table talk / By Bob Doran

Love Times Three

(March 8, 2007)  Somewhere in this space a few weeks ago I mentioned that a new restaurant, 3 Foods Café, had finally opened behind the Arcata Co-op. I had not yet eaten there, and as I noted, I had no idea what the three foods in the name might be.

At this point I’ve been there three times - well, actually four times, although one night when I went with friends on impulse every table was full and we had to go elsewhere. I now have a much better idea what the place is all about, and I’ve heard a couple of explanations about what those “three foods” are, although I’m still not sure I totally understand.

From front to back: Naomi Beck, Kellie Peterson, Jessica Lovelady and Tucker Houston Smith. Photo by Bob Doran.

GALLERY >

You know how it is when you go to a restaurant and study the menu searching for some dish you think you might like? Well, at 3 Foods, the first time my wife and I ate there, both of us were faced with a hard choice: There were so many things we wanted to try we had to come back, and then come back again.

We’ve always started at the top of the menu with a “finger food” starter called “The Hard to Pronounce,” which was hard to pass up since it only cost $3. It’s basically an Indian sampler, ramekins of raita (a creamy cucumber relish, in this case with pineapple), mango chutney, and chickpea ragada, served one time with papadams (crispy, thin tortilla-like fried crackers) and another time with naan (Indian flat bread).

For entrées, we ordered “The Bus Driver,” a pan-fried sesame chicken with a delightfully crunchy texture, drizzled with a raspberry yogurt coulis (not sweet) and served atop mashed potatoes, and “The Damn Tasty,” a spicy Moroccan seafood stew with prawns, clams and vegetables swimming in a garlicky tomato broth. It was, in fact, damn tasty. Where the bus driver comes in in the chicken dish, I do not know.

We chose a Fieldbrook Piccola, one of the fine wines on the menu (all of them local), and loved our meal. At the end of dinner my wife, Amy, positively gushed praise, and perhaps for that reason, our waitress, Kellie, brought Chef Naomi Beck out to the table for feedback.

Amy heaped on more praise. I offered compliments, but also some advice. We’d both ordered smaller portions, Amy’s chicken was under $9, but the portion was huge. I can’t imagine what the $13 size might have been.

By the time I sat down with Naomi last Sunday morning, she’d taken the advice to heart: The Co-op butchers are now portioning their chicken breast in four-ounce pieces.

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