| Thousands of people drive down Macleod Trail every day past the Union Cemetery and across 25th Avenue. Like me, they probably just see many trees. But, a tiny sign invites those who know it is there to turn off 25th and into those trees, where they’ll find a parking lot for the newly restored Reader Rock Garden.
My brunch companion and I made our way up through the gardens to find the Reader’s Garden Café. William Reader was the city’s Superintendent of Parks between 1913 and 1942. He actually lived on the land that is now the restored gardens. While experimenting with his own residential gardens on the site with thousands of species of plants he also transformed many of the city’s other parks. Enhancing this beautiful and fragrant spot is a new 40-seat café, opened by long-time local restaurateur Witold Twardowski and located in the reconstructed Reader home.
Multiple walkways allow visitors to take in the many levels of garden and we even discovered some hidden benches suitable for a quiet reading space. Elevated and tucked away from the city by a wall of trees and shrubs, only muffled traffic noises indicate the city’s nearby presence.
Once at the top of the hill we came into the most spectacular view and a welcome breeze. There were a few tables on the patio placed to take advantage of both, but a quick cleaning of the patio and the outside windows would make the al fresco dining a lot more appealing. Overlooking the Saddledome with a full downtown view, the building offers one of the city’s best dining spots.
Thick brown shingles and warm yellow trim show visitors the original arts and crafts style of the house. The original 1911 plans for the house, still on file with the city, were used in its renovation. But, it’s the landscaping that is truly breathtaking, and even those without a green thumb (like me!) can still appreciate the work that has gone into the planting and growing of the garden.
We were seated at a table for two. The furniture was antique mismatched pieces with velvet brocade upholstery, giving the décor a bit of a quaint teahouse look. Crisp linen tablecloths could have been used to sharpen things up. Painted a deep hunter green with yellow floral wallpaper and wainscoting, the inside also featured angular wood ceilings, wall sconces and a bar area with seating around the fireplace.
Chef Marisa Barrington, whose experience was acquired at The Ranche, Piato and Big Fish, has created three separate menus for weekend brunch, weekday lunch and supper. The menus are small and simple, change often and use locally-produced ingredients for wholesome, flavourful dishes.
My companion chose the eggs Benedict ($13), topped with smoked salmon and avocado, accompanied by the roasted Poplar Bluff potatoes. The eggs were done to perfection and the potatoes were delicious. I went for the Capicolla ham panini ($9) with roasted red peppers, arugula, Gruyère cheese and olive tapenade. The tapenade was a savoury base for the sandwich and complimented the sharp peppers, but the bread was slightly overtoasted. It came with a side of greens tossed with vinaigrette, a nice light alternative to the usual heavy fries.
We also looked over the other menus and some eye-catching lunch items included the asparagus and local beet salad with candied pumpkin seeds, edible flowers and grainy mustard vinaigrette ($8), as well as the egg salad sandwich with avocado and microgreens on organic multigrain bread, with greens or daily soup ($8). For dinner, I also took note of the half Cornish game hen with mushroom and wild rice pilaf served with wilted spinach ($22), and the roasted beef striploin with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and fresh horseradish reduction ($25) for another visit.
With the gorgeous surrounding gardens and great building, the Reader’s Garden Café needs only to tighten up its operations with some warmed-up décor and a little extra care in upkeep to fully capitalize on its spectacular location.
The Reader’s Garden Café is located at the north end of Union Cemetery at Macleod Trail & 25 Avenue S.E.; phone, 245-3252. |
Copyright ©2006 FFWD. All rights reserved.