Patty and Martin Laure have opened up a cool café in Litchfield called Meraki Kitchen, where they serve up fresh and flavorful gourmet dishes to take out or enjoy there.
Another great food place has opened to satisfy the sophisticated culinary palates of the residents in the Northwest Corner. Opened in May of this year to rave reviews, Meraki Kitchen reflects Patty and Martin Laure’s passion for the work they do. “Meraki (may rah kee) means to put something of yourself into your work — with love, creativity, and soul. We believe that anything that is done heartfelt has a better result…” And that translates to delicious, seasonal, and innovative food.
Located on Route 202 in the former spot where Hannah’s Bakery used to be, Meraki has a pleasant light-filled atmosphere with a few seats available. It may not be a big space, but there is an ample selection of dishes and baked goods to choose from. They offer breakfast, lunch, take-home dinners, and full-service catering. Their menu consists of breakfast sandwiches, daily baked goods, soups, salads, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, and to-go sandwich items. “Our menu changes everyday but some items (sandwiches, etc) change seasonally. We do offer special sandwiches as well.”
At the front counter one can see fresh and colorful noodle dishes, and vegetable side dishes such as broccolini, and everything is beautifully presented and appealing. Their vegetables, herbs, and fruits come from local organic farms. “We love New England because of the seasons. We love to eat that way — we love to cook that way,” says Patty. “We have a few organic gardeners that we use, and because of our size we really have been utilizing them. It keeps us creative because during the season we have to cook what is harvested.”
Martin was born in the Phillipines and moved to the U.S. when he was young, and grew up in Southern Californa. Patty is from Connecticut. The couple met in San Francisco at the California Culinary Academy. Patty explains, “We worked and opened restaurants in San Francisco for about 10 years, I moved to Hawaii and opened a restaurant on Maui. After that we moved to Boston and worked in the city for 4 years. We then got married, started a family, and moved to Litchfield.”
“I attended school for business and then went back into the culinary arts. When Martin realized he was not going to be a professional soccer player, he committed full time to the culinary field — although soccer is still his second love.” Martin spent the last 10 years as Chef at The Pantry in Washington Depot, and Patty worked there as well. Other places they have worked at are Capers Catering and King Fish Restaurant.
On the breakfast menu on the chalk board is a Porchetta Sandwich made with Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Fried Egg, Tomato, Pickled Fennel, and Sriracha. Paired with a good cup of coffee, it’s one of the best breakfast sandwiches we have ever had. The Breakfast Burrito is made with farm fresh eggs, taco meat, house-made salsa, sour cream, guacamole and cheese. How about an Egg Sandwich on Toasted Brioche with cheese, bacon or sausage? All are excellent choices to get you started in the morning.
For lunch, there are Veggie Spring Rolls, Tacos, a Grilled Havarti Melt, a Roast Beef Sandwich, homemade soup such as Squash & Kale, quinoa salad, roasted vegetables, lentils, beef enchilada cups, and plenty more.
The entrees include such delicious dishes as Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin, Pastas, Meatballs, and Curried Chicken Salad. The day we dropped by, we tried the rice bowl that was listed as a special. The rice bowl was made with a slow roasted pork shoulder, lime cilantro rice, black beans, local corn, house salsa, avocado, sour cream and aged cheddar with local greens. It truly was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. The portions were perfect and the flavors were beautifully balanced.
When asked what their plans are, Patty replied that their future goal is just to continue making good food, serving Litchfield county. “Everyone has been very supportive. We feel that we are filling a need for this great community we live in. We can only hope to grow healthy and happy with our customers and friends.”
If you like nourishing food that’s good for you, you will love Meraki Kitchen!
Hours are Tuesday to Friday: 7 am to 6 pm;
Saturday 7 am to 3 pm
Meraki Kitchen
239 West Street (Route 202)
Litchfield
860.361.9777
fax: 860.361.9779
[email protected]
