Brookhaven Bistro

by Ann-Marie Reeder

This week I had the pleasure of visiting the Brookhaven Bistro. It is a small cafe tucked behind Nuts 'N Berries Health Food Store. The owner, Chef Chip Desormeaux is from Louisiana and he puts that wonderful Louisiana flavor in all of his food.

My sister, Julie Malmquist and I started out with a garden salad. This was no ordinary salad. It had a variety of greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, red bell peppers and pepita seeds. The signature dressing is called Goddess dressing. It is very light yet creamy and it would satisfy any italian or ranch dressing lover.

The soups are to die for! We tasted the Thai Coconut Curry soup. While I am not a big coconut fan, the soup was fabulous! Chip rotates the soups throughout the year and they are a popular item in the restaurant.

I have one word for the Black Beans and Rice with Wild Alaskan Salmon dish. Yum! It had a little of that Louisiana spice and was served over Japanese brown rice. It also had spicy chipotle sauce on the edge of the plate that mixed in nicely with the entree to give it an extra kick.

The Turkey Burger was my sister Julie's favorite. The moist turkey patty was served on a cracked whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and sauteed onions and mushrooms. It had vegenaise (vegan mayo) that was so tasty you would swear it was Hellman's! They also offer organic ketchup to complement the burger.

The signature Salmon Quesadilla was a hit! It had delicious Wild Alaskan Salmon sauteed with onions, mushrooms, jack cheese and fresh tomatoes. My taste buds lit up while eating this dish!

I don't want to forget to mention the deli case of this quaint bistro. They offer many take and go meals which are very popular during lunch. We sampled the Quinoa Salad, creamy Hummus and Pimento cheese. Everything is homemade and all of the bread is made fresh by Galia and Eli Kikov who own Best Bread Co. They are from Israel and I have never tasted Pita Bread that was so fluffy and light. All of the breads in the restaurant are served fresh with no preservatives.

If you want a healthy, delicious meal that is beautifully presented, look no further. Chip is waiting for you!

Ann-Marie Reeder is a writer for North Georgia Leisure, From My Table's parent publication. Ann-Marie visited The Vineyard with me some months ago, and developed a desire to write. This review is her first, and we hope there are many more to come. Welcome to the FMT family, Ann-Marie!

John