Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Dine

Cutesy decor belies sophisticated menu

At Clearwater's Wildflower Cafe, don't let the tearoom atmosphere throw you. There's more on the plate than quiche and cake, and it's made with care.

By CHRIS SHERMAN
Published March 17, 2005

[Times photos: Carrie Pratt]

Cole Piccarreto, 10 months, of Belleair, breakfasts with his family Monday at the Wildflower Cafe.

	French toast, $4.95 at the Wildflower Cafe in Clearwater.

CLEARWATER - Sometimes, you've got to turn off the too-cute meter. Or learn to ignore it.

My cutesy alarm went off with an irritating squawk just outside the Wildflower Cafe when I spotted all the flowers of all kinds, live, rubber and silk, in the planters, on the windowsills, painted on the walls and ceiling, on the tablecloths and the wall borders, on the nice little seats, 30 inside and 20 on the patio.

I, after my lectures that food counts more than decor, should know to ignore niceties as easily as I tolerate dingy dives. Still, I suspected that inside I would find well-meaning, gentle folk serving up standard carrot cake and quiche.

I was wrong. Before I could say, "How nice," I realized that there was so much good stuff on the menu that making a choice for breakfast or lunch was difficult. The good stuff included, for instance, ham and Swiss melted in a ciabatta bread with a crisp olive oil crust. That's real food, not just for quiche eaters.

There is a whole selection of quiche, of course, and plenty more egg dishes, from omelets to husky tarts whose pecan chicken or roasted vegetables outweigh the eggs.

Wildflower makes great soups, has a fine a la carte brunch on Sunday, serves a rich cup of hot chocolate and makes root beer floats with Barq's, the elixir of the heartland.

Most of all it bakes everything from scratch but the breads. You'll forgive that once you see the lineup of cakes and sweets, from pumpkin scones and lemon bars to pecan tassies and a hummingbird cake atwitter with banana and pineapple. The biscuits were too grainy and soft for me, but otherwise I dreamed I'd died and gone to the bake sale at Angel Elementary.

These aren't just your ordinary tea cottage dainties. Someone here knows how to cook. Actually I've counted up to five people working in the tiny kitchen with remarkably good cheer.

It all made sense when I learned that the owners are Leslie Alfred and Joan Dragon. I've tasted their work before, and so has North Pinellas, at the old Red Roe in Dunedin and the Black Cat in Clearwater Beach, respectively. They have always been good cooks, aware of modern ingredients and the ancient power of the oven, which is more important than any cutesy touches.

So I trusted them on a turkey sandwich with the worrisome name of Island Breeze. Turkey on wheat with mango chutney, pecans and raisins makes me nervous; adding shredded carrots and curried mayo lifted this sandwich far above most meat lovers' paninis. Hefty, spicy, and if you won't tell, rather healthful.

With a sandwich or a salad, soup's a must. The everyday tomato basil bisque is fine stuff and lighter than most bisques, but the pleasure goes up if the daily alternative is butternut squash with orange and honey. Thanksgiving in a soupspoon.

Most mornings, egg choices range from scrambled with mini-Belgian waffles to quiches and tarts. The tarts are more like a frittata, with less egg than a quiche and more filling. Omelets can be stuffed with ham, cheddar, caramelized onions or field greens or all of the above. A remarkably good idea those greens, adding a nifty sharpness.

Sunday's brunch extends to Benedicts, burritos and crepes with rosemary potatoes and weekly specials. It's best with a seat outdoors.

Beverages include pulpy OJ, wine, chocolate and good espresso. My two disappointments were in the glassware. I don't like clear glass cups for hot beverages because they get too hot. On the other hand, I'm glad to see even the silliest teapot if it's ceramic, as mine was here, but the water was not hot enough.

The service is sharp, quick and friendly. On one visit, a first-time patron helped carry out some coolers stacked up for a catering job, and the owners quickly provided his whole party of Minnesota visitors with free breakfasts.

It's that warm, homemade nature that makes us love breakfast out and, to be honest, delight in garden party fare. Someone cared to make food for us, as cleverly and prettily as they can, by patience and wisdom, with an oven and by hand.

As I left one day after a late lunch, the servers had switched over to a puzzling chore that involved white cardboard, colored markers, ink pads and rubber stamps. I asked: They were decorating containers for the next day's box lunches.

I was tempted to grab a purple marker and write on one "2 good 2 be 2 cute."

1460 S Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater

Phone: (727) 447-4497 Hours: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; brunch, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Details: Credit cards accepted, wine served.

Features: Outdoor seating, takeout catering, afternoon teas by appointment.

[Last modified March 16, 2005, 12:33:08]