After hearing that Canopy had recently revamped things for the spring, I stopped by earlier this week to check it out.
Surprised that the restaurant is serving a full breakfast menu every morning, I asked if it would be possible to try a little something from that menu even though it was now afternoon. Elizabeth Brooks, Canopy's chef de cuisine, popped into the kitchen and returned with a gorgeous parfait that was loaded with creamy yogurt, freshly baked granola, and glistening rainbow-colored berries. Though there was nothing extravagant about the dish, it was perfect in its refined simplicity.
The breakfast menu also offers heartier dishes like build-your-own omelets, French toast with house-made Challah, and even a breakfast burrito.
I noticed that a small plate of Crispy Red Snapper Beignets had been added to the menu, so my dining companion and I shared that along with the new flatbread pizza, a vegan buckwheat noodle bowl, and a quiche chock full of ingredients procured from a local farmers' market. The snapper beignets were heavenly: little filets of fresh fish fried in a light-as-air batter that managed to stay perfectly crisp and non-greasy were served alongside a jalapeno aioli, hush puppies, and creamy cabbage slaw.
The flatbread pizza was thin and crunchy and topped with chunks of bacon, little slices of broccolini, mozzarella, and two oozing fried eggs. This is a very brunchy dish that is available at all hours of the day.
It was refreshing to see a vegan option on a menu that actually had flavor and substance, and I took the majority of my veggie-laden noodle bowl home for a lovely post-workout dinner. The soft quiche was fluffy and bursting with greens, caramelized onions, and gruyere.
Since pastry chef Chad Fry is known for turning out some of the best baked goods in town, I decided to end things on a sweet note with an assorted cookie platter. The former Daily Review and Kraftsmen baker is currently turning out luscious loaves of breads and tender pastries, which he sells to Canopy and other restaurants, such as Haven, as well as offering them to the public at the farmers' markets.
The cookies were all familiar favorites - chocolate chip, shortbread, pecan sandy, brownies - and like all the food at Canopy, the emphasis was not on redefining a recipe, but rather focusing on perfecting a tradition by using superior ingredients and skills.
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