Don’t Miss Russell’s Bakery’s Savory Side

By S.C. Truckey • Photos by Jonathan S. Pollack
Posted On: 02/01/2010    

Russell’s Café and Bakery is a tiny gem in a small strip mall in Fenton owned by a young chef whose New Year’s resolution was to make his customers eat more cookies. But beneath all the sprinkles, marshmallows, Mexican chocolate cupcakes and cherry cheesecake, there’s something even more appealing (if that’s possible) about this place: its lunch menu.
 
One oddity at Russell’s is the absence of prices on the menu board. This can be a bit deceptive, but no worries: Everything here is under $8.50 ... even the half-and-half option. There’s a wide selection of sandwiches, salads and miscellanea, some of which rotate on and off the menu seasonally, like the unbelievable roasted pork panini. It’s not so much the meat by itself that makes the sandwich great, but rather how the lemon-caper mayonnaise and green olive relish work with the pork loin to make it an experience worth having. Each bite is well-balanced: tart, salty, punchy, yet smooth, not too rich or too heavy.

In the same vein, though not as light, is a pork tenderloin sandwich, again served panini-style. Thin-sliced rotisserie-roasted tenderloin, smooth Brie cheese, and a bright and not-too-sweet apricot jam combine for a sandwich that’s equally sophisticated and satisfying.


Because there aren’t very many vegetarian options on the menu, you may have to make some creative adjustments, like with the Harvest Grill. Omnivores will enjoy the smoked ham, but vegetarians can ditch it and keep the full-flavored Cheddar and sugary apple butter on grilled pieces of rustic French bread for a melty combination of sweet and savory. The Breakfast Grilled Cheese (exactly like a regular grilled cheese but with the addition of egg) has great complementing ingredients – mozzarella, tomato and basil with a layer of scrambled egg – but it all comes out a little on the heavy side. While the garden elements add fresh flavors, the gooey cheese, creamy egg and the butter or oil from the panini press take away any lightness the sandwich could have had.
 
The menu offers a few more traditional options, like the Russell’s Roast Beef, served on buttery, fluffy signature buns (not made in-house, but at a bakery just down the road). It’s a solid sandwich with slices of sharp Cheddar, tender roast beef, lettuce, tomato, onion and an excellent horseradish sauce. The chili is surprisingly refreshing and light; it’s bright red, speckled with ground beef and loaded with tender vegetables and kidney beans. It’s light on cumin and therefore tastes more like a mild salsa than a chili, but the huge helping of shredded Cheddar cheese on top is the clue that it should be eaten with a spoon. 

Among the menu’s green options, the vibrant Kitchen Sink Salad is a winner: raw slices of bell pepper, garlic croutons, fresh spinach leaves, onion and dried cranberries, all tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. Because the dressing is used modestly, the salad never becomes soggy, retaining its palatable mixture of crunchy, juicy, crisp and sweet. The chicken and roasted corn salad, also offered as a wrap, is tossed with a citrus vinaigrette that nicely cuts the spiciness of the corn and kidney bean salsa that’s loaded on top of romaine lettuce and long, thick strips of chilled white meat chicken. It’s then topped with freshly grated white Cheddar cheese, giving it a wonderful texture and making it a meal that covers all the bases.

Macaroni and cheese is so simple yet so easy to get wrong. Russell’s definitely does it right. It’s baked, making it evenly hot all the way through, and amid the al dente noodles and stringy sharp Cheddar are crunchy sage croutons that create a perfect contrast in textures and enhance the savory cheesiness in each bite.
It’s another example of how Russell’s pays attention to three things in particular: texture, flavor and freshness. The portions here are great, too; you’ll never feel under- or overfed. The staff is delightfully friendly, helpful and eager to sell you their goods, be they sweet or savory.

FILLING UP FOR $20 OR LESS
Dine-In-Ability: Not much seating, but a quick turnaround. Cozy and convenient.
Try It, You’ll Like It: The roasted pork panini and the Kitchen Sink Salad.

Feast or Famine: While there aren’t many vegetarian options, the obliging staff will omit meat when requested.
Where: Russell’s Café and Bakery, 958 Brookwood Center, Fenton, 636.343.8900 

When: Mon. to Fri. – 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sat. – 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 


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