Set your GPS for 54 W. Main St., Frewsburg, and prepare your taste buds for something a little different than same old chain restaurant food.
"We do a lot of classic recipes with a twist," said Joseph Glarner, who runs Corner Coffee House with his wife, April.
Don't be fooled by the name. They serve far more than their popular Finger Lakes Organic Coffees, lattes, espresso and many varieties of organic and nonorganic teas.
Article Photos
Joseph Glarner runs Corner Coffee House, located at 54 W. Main St., Frewsburg, with his wife, April.
Photos by Beverly Kehe-Rowland
"Most of the customers who come here come back, and we often have someone come in that was referred by someone else. Every week we have someone drive a long distance and have a lot of people from Warren, Jamestown, Salamanca and places 45 minutes to an hour away. We recently had a woman from Erie come for organic food."
About 85 percent of Corner Coffee House's offerings are organic.
"We didn't necessarily turn this restaurant into an organic restaurant because of the health aspect. We do it because it just tastes better. (Nationally) organic food sales have increased 30 percent per year for the last decade."
Glarner would rather buy from local and regional farms when possible and says he prefers keeping his money local.
"We go to the nines for our gluten-free customers and offer some gluten-free foods for every meal."
On the day of the interview I witnessed the preparation of Eggs Benedict, with its many steps. The eggs were softly cooked in a ramekin, Dutch oven-style, rather than poached to keep their integrity. The asparagus was grilled just right with a sprinkling of sea salt added and the Hollandaise sauce was prepared using heavy cream, lemon juice and egg. After the ham was grilled and the English muffin was toasted, the end result was a very attractive and tasty breakfast dish. A Maryland-style crab cake is substituted for the English muffin when Crab Cake Eggs Benedict is offered as a special.
The breakfast menu also includes organic flap jacks, several varieties of interesting scramble combinations, omelets and frittatas. All eggs used are free-range, vegetarian-fed chicken eggs.
Herb-crusted salmon salad, Sicilian chicken salad and garden salad are some lunch offerings, along with an extensive list of sandwiches served with gluten-free cranberry mayonnaise. Some of the many sandwich ingredients are sprouts, baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and honey-raisin glaze and Canadian bacon, prosciutto ham and organic grass-fed roast beef.
Beef carpaccio and pesto crostini are some of the featured appetizers.
Dinner entrees include Sicilian chicken alfredo, herb-crusted salmon and honey glazed organic vegetable stir-fry, made with fresh vegetables, not vegetables poured from a freezer bag.
"Sushi is very trendy, and we know what we're doing here."
There is always a special dessert available. I sampled a delicious deconstructed strawberries and creme brulee'.
"We have a lot of French training between Dave (Lindquist) and me," Glarner said. "Dave went to culinary school, and I went to school for music, but worked in a lot of restaurants to pay bills. I was an executive chef for three years."
Music can be heard everyday coming from the free juke box loaded with "a little bit of something for everyone." Live music is played on the weekend, beginning on Thursday evenings when Stan Barton plays jazz mandolin. Various genres, including acoustic acts, Irish pub music and the offerings of traveling artists are featured on Friday and Saturday nights.
"Music is a part of our DNA," Glarner said.
April Glarner serves as the manager, server and hostess. Her husband says she is vital to running the restaurant. Nearly everyone who works at the restaurant is family.
Glarner teaches music lessons at Infinity, plays pipe organ at Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church in Warren, Pa. and plays jazz music at Warren's Liberty Street Cafe.
The restaurant is located in the VSK Emporium, which is having their Fall Festival today until 5 p.m., featuring sales, drawings, live music played by six different groups and more. A 50/50 drawing, benefiting the Frewsburg Library, will be held, as well. An antique consignment auction will be held at 2 p.m Sunday. Items to be auctioned can be dropped off today.
"We really enjoy being a part of the community aspect of the VSK Emporium," Glarner said.
The Corner Coffee House is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. All three meals are served Thursday through Saturday with hours of operation being 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are served Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are closed on Monday.
STRAIGHT FROM THE KITCHEN
Eggs Benedict
1 English Muffin
2 eggs
lemon or 1 tsp Lemon Juice
3 sprigs of asparagus
2 slices of Canadian bacon or lean ham
1/8 cup of heavy cream
In a 4 oz glass ramekin, drop a tsp of olive oil, and wipe the bottom.
Pour one egg into Ramekin, and put a lid on it. Place on a hot flat top or bake in the oven at 250 degrees for approximately 10 to 15 minutes until the egg white is fully cooked (not browned) and the yoke is still soft. Warm English muffin and split on plate. Take one egg yoke, separate the white and discard and mix well with the juice of lemon or a tsp of lemon juice. Heat the heavy cream and let rest for two minutes. Then mix the heavy cream slowly into the egg and lemon mixture until thick. Warm the Canadian bacon and place on top of the English muffin. Then remove the egg from the oven and place that on top of the ham. Poor the "Poor Mans Hollandaise" over the egg and place the asparagus as desired on the plate.
Salmon Ceveche' Inside-Out Sushi Roll
1 cup of cooked sushi rice at room temperature mixed with cup rice vinegar and 1/8 cup sugar
1 piece of sushi nori
4 oz of wild sockeye salmon
4 lemons or limes
1/8 cup minced onion
1/8 cup minced red pepper
1/8 cup minced carrot
Slice Salmon four hours before serving into thin strips and place in a small container. Then squeeze the juice of four lemons or limes to cover the salmon. The citrus will "cure the Salmon in about four hours. After 4 hours, lay out your sushi mat wrapped with plastic wrap and place sushi nori on the mat. Cover with sticky rice, and with a wetted spatula smooth out rice evenly. Then flip over so rice is down and sushi nori is up. Then place your salmon, onion, carrot and pepper in the roll. Pack it tight once over, then roll evenly until you have your roll perfect. Then with a wet knife cut into half and turn both pieces together. Slice and serve on plate with soy sauce, wasabi, ginger, spicy mayo, or sweet and sour sauce.
Deconstructed Strawberries
And Cream Brulee
1 pie crust
2 oz of fresh strawberries
2 oz of whipped creme de menthe
1 tbl sugar
1 blow torch
1 oz of caramel
Cut pie crust with a 3 inch cookie cutter and stretch with fingers. Place inside a Pyrex glass tea cup or ramekin. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately five minutes until the crust is crispy and lightly browned. Let cool for five minutes. Place strawberries in cup, then make whipped topping with a little dash of creme de menthe. If you want, mix creme de menthe with Cool Whip until desired potency. Poor topping over strawberries and top with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Light up the blow torch and melt sugar till browned. Brulee! Poor caramel sauce on top and enjoy.
The Lover
3 slices of Prosciutto ham
3 slices of Genoa salami
3 oz of roasted red sweet peppers
2 oz of red onion
1 oz of sun dried tomatoes
2 oz of parmesan cheese
cup of mayo mixed with 1 oz of cranberries and 1 oz of white vinegar
2 slices of Al Cohen's brand sourdough bread
Toast sourdough on a flat top with olive oil, putting the parmesan cheese on one slice. In a separate pan combine the onion, roasted red pepper, and sun dried tomato and blend till onion is soft (approximately five minutes)
Pour the mix on top of the parmesan cheese, and heat the salami in the same hot pan for 30 seconds to release the grease. Then put the salami over the veggies. Place the three slices of Prosciutto over the salami with the cranberry mayo, then serve.
Rosemary And Almond Crusted Pork Chop With A
Black Bean Succotash
1 cup dried black bean
cup onion
cup green pepper
2 ears of corn
2 pieces of bacon
cup fresh green beans
2 pork chops
1 oz of sliced almonds
1 oz of panko Bread crumbs
Prepare black beans by soaking for eight hours in cold water, then bring them to a boil for 45 minutes and let rest for 45 minutes till the beans are soft. Let cool for 30 minutes and add onion, green pepper, slice corn off the cob, and green beans. Then in a pan cook the two pieces of bacon (not crispy) and remove from pan. Slice the bacon into chunks and return to the pan with your succotash mix of beans and veggies. Add water to top the mixture and cook on high heat until the water is reduced to almost nothing. Set aside. Prepare pork chops with a dash of salt, fresh rosemary to your liking, sliced almonds, then top with panko bread crumbs. In a separate pan sear the pork on one side for approximately five minutes, then flip over immediately, turning off the heat. Let stand for five minutes to finish cooking. Bring the succotash mixture back up to temperature and add 2 tbl of unsalted sweet cream butter and a tsp of paprika. Salt to taste. Pour the succotash out and top with pork chops. Enjoy!
Eggplant And Spinach Alfredo
4 nice slices of eggplant
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 cup of heavy cream
1 egg
1 tbl butter
2 tbl pesto
1 oz minced onion
1 oz of sun dried tomato
1 oz of roasted red sweet pepper
2 oz of fresh baby spinach
3 oz of parmesan cheese
3 cups of prepared angel hair pasta
Mix egg, 1 tbl pesto, and a dash of salt in a bowl. Add eggplant and coat well. Press eggplant into a bowl of panko bread crumbs and fry in pan flipping over for approximately five minutes. In a separate pan combine heavy cream, pesto, onion, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomato, spinach, and butter. Bring to a boil, and add the prepared pasta. Let the cream rise to the top of the pan, and let it start to reduce. When the mix starts getting close to the bottom of the pan add the parmesan cheese and mix well. Pour onto plate and top with the eggplant.
Asian Stir-Fry With Sweet
And Sour Sauce
Fresh veggies of your choice Julian style. We like:
Carrots
Onion
Broccoli
Squash
Zucchini
Asparagus
Baby Corn
Snow Peas
Water Chestnuts
1 bottle of soy sauce
2 cups of sugar
5 cups of water
1 lemon
2 tbl garlic
Corn starch
2 cups prepared rice noodle
In a pot add minced garlic and minced onion equal parts and oil. Start it on a cold heat and raise the temperature slowly to marry the flavor into the oil. When the garlic and onion are sweated down, add a bottle of soy sauce and 2 cups of sugar. Blend well, then add the water. Bring to a boil then add 2 tbl of corn starch to cold water then add to sauce to thicken. Pull the sauce off the stovetop and add lemon juice.
Throw your veggies into a hot pan and cook them down fast and al dente so there is some nutritional value left to the veggies. Add 1 cup of sweet and sour sauce and rice noodle. Stir and let simmer for two minutes. Pour onto plate and serve.
Spinach And Feta Ravioli
2 cups of flour
3 eggs
Spinach
Feta cheese
1 cup onion
1 tbl garlic
In a pan cook the spinach, onion, and garlic until the spinach wilts. Pull off the stovetop and let rest for at least 15 minutes. In a mixing bowl combine flour and egg until a nice pasta dough forms and it is not sticky. Keep some extra flour in a small bowl to add to the mix as needed. Roll the pasta dough out on a floured surface as thin as possible without breaking or sticking to the surface. Using a 3 inch cookie cutter cut the dough and stretch with your fingers even thinner. Place on a floured surface and drop 2 tbl of your spinach mix into the center of the dough and add a couple chunks of feta cheese to the mixture. Using a brush with water, line half of the dough with water and fold over, pressing tightly to ensure there are no holes. The water will help bind the two sides of the ravioli. Place the raviolis in a pot of boiling water for two to three minutes, and serve with your favorite sauce.
Chicken Van Buren
1 cup prepared rice of your choice
1 cups of fresh green beans
2 tbl sliced almond
1 chicken breast
cup of chicken stock
cup of heavy cream
lb of unsalted sweet cream butter
1 shallot
2 pieces of bacon
Prepare two pieces of bacon very crispy and set aside. Prepare your rice and set aside covered ready to plate. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add a little baking soda to the water to keep the green beans bright green. Cool in ice water, and keep the hot water under flame until needed again.
Now we are going to make a hybrid sauce combining the savory body veloute, and the butter cream of a bur blanc.
In a little pot bring your chicken stock and once minced shallot to a boil and reduce until it is a thick and syrup like. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. The cream will rise to the top as it boils. Let it go until it starts to reduce back downward. When the cream gets back down to of what is was when it topped the pot, add lb of butter and stir off heat until all the butter is melted and you see no more chunks of butter, it might separate if you don't. You can bake, grill, or fry your chicken how you like. The important thing is the sauce here. Heat your beans back up in the water, drain, then place in a pan with 2 tbl of melted drawn butter and mix. Place on the plate and top the beans with the sliced almonds. Place your rice on the plate, and chicken atop the rice. Pour your sauce over the chicken and top with the sliced crispy bacon.
Herb Crusted Salmon With Pineapple Bruschetta
1 8 oz piece of wild sockeye salmon
1 fresh pineapple
1 minced red onion
1 roasted red pepper
1 fresh roma tomato
cup of sun dried tomato puree
1 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl pesto
1 cup prepared rice
Cut the pineapple into chunks and mix onion, red pepper, sun dried tomato, roma tomato, garlic, and 1 tbl of pesto together in a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Take the other tbl of pesto and coat the top of the salmon, skin side down. Add other fresh herbs to your liking. We prefer rosemary, oregano, and fresh parsley. Also top with 2 tsp of sun dried tomato puree and panko bread crumbs. Sear for approximately four to six minutes before turning over. Finish for five to 10 minutes, depending on how you like your salmon cooked. We prefer mid-rare. Plate your prepared rice and place salmon over top. Then pull out your pineapple bruschetta and pile it on top of the salmon. Enjoy!