A big family birthday party brought us to Maple Street Cafe for lunch. Twenty of us sat in the little private room behind the charming Mediterranean-style patio. It’s a perfect little room for small gatherings.
Besides a large menu there is a long list of specials. There was great interest in the eggplant cake, so my sister (the hostess) ordered a few of those. I got Oysters Almandine for Tom and the potato soup du jour for me. A mussels app was across from us, and a mezes platter or two was part of this first course.
The eggplant cake was a big hit with everyone. It was crabmeat and eggplant made into a cake and pan-seared, napped with a delicious New Orleans-style cream sauce. There were several of these on the table and they all went pretty quickly.
My potato soup was disappointing. It was not as thick as I think potato soup should be and there were very small bits of potato and mushrooms. A creamy potato soup is ipso facto good, but this was the least of the lot I’ve had.
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The Mussels Provençal was very red with tomato, and the person who had it enjoyed dipping the delicious warm French bread which came to the table (but not with the mussels) into the broth.
Tom loved his Oysters Almandine, which had a nice citrusy butter sauce and plenty of almonds. A half dozen fried oysters were drizzled with sauce and dusted with the almonds. Underneath it all was a puddle of more of the superb sauce.
The mezes platter was a hit with those eating healthier. Hummus, Baba ghanoush, Tabbouleh, and pickled peppers were flanked by warm pita with a smattering of olives. I often say that Maple St. Cafe offers a fusion of New Orleans food lightened up by Mediterranean flavors and dishes, and the mezes platter is a great example.
There were lots of entrees that interested me, and it was a little hard to choose. I had already settled on the Linguine Nora, but when the softshell crab special was announced, I wanted that. But too many people wanted that as well, so I deferred to work and got something different. Back to the Linguine Nora. There was a shrimp soup on the table, Tom’s pecan crusted catfish, a grilled salmon, and the wonderful Greek Salad. Someone else got the grilled chicken salad.
It was hard to take my eyes off the softshell crab, which was a massive specimen. One of them had claws the size of lobster claws.
I had serious plate envy. The crab came with angel hair pasta beneath it, and a luscious rich cream sauce. This was a fantastic plate of food, and everyone who ordered it swooned over it.
Tom’ loved his pecan catfish, which was a nice size surrounded by roasted new potatoes and a medley of carrots and green beans. This pecan crust was buttery in the most wonderful way.
My Linguine Nora was intriguing because of the ingredients: spinach, feta, pine nuts. It was a Mediterranean preparation. The chicken was small bits of grilled chicken and there was a lot of broth with it. I liked it well enough, but I couldn't get past the plate envy of the softshell crab.
The salmon next to me was gorgeous. It was served with spinach and grilled veggies. The crust on it was flavorful and spicy and the crust itself was very nice. This was a healthy choice that was really delicious. I will get that one next time.
The Greek salad was a winner for the person who got it. Popping with chunks of feta cheese, the presentation of this was as gorgeous as I remember, and the person who got it loved it as I do.
The grilled chicken salad was also so beautiful I will add that to my list of “next time” orders.
Across from me someone got the penne pasta with marinara and eggplant, and she liked it well enough but quit the whole thing after the eggplant ran out. Since I am not a fan of eggplant I didn’t understand that order from the beginning. It was a nice version of the dish, though.
The shrimp soup was enjoyed by the person who got it. I was surprised to see it in a tomato broth.
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A few others got the fried oyster salad with spinach. This looked wonderful and everyone who got it was well-satisfied with their choice. Also on the "next time" list.
Our waiter Juan was absolutely wonderful and really professional. Totally on top of everything. He gave us great service from the food to the champagne and cake that we had after. It was a delightful afternoon birthday party, and it reminded me how charming, delicious, and really affordable this gem is.
