Feel the beet: Dining

Owner Sally Koppenberg leased the former Palmer Trading Post and rebuilt the kitchen. Building owners Steven and De'lena Johnson renovated it from foundation to roof. The result is a modern cafe with all the character of a 1930s-style bungalow: honey wood floors, sleek wood furniture and an open kitchen that showcases an Italian stone oven. This attention to luxurious detail promises meals as thoughtful and original as the decor.

Koppenberg, who has operated Stonehill Catering and Gardens for 13 years with her husband, Jay Erickson, now caters out of the Beet's French Provincial-style kitchen and planned, upon opening, to offer as many local foods as possible. Because her emphasis is on the catering business, Koppenberg doesn't publish a menu in advance. Past menus list offerings ranging from mixed pasta with French tomato topping and beet salads with napa cabbage and green apples.

"Everything we serve, we make," said Koppenberg, whose love affair with beets prompted the cafe's name and a dedication to serving the vegetable somewhere in every lunch. "We make all of our crusts and doughs, reduction sauces and broths. We don't use any canned or prepared food."

Because of this, the daily menu lists just one entree, one side and fresh-baked bread. Don't come here expecting hamburgers, fries and a Coke -- Koppenberg is a creative gourmet cook who depends on fresh ingredients to drive her meals.

Diners really have only one choice during lunch: with dessert ($14) or without ($11). Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. until it's gone. Most afternoons the cafe serves three courses of homemade nibbles, similar to that in a British-style high tea, and coffee and pastries from 4 to 6 p.m. The three courses consist of a salad, a savory (like lox or fresh buffalo sausage with chipotle dressing) and a sweet (think pastries served with a variety of flavored creams). On Saturdays, breakfast ($11) is served from 9 to 11 a.m., also from a single menu choice, and might include crepes with sweet or savory stuffing, a side like garlic potatoes or fresh Alaska bacon and toast.

A co-worker and I showed up for lunch on a recent Friday to find the dining room mostly empty. That day, the lineup was three-cheese bread (Parmesan, mozzarella and double Gloucester), beef Bordelaise pie (slow-braised beef with root vegetables in a sour cream shell) and spring tabbouleh (fresh mint, tomatoes, lemon, herbs and bulgar wheat mixed into a salad). The optional dessert was a mixed-berry compote with mint. We went for one lunch with dessert, one without. There was an assortment of teas, hot or iced ($2), organic milk ($1) and coffee ($2), but we chose water, served in wineglasses from a carafe our waitress left on the table.

Our lunches, when they arrived 10 minutes later, had portions that fit easily on midsized plates, with the bread in an accompanying basket. The pie's homemade pastry was a buttery complement to the potatoes, carrots and rutabagas inside. And while the slow-roasted beef chunks were fork-tender, they were outnumbered by the vegetables 3-to-1. I found the bread a bit dry considering its cheesy contents and managed a half-slice with a generous portion of butter.

Parsley dominated the tabbouleh, a crunchy, feathery texture I thought was delicious paired with mint and lemon. Although the salad was generously coated with dressing, the parsley remained crisp, and the garden-fresh taste left me wanting more.

Despite the comparatively small servings, both of us cleared our plates and felt comfortably full.

We also felt we'd done our bodies a favor eating such healthy fare, and that feeling was enforced when dessert showed up. The compote was served in a cup the size of a toddler's fist, allowing each of us three tastes of the raspberry-apple-red beet concoction dolloped with whipped cream. It was sweet, tart and wholesome, and my only complaint was that we had to share.

I stopped by later on a Saturday afternoon, anticipating a creative selection of nibbles. Unfortunately, the main-floor dining room was closed due to a community club meeting, and we were directed upstairs, where seating for 40 is nestled under a low ceiling and among windowed alcoves. Because of the meeting, a high tea wasn't offered to us, although Koppenberg said later that if we'd requested it, she would've served it.

Instead, our waitress offered a BLT sandwich with fresh balsamic vinegar mayo and a stacked five-layer salad with lettuce, beef and fruit topped with a fresh fruity-herb dressing. We opted for coffee with homemade chocolate, almond or strawberry pastries. My friend ordered French-pressed coffee, and I asked for mint tea. You can order a carafe of either for $4.

The pastries, when they arrived with our drinks, were the size of Susan B. Anthony dollars; disappointingly small considering their $3-apiece price. Although the pastries were flaky and topped with unsweetened cream and dusted sugar, the fresh strawberries I expected were preserves and the chocolate was stiff, as if it had been made the day before. I enjoyed the secluded atmosphere, but I'll avoid the pastries in favor of a tea next time.

On the other hand, there are few places in the Valley that can match The Red Beet for lunch. Attentive service, unique surroundings and an emphasis on fresh, organic fare make dining here a walk in the garden.

• Got a restaurant tip, a new menu, a favorite dish or a chef change? Contact Play editor Josh Niva at jniva@adn.com.

The Red Beet

Location: 320 Dahlia Ave., Palmer

Hours: Weekdays: pastries and coffee served 10-11:30 a.m., lunch served 11:30 a.m. until sold out, nibbles served 4-6 p.m. Saturday: breakfast served 9-11 a.m., lunch served from noon until sold out, nibbles, pastries and coffee served 4-6 p.m. Hours may be altered due to large catering jobs. Private dining room available by reservation.

Phone: 1-907-745-4050

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