Potager Natural Cafe: naturally delicious with a twist
Published: Jun 8, 2009
Since it opened in early 2009, the Potager Natural Café has generated a lot of buzz in North Texas and beyond. Located in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, interest in the café comes not just from the all-natural menu, but from the pay-what-you-want pricing.
Without a price list, customers only pay what they feel like the meal was worth, based on the quality and amount of food eaten. According owner and founder to Cynthia Chippendale, the typical patron pays between $8 and $12.
Based on her observances, Chippendale said most restaurants put too much food on plates and end up throwing away untold numbers of pounds of food every day. Potager addresses this problem by giving patrons “natural serving sizes.” If the customer is hungry enough, he or she can come back for seconds.
Pronounced “puh-ta-jhay,” Potager, a French term to describe a kitchen garden, serves organic and locally sustainable foods purchased from local farmers and merchants.
Potager buys its meat exclusively from Burgundy Pasture Beef and gets eggs from Dominion Farms. The search for the best produce includes local farms like Gnishner Farms and Garden Harvest.
The restaurant employs several chefs with impressive credentials. Chippendale herself was raised in a restaurant environment while growing up, and is also a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.
The café’s menu changes every day, but guests can usually depend on some kind of quiche or tart offering as well as Chippendale’s handmade breads. Recent menus have included spring squash soup, wild mushroom risotto, sautéed seasonal vegetables and chocolate cabernet cake. Patrons can call in advance at (817) 861-2292 to find out what is cooking.
After walking through the Potager’s front door, guests should check out the chalkboard menu posted on an easel just to the left of the main food bar in the back of the café. They can place an order with the chef behind the counter.
A few more steps to the right, guests can pour up a glass of water or tea at the beverage bar. If a café employee is tending the beverage bar, they can help with requests for cappuccino or hot teas.
After your meal, you can place as much cash as you see fit in the large bowl sitting on a chair just to the side of the beverage bar. If you're paying by credit card, a self-serve payment processing machine is located at the ordering counter.
Potager sees its biggest crowds on weekdays during the lunch hour. Switching gears just slightly, the restaurant opens for a second shift for dinner service Thursdays through Saturdays between 5 and 9 p.m. While they do not sell alcohol, patrons can bring their own bottle of wine or beer to enjoy with their dinners.
- by Jenn Emerson, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro
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