Picture above of the Carolina Bowl, taken by Matthew Sigur.
For the last two weeks, Magpie Café has been offering made-to-order bowls. Co-owner James Jacobs says the menu addition comes six months after the popular seasonal and local espresso bar and restaurant extended its hours to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
“We wanted to have something for our customers in the afternoon,” Jacobs says. “The first phase of the made-to-order program is these bowls.”
Jacobs has kept quiet about upcoming phases on the new menu items. However, he says response to the bowls has been good. The new item features about three ingredients over a bed of quinoa. Last week’s was called the Carolina Bowl and included a house-made barbecue sauce over chickpeas, vinegar-based cole slaw and roasted sweet potatoes. The first bowl was a Costa Rican bowl, featuring brown rice, black beans and avocado.
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“We’ve been pleased with the response so far,” Jacobs says. “You’ll see us serve someone in the evening time, and then someone’s head will perk up a little bit. Then, all of the sudden, [the kitchen] is firing up a couple more tickets in the back.”
The healthy, hearty menu items come from Jacobs’ wife and co-owner Lina. He calls the eventual expansion of Magpie’s food services a marriage within a marriage. Jacobs says it gives his kitchen staff a chance to shine as well.
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“[Lina has] always been about cooking local and seasonal,” he says. “I’ve always been big on bringing the quality roasters. Our daily menu has been a daily soup, salad, meat panini, vegetable panini and baked good. We have a quality, qualified staff in the kitchen, and this gives them an opportunity to expand their talents in creating these made-to-order options.”
The made-to-order bowls will be available Tuesdays-Fridays, and the flavors will change each week. For more information on Magpie Café, click here.