Lunch at Café a la C'Art is billed as "artistry with bread," and the chef certainly delivers.
That would be Suzanne Porter, who has been working at the Tucson restaurant on and off for 10 years and has been its executive chef for about a year. The cafe opened in late 1997.
Located on the grounds of the Tucson Museum of Art, the cafe has a capacity of 45 inside and about 45 outside.
By noon most days, a line of patrons waiting to order snakes out the door.
"It's amazing, as hidden as we are," said Judith Michelet, who owns the cafe with her son, Mark Jorbin, 46. "We have very, very loyal people."
Besides museum-goers, diners include Downtown office workers.
"Every one of them is important," said Michelet, 67. "I have kings and queens for customers."
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Café a la C'Art, which is in a house that's about 150 years old, is a step above fast-casual. Customers walk through the French doors, grab a menu, order at the counter, pay, get a number and find a table. The staff bustles around constantly, offering refills and clearing tables.
Michelet is a hands-on owner. You'll find her at the cafe daily, asking diners about their meals and chatting with regulars.
The menu has remained fairly consistent over the years, but diners craving change can choose among a special, soup and a salad, which changes daily. Different-flavored lemonades ($1.75) are prepared daily, too.
"Food is art, and we've got some artists back there," Michelet said.
A crowd favorite is the gingered apricot almond chicken salad croissant ($8.25).
It's not just the name that's a mouthful: The sandwich comes out cut in half and speared with a toothpick to keep the overflowing contents from spilling out.
Instead of just mixing the juicy chicken breast pieces in mayonnaise, sour cream also is added or sometimes plain yogurt. The mixture becomes more blond-colored instead of a stark white, and it holds the ingredients together better.
In addition to the chicken, chopped toasted almonds, dried apricots, celery, grated ginger and salt and pepper are added, making for a combination of crunchy, sweet and juicy textures.
All sandwiches come with a side of crisp, habit-forming beer-battered fries, a side salad or the salad of the day.
Another winner is the Sonoran brisket sandwich ($8.99), slices of warm and tender brisket served on a toasted Kaiser roll and covered in strips of roasted red peppers, a mild chipotle aioli and melted pepper jack cheese. The sandwich is difficult to pick up and is guaranteed to drip on your side of kiwi, grapes and other fresh fruits, if you do. But we were more than happy to eat this delectable lunch option with a knife and fork.
The brisket is incredibly juicy, and the mild aioli gives the roll enough flavor that it is easy to finish, even after the meat is gone.
Hope that the individually created cheesecake with fruit ( $4.95) is one of the many desserts available; it's almost a meal in itself. Each bite of the creamy plain cheesecake is enhanced by the sweet flavors of kiwi, strawberries and raspberries. Nirvana.
The chocolate-chip cookies ($1.99) are gigantic, soft, sweet and chewy, with the consistency of cake.
• Where: 150 N. Main Ave. (on the grounds of the Tucson Museum of Art).
• Phone: 628-8533.
• Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.
THE BILL:
Sonoran Brisket Sandwich, $8.99.
Chicken Salad Croissant, $8.25.
Prickly pear iced tea, $1.75.
Diet soda, $1.75.
Fruit-covered cheesecake, $4.95.
Chocolate-chip cookie, $1.99.
Total (before tax and tip): $27.68.
