commitment to the philosophy of organic farming and the potential health benefits associated of food that has not been sprayed with any of the various -ides (i.e., pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, etc.).

While the dairy section contains a number of nationally available brands, local farms, such as Snowville Creamery and Hartzler Dairy, are also represented. Of course, alternatives to dairy, such as almond, rice, and soy milks are also available.

Just behind the dairy section and next to the cheese case is the entrance to the full-service cafe, located at the top of the stairs in the building's mezzanine. Here is a shot of the sales floor below, giving you a pretty good idea of the size and variety of the products under one roof.

At the top of the stairs is the entrance to the cafe. Open for lunch and dinner during the week and brunch on Sundays, the restaurant is full-service and caters to diners with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, etc.) as well as those just looking for a tasty meal that adheres to the company's philosophy on food.

This is the counter area just inside the main entrance to the cafe. The doors in the back open up to banquet rooms where additional seating is available for catered events. Catering services are available for on and off-site events and for carry-out.

The final photo is the community calendar of events located at the very front of the store, right before you exit out into the parking lot. In addition to weekly specials (such as a Golden Buckeye Day discount for seniors), information about classes and community events are also listed.

The tour now complete, I realized I had spent nearly an hour walking around with Gabe snapping pictures and chatting with him. I thanked him for his time, gathered up all my gear and headed back out to my car knowing that I would have plenty of pictures and information to write about my tour of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe. I also made sure before I left the store to pick up the generously donated duo of $50 gift cards, good at either Mustard Seed Market location.

So now that you've walked the market with me, gentle reader, let me further entice you into trying them out for yourself. The contest for the Mustard Seed Market gift cards will work EXACTLY the same way as it did for the Earth Fare cards (well, hopefully without the snafu from Blogger causing comments to stop working). The contest begins on Saturday, May 14th at 6:00 AM and will continue until Monday morning at 5:59:59 AM. To enter for a chance to win one of the two cards, simply leave a comment on this blog post (NOT the Facebook fan page) stating that you'd like to win. If you'd like an additional chance at winning a card, share a link to this blog post on your Facebook, Twitter, blog or other social media outlet and paste that link into the comment you leave here. Regardless of how many sites you share the link on, it only counts as one extra chance.

IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT and Random.org happens to pick your post as the winner, I will contact you directly. If you paste in a shared link to your social media site in your comment and it is obvious how to get in touch with you, you do not have to leave an email address. If you choose not to leave an email address and it is not obvious how to contact you, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to check back on Monday morning to see if you've been selected as one of the winners. You'll have a week from the time I announce the winners to contact me to claim your prize. If not, I'll pick another winner.

Of course, regardless of whether you win one of the $50 gift cards to Mustard Seed Market and Cafe, it is clear that this local family-owned chain of stores is committed to providing you with the quality food, services, and education that can only improve the quality of your life. I recommend you visit them soon and see how they can help you make improvements to you and your family's well-being.