Green's Garden: Let that delicious food speak

Sitting on the corner at 2 Main St. in Cape Girardeau is a special place, Green's Garden.

Green's Garden is a family-owned and -operated business, and let me tell you, you can see the care put into every corner of the building.

It feels very much like old-world street vendor carts, with shining bright vegetables displayed beautifully and stacked perfectly. Farther back is a meat counter, and if meat could be called pretty, this was it. Deep red, cut with perfection, stacked up like in a pleasing formation like a counter in a Rockwell painting. There is a section of freshly bagged greens, not a wilted or browned leaf in the bunch, I looked, and kombucha and homemade hot sauce. There is a dairy section, full of milk from cows that are field grazed, and hand-churned sweet cream butter.

Green's Garden makes things to eat with this wonderful food, so my husband ordered the Lunch Steak Plate, and I ordered the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. Our waters were serve-yourself from the glass jugs scattered around the seating area. Our table had one tiny, perfect purple bloom in a delicate brown bottle that reminded me of a medicine bottle from back in the day. I looked around some more while waiting and found the dried goods bulk area off to the side. Lots of different grains, bags of rice, banana chips, all sorts of bulk items lined up in neat rows and ready to pour out as much as you wanted. I know I missed something special and delicious but that's OK. I'll be back.

I was sitting back down when the food arrived, and the man who brought it out to me set it down gently and pushed it in front of us like the food was something special. And oh, it was! First thoughts: my plate looked like a painting or that food you see on TV that people spend hours styling just right to make you crave it. My salad was beautiful, and I know I've used that word lightly before, but this time I really mean it. This plate was artistic, colorful and every piece placed with care. I think I breathed out an "Oh my goodness," and then I looked over at Seth's plate. His plate was every bit as intentional, well proportioned and neat as mine, and everything looked absolutely delicious.

The Lunch Steak Plate from Green's Garden, bursting with freshness and flavor.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

The Lunch Steak Plate from Green's Garden, bursting with freshness and flavor.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

My salad came with a dressing on the side, so I tested it before I dumped it on everything. Minty, light, definitely homemade. Then I tested the dressing that came with Seth's side salad, and it was homemade ranch to die for. Fresh is so much better; it really is. And when I took a bite of my salad, it was like an explosion in my mouth. There was so much going on, crunchy greens, soft chickpeas, fresh mint, warm spice, a citrus zing. I became fascinated by the greens, trying each one separately. In a salad, the lettuce is usually something that the good stuff rests on, but not here. There were some leaves in there that I had never before tasted, each one full of its own unique flavor. One that was broad with lots of frills on the edges that was minty and earthy was my favorite.

Seth's steak was tender and juicy. I was a little surprised, because I'd had grass-fed beef before and found it a little gamey. Not this. His potatoes were real, of course, and tasted just like my mom's, full of butter and maybe a splash of milk? His greens were just as crispy as mine, the dressing delicious, and the green beans had a lovely pat of butter melting over them. Seth just kept talking about how it was simple and real food, delicious and so much better than fast food, and you wouldn't find me disagreeing with him.

I bought some brats from Big Frank, who is simply a joy to visit with. He asked us how our food was, and we talked about that a little. He said that (and I'm paraphrasing here) chef culture takes ingredients that aren't the best, and through preparation and seasoning, try to elevate those ingredients. He said that Green's Garden is doing the opposite. They take high-quality ingredients and "let the food speak for itself".

Well, the food at Green's Garden has a lot to say, and it's speaking loudly, so go give it a listen.