In big cities, quirky, one-of-a-kind eateries are not uncommon. In Ocala, however, finding an interesting and original place to grab a bite to eat can be quite the challenge.
I often write food reviews for my college newspaper and I try to think out of the box and try relatively unheard of restaurants. I just feel like many Americans, especially in more rural areas, have been sucked into a trap of chain restaurants and low-quality food.
So in my quest to find somewhere worth reviewing, I remembered a small place I had once seen downtown, Endless Baskets Edie Gourmet Fromagerie. I recalled that this place sold gift baskets as well as specialty and gourmet food products including imported cheeses, so I stopped in to check it out.
I was pleased to see that lunch was available and vowed to come back and try it out.
Since my first encounter with the “Fromagerie” I have been back on two separate occasions for lunch. Fromagerie is the French term for a cheese shop, and although calling Endless Baskets a Fromagerie might be a bit of a stretch, it is what the owner originally set out to create.
According to the owner, she once dreamed of selling a large variety of cheeses on a daily basis, but the clientele for such a place just doesn’t exist in Ocala.
The restaurant ended up being a mix of a European style café and a gourmet gift shop. The café aspect is what immediately caught, and held, my attention. Growing up half-German and shuttling back and forth between countries gave me a taste for good cuisine early on in life, and little cafés hold a special place in my heart.
Although the place isn’t an exact representation of a café or restaurant one would find in Europe, it’s about as close as Ocala is going to get. With only four or five small tables, and fresh air wafting through the open door, it has the laid back feeling reminiscent of a place you would run across in Paris or Florence.
There were obviously aspects that were more American in nature, like plastic silverware and kitschy “café” decorations, but the overall idea is there.
One thing I particularly liked was that the drinks, even sodas, are served in glass bottles and that Italian orange and lemon infused mineral water, San Pellegrino Aranciata and Limonata, are available. My favorite, coffee, is also available.
The menu, also reminiscent of a French eatery, changes daily, and has about five different choices varying from soup, salads, sandwiches and other specialties. I really like this style of menu; it’s constantly changing and full of surprises.
On my first visit, I sampled escarole and sausage stew, Boudin sausage with a soft pretzel and artisan cheese with a croissant. Both the cheese and the sausage dishes came with a salad of fresh greens and fruit compotes.
My favorite part of the whole meal had to be the salad. It was tossed in a light vinaigrette and had little black olives scattered throughout it. It was the perfect complement to the Prima Donna cheese, which had a flavor profile that was buttery and nutty.
And I love soft pretzels and sausage, so that dish was an obvious hit with me. I especially liked that it was served with a mushroom pate, mustard and little gherkins. The flavors married perfectly.
The owner makes everything fresh and everything herself, including the fruit compotes that are served with just about everything. I am impressed with her ability to serve a a different menu everyday with so little in the way of customers. I would love to see that food order.
The meal was finished off sweetly, with a dark chocolate covered macaroon. The dark chocolate was infused with orange, and it had just enough of a citrus flavor to make the taste of coconut really pop.
My second experience at Endless Baskets was even better than the first. This time around, I decided to see what the sandwiches were all about.
I sampled both a Tuna Nicoise sandwich on Ciabatta bread and a baguette with a variety of cheeses and meats stuffed inside. Once again, these dishes came with the delicious salad. Both sandwiches were very good, and satisfying, so much that one half of either sandwich would have been enough.
The best part of the meal that day, however, was by far the soup. Chicken soup often ends up bland and unappealing, but the chicken and vegetable stew served that day gave the soup a new name.
What was so special about this particular soup? Among the vegetables simmering alongside the chicken in the broth, were chunks of sweet potato. This addition was something I never would have thought of myself, but it really added something special to the soup. The tiny pop of sweet that crept up at the end of each bite gave it a whole new dimension.
This restaurant will definitely become one of my lunchtime favorites in Ocala. There are many aspects of Endless Baskets Edie Gourmet Fromagerie that I find irresistible, and I am excited to see what menus are produced in the future. Also, it might be a good place to stock up on Christmas presents that just about anyone would be grateful to receive.
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