With the holidays over, I must get back to the svelte shape I was in when first starting this Foodinator column. I allowed myself one too many helpings of my favorite holiday indulgence – almond and marmalade torte with lattice crust. With all these pesky New Hampshire snowstorms, I cannot be expected to leave my apartment to run laps, drive to the gym or do anything other than stay indoors all day and keep nice and toasty warm with the latest issue of “Cook's Illustrated” by my side. My LA friends would be ashamed at my extra poundage. Good thing they would never be caught dead in Cow Hampshire.
I am slowly beginning to discover a few things in Concord that remind me of the glamorous California lifestyle I left behind. One of these things is the Concord Cooperative Market, located on South Main Street. In this natural food store, I can find all sorts of organic treats that help me stay healthy. Also, by doing this, I help them maintain part of their mission statement by supporting “environmentally and socially responsible producers and suppliers.” See? I do have a heart after all.
However, I don't always have time to whip up a nutritious and organic meal due to my busy schedule and pure laziness. Thankfully, the co-op has a small café in the corner of the market called The Celery Stick Café, so someone else can do the cooking for me.
Every day, the Celery Stick Café offers several options in a buffet/serve yourself type setting (they call it a “hot bar”), where you are charged by the pound. You'll never see the same item two days in a row, as the cooks are always coming up with new, innovative dishes to offer their customers. From what I have gathered, they always have a vegetarian option, a meat option and some sort of chicken or fish option, along with a couple of different soups to choose from and a salad bar.
I'm not usually a fan of buffets, as I like to be waited on. Also, there is something about them that makes me think of a group of pigs, readily gobbling the food from their trough, never coming up for air in the hopes they can eat fast enough to gorge more food than the piggy next to them.
The food at the café, though, is worth summoning your inner piggy. Also, I like that they call it a “hot bar,” because it makes me feel far more fancy.
Just so you know, the café is busiest from noon to 1 p.m., but after 1 it quiets down enough that I don't feel like I'm competing with others for the best piece of cashew encrusted chicken.
This brings me to my one annoyance about the café, which isn't entirely the Co-op's fault – the seating is rather limited. Typically, four tables are available, two small ones for two people, and two others for four people, which can be split up into tables of two. If you happen to want to eat there, don't count on seating until the lunch rush is over.
My dining companion and I ran into this problem when we went there for lunch several weeks ago. After getting our food, we had to stand there and wait as our food got colder with each precious minute. As aforementioned, I don't really blame this on the Co-op. More seating would be lovely, but the market is already jammed pack as it is, so I cannot imagine where extra seating could go.
But I have to get angry at someone. I understand the desire to have a leisurely lunch, but on this particular day, my companion and I stood there waiting for a table for quite a while. Three out of the four tables, I was not irked with. However, one table had a man and a woman at it who had clearly finished eating but decided to hold an impromptu business meeting in the midst of the Celery Stick Café. There they sat (might I again add, not eating) with their planners spread out and conveniently shifting their eyes downward whenever I glared at them.
Meanwhile, other people were lining up behind us waiting to eat. My companion and I could have taken the food to go, but I feel that if people are waiting to eat, it may be a good time to put away your Blackberries and continue talking about the company's future at, oh, I don't know . . . your place of business.
Luckily, a sweet looking older couple finished their food and let my companion and I have their table, allowing us to finally dig in. I got a side of roasted veggies, which included butternut squash, parsnips, salt, pepper and olive oil, along with a roast beef wrap with Brie and tomatoes. My companion, afraid of any cheese not American and any vegetable that doesn't come from a can, opted for a cup of alpine onion soup. (Joke's on her, though, as I'm sure the onion didn't come from the can and the cheese in it was most likely Swiss.) She also chose to skip getting anything to drink, as the Co-op doesn't have fountain soda, and clearly healthy choices such as acai juice and vitamin enhanced water just weren't acceptable to her. Even organic root beer wasn't good enough, as it was still just a little too healthy for her oh-so-refined palate.
Don't you worry, I didn't let her food-scrooge behavior get to me. I enjoyed my vitamin water down to the last drop.
I was very happy with my whole meal. The roasted veggies were absolutely delicious and seasoned perfectly. The roast beef wrap (which was really more reminiscent of a large quesadilla) was delectable. They were also serving crab cakes that day, which seemed to be a popular choice. I had been there several times before that and every time, I left highly satisfied with my meal.
My total for my meal and vitamin water was $9.10. But please, keep in mind thatI definitely piled my plate high, therefore adding to the cost.
Since I never know what is going to be served at the Celery Stick Café, I find it delightful to walk into the Co-op knowing I am always going to be surprised and never let down. It helps spice up my normally humdrum Concord lifestyle.
We left upon finishing our meals, allowing someone else to enjoy the privilege of mowing down. My “buddies” were still at their table (not eating) when we left – clearly ignoring the co-op's request to “limit seating to one hour.” Don't let this deter you from going, as the co-op is an excellent option for take out, and every other time I stopped in, seating was available.
After leaving the café, my companion asked me to go with her to McDonald's so she could get her beloved soda. She then admitted that she didn't want to ask me, fearing I would write it in my article. I told her I would probably make fun of her either way, so we might as well just go.
I always feel great after eating at the Celery Stick Café, whether it be thanks to sautéed spinach and mushrooms or a hearty salad, piled high with banana peppers. I feel so great, in fact, that I don't feel the least bit guilty walking into McDonald's and ordering a hot fudge sundae. Just don't tell any of my L.A. friends about that part.
The Foodinator
