Free Press Article

We are very excited because we got some more press!!!




ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Maple Leaf Café
***
out of four stars
297 E. Maple, Birmingham
248-723-1222
Fare: Creative, hearty, comfort-food breakfast and lunch dishes prepared from scratch with organic and natural ingredients. Good value. Vegan-vegetarian friendly.
Scene: Local flavor and retro touches create a friendly, off-beat atmosphere in a tiny place with an open kitchen just inside the door. Extremely casual.
Service: Friendly servers make you feel at home.
Price: Breakfast mostly $5.50-$8.95. Lunch $7.25-$9.95.
Hours: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m-3p.m. Sat-Sun
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Entertainment
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Dining Out
Maple Leaf Café is all about creativity
Chef cooks from scratch at 40-seat Birmingham restaurant
January 3, 2008
BY SYLVIA RECTOR
FREE PRESS RESTAURANT CRITIC
You don't usually expect the chef to greet you when you walk in for breakfast.
But at Maple Leaf Café, Jeorge Swanson often does, saying hello from the tiny open kitchen just inside the front door.
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His new breakfast and lunch place on Maple Road in downtown Birmingham is quite simple and small -- just 40 seats -- with an attitude that's more cool than quaint.
The oilcloth on the tables is retro green. The white walls are hung with enlargements of old Birmingham streetscapes and high school teams. And the clear resin countertop, which Swanson made, enshrines an array of collectibles, from Three Stooges and baseball cards to political buttons and Scrabble pieces.
But what really sets the Maple Leaf apart from dozens of other small cafés and diners is its fresh, interesting, from-scratch menu, created with almost all organic or natural ingredients.
The meats and poultry are naturally grown without hormones, Swanson says, while the eggs, dairy products, multigrain bread and as much produce as possible are organic.
The sweeteners for coffee are natural, and the beans used to brew it are fair-trade organic from the Rainforest Alliance. The sodas are all-natural, too; you won't find any Coke or Pepsi products here.
You will, however, find a varied collection of appealing dishes, served in Midwest-sized portions and loaded with flavor. The menu may be socially conscious, but that doesn't mean it's boring, bland or skimpy.
The breakfast lineup features a dozen creative entrees.
Among the sweet choices, my favorite was the wonderfully light and fluffy sweet-potato pancakes ($6.25), topped with a scoop of pecan-laced honey butter and served with a side of real whipped cream -- a dreamy combination.
If eggs are more your style, order the Apachee ($8.95), a three-egg scramble with Southwestern spices, peppers and Jack cheese and an unusual but memorable side of spicy rice cakes -- moist and creamy inside with a crisp, crumb-coated exterior.
The delicious crab cakes topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce with a side of excellent house potatoes is the most expensive breakfast dish at $13.95 but worth the price.
The fluffy three-egg omelets -- served with toast, homemade jam and those tasty spuds -- are a good value at $8.95 with your choice of three fillings from a list of 20.
Lunch offerings range from sandwiches on thick, fresh bread to juicy half-pound-plus burgers and four hot entrees.
The aptly named Five-Star Meatloaf ($9.95) is sliced, grilled and kicked up with a sweet, peppery barbecue sauce. Fresh broccoli and smashed redskins, deliciously laced with green onions and cheddar, come on the side. For meatloaf fans, it doesn't get any better than this.
The Gold Medal Grilled Cheese ($7.50) will appeal to grownup tastes with its combination of provolone, Gruyere and feta cheeses, baby spinach, red onion, toasted almonds and lemon-oregano aioli on thick slices of grilled challah bread. It's one of the restaurant's several hearty, well-conceived vegetarian options.
And the extra-large, juicy burgers made with Certified Angus Beef come with generous toppings and some serious fries ($8.25-$9.25).
The Maple Leaf is Swanson's first restaurant but clearly not his first kitchen. His resume includes top jobs at Sweet Lorraine's and Lily's Seafood.
This little place won't impress you with expensive décor, but if you appreciate good food, you'll like its style.
Contact SYLVIA RECTOR at 313-222-5026 or srector@freepress.com.

xmas 07

It is hard to believe Christmas has come and gone already. It always seems to creep up on us and then disappear in the blink of an eye! We had a superb Christmas this year. We spent Xmas Eve with my parents and Erich and Tonya. I am happy to report that we did not have a table catastrophe this time around. I was nervous taking a picture of the table before we ate because of what happened on Thanksgiving! If you have not read my blog before, refer to Thanksgiving massacre! We were spoiled by both of our meals on the eve and Xmas day. My mom made Halibut with a buerre blanc sauce, fresh steamed asparagus, and lemon rice. Jeorge decided to do Xmas dinner this year at our Restaurant and we had a FEAST!!My dad thought we hired servers because he saw my sister in law Tammy in her Xmas apron. I have included a pic of my sister in law's in their Xmas aprons. Jeorge mastered his craft as usual, and to our stomach's delight served us Crab stuffed shrimp, clam chowder, garlic mashed potatoes, cole slaw, salad, gourmet mac n cheese with cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss, and feta with baked breadcrumbs, and the main attraction standing Rib roast with Au jus and for extra love horseradish cream sauce! Thank you jeorge!!! After all of that food I was not able to fathom eating dessert but there was a spread waiting for us at my brother and sister in law's house. We had a gourmet chocolate cake, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, brownies, cookies and anything else you can think of. I was a good girl and only had a very small brownie:) We all had a blast opening presents! We all gathered in the living room and a person was assigned to pass out all the gifts, and then it was a free for all. All you could hear was the wrapping paper crackling, thank you and I love yous and laughter. It is always a fun time and the kids love all the excitement! Thank you for your hospitality Sammy and Jeff!!

On a side note, I am looking forward to this weekend! My team The Beer Goggles has made the Superbowl in Fantasy Football. I could make history in our league if I win. It will be the first time anyone has won twice! Please wish me luck! Have a wonderful New Year!!!

xmas tree fun

We decorated our tree tonight and it was a lot of fun. Jack was very animated and kept saying "Our Christmas Tree is Beautiful"!! We were sad because our angel from last Christmas was lost. Jack told us that we could just reach up in the sky and grab a star. James was mesmerized by the tree and could not keep his eyes off of it! We decided to just put a wreath outside this year to conserve energy. Jeorge is cooking Xmas dinner at the restaurant for our family and it should be delish!!!

Random

Things are good at Chez Swanson. I was treated to a cut and color from my parents this week and decided for a new color. I have had the same color scheme practically my whole life and decided it was time for a change. I went for an auburn and have included a pic of james and I. In other news, the restaurant is doing well. The free press was there taking pictures for our review that comes out next week in the food section. Now for my geek side, I am very happy because my Fantasy Football Team snuck in the playoffs. GO BEER GOGGLES! We hope everyone has a great Holiday season.

Jack's new pajamas

Jack was so excited tonight because his Grandma Cheryl and Papa Bobby got him new pajamas. He is in a phase where he loves super heroes so he wanted to put them on right away. I took a few pics.

Help

I am in a constant battle with jack to eat his veggies. He ate a good amount of veggies when he was younger, and one day decided that he hated them. The only thing I can get him to eat is romaine lettuce ( plain) and that is a chore. We have veggies on his dinner plate every night and he never touches them. We followed the 10 times rule and got no results. I even tried trying the Deceptively Delicious way of putting purees of veggies into foods he likes but he busted me while eating his homemade chicken nuggets.It must have been the panko crust that gave it away! If you read this can you please leave me some advice?

Saturday

Jack had a wonderful day today! He was invited to his friend William's house and they played for an hour. I was happy because my mom came over to watch james and I was able to get things done around the house and able to clean our gutters before the big storm hit us! A few hours later jack was picked up and went to the Holiday extravaganza in Berkley. He enjoyed the petting farm and was really excited when Santa came in on his Sleigh. My mother in law told me that he said "Santa its me Jack, I would like Geotrax for Xmas!" Afterwards, they went to Sweet Lorraine's for dinner and Jack ordered his favorite kid cappuccino. It is just frothed milk and he puts raw sugar on top. I was a little disappointed today because the guy we hired to do our leaves did not show. He was supposed to come yesterday and did not bother to call and told jeorge that he would be by today and again no show. I don't have energy to do them this year, so I hope he will call later on this week. I have included a pic of our yard to show why it is hard to get done with little time. Our restaurant has shown an increase in business the last 2 days since our free press article. We are excited because we are getting reviews in the Jewish News and Eccentric.