Strawberries at Café Flora

This early summer treat makes us berry happy.

By: Allison Austin Scheff  |   June 2012   |  FROM THE PRINT EDITION

PHOTO CREDIT: Hayley Young

Come early summer, the menu at Madison Valley’s airy Café Flora really starts to come alive: Asparagus, rhubarb, peas, carrots and tender baby lettuces make their way to plates as soon as they’ve popped their heads up in the garden. I find myself drawn to the restaurant’s atrium, dewy and warm, filled to bursting with lush plantings, for one of the simplest but most satisfying desserts of the season: Café Flora’s bowl of Hayton strawberries, just picked at the height of ripeness, with a lightly sweetened poof of soft whipped cream. We wait all year for these sweet, sweet strawberries, and with a dab of plush cream—well, yes, happiness is as simple as that.

Madison Valley, 2901 E Madison St.; 206.325.9100; cafeflora.com