Lunch at the Mitten deserves a hand
More Galleries
LUNCH AT THE MITTEN
Where: 345 N. Fifth St., Redlands
Hours: 11 a.m.-
2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, live music Wednesdays
Entrees: $6-$7
Beverages:
Full bar
Reservations:
Not necessary
Information:
909-793-9372
I’ve been a fan of chef Roberto Argentina, 50, since he opened Farm Artisan Foods 11 years ago in the basement of the historic Cope building at 19 E. Citrus Ave. in Redlands.
The organic, made-from-scratch food was worth the drive from Riverside, but the dark, creepy location down a steep flight was not.
In early 2006, Argentina moved around the corner to 22 E. State St., recasting the restaurant’s image from country to contemporary. The menu got a little fancier, the food a little richer and the prices a little higher. Argentina, who was working much harder with increased overhead costs, closed Farm Artisan Foods for good last May to plow new, more affordable turf.
He opened his lunch-only business in August around another corner. This time at 345 N. State St. in the historic Mitten Building, a sequestered events venue in Redlands. Ironically, Argentina has come full circle with Lunch at the Mitten, which is housed in a dark, stark windowless annex that once served as a boiler room for a citrus packing plant.
But the old pharmacy cabinet behind the bar, wooden tables from Farm Artisan Foods and unobtrusive live music every Wednesday lend a certain hip sceniness and charm. The food, excellent and deliciously inexpensive, merits crossing county lines. Where else can you get a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade for $2?
Argentina’s downsized menu includes five sandwiches priced from $6 to $7 (which double as salads by yanking the homemade sourdough bread), three side dishes at $3 apiece and desserts.
My dining companion, Alyce Berard, and I started with $3 cups of carrot ginger soup. It was a bit bland, which I prefer to salt-blasted, and the sneaky ginger didn’t boss the taste. Although the server assured us that the pureed carrots, ginger and onions were dairy-free, we had to ask again because the texture was so creamy.
Berard was mad about her meatloaf sandwich. It was tender and tempered, not suffocated by the onions or melted cheese, she said. The accompanying cole slaw was fresh, crisp and crunchy, tossed with vinaigrette instead of mayo.
My grilled veggie sandwich consisted of perfectly roasted – not greasy or soggy – portobello mushrooms, zucchini and red peppers, the bread lightly coated with sun-dried tomato pesto and basil.
This meal, served with fresh fruit, was such a bargain for $6, I saved half for dinner. Neither Alyce nor I had room for the housemade desserts, which, along with the soups, change every Monday and Wednesday.
“The Farm was great while we had it, but I wanted to do something fun and inexpensive for customers,” Argentina said during a break from the kitchen. “Business professionals and college students can come more than once a week without the prices hitting their wallet so hard.”
Argentina still caters, but said his lunch-only operation allows him to enjoy more time with his family.
All meals for dining profiles are paid for by The Press-Enterprise.
Contact the writer: llucas@pe.com, 951-212-8885