Noontime Delight
Nordstrom Cafe Bistro
614-416-7111
The atmosphere:
A nod back to the fancy department-store tea rooms of the 1950s and '60s, Nordstrom's elegant bistro is a hidden treasure tucked away in the second-floor women's department. Several roomy round booths are perfect for big groups of girls-day-out shoppers; others provide a more intimate dining experience.
The food:
The wood-fire oven is a centerpiece in this striking space, and the Bistro's brick-oven pizzas are a specialty. Try the Wild Mushroom & Herb Ricotta Pizza-the chewy New York-style crust is topped with mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and ricotta. Shiitake, oyster and crimini mushrooms are cooked down until they're nice and dark and earthy before being piled on top, along with a heap of caramelized onions, roasted garlic and some fresh basil strands.
Rounding out a menu of upscale sandwiches and pasta dishes is a nice variety of hearty salads, like Chicken Artichoke & Goat Cheese or Cilantro Lime Shrimp options. But the Blue Cheese & Pear is a standout. Over a bed of baby salad greens is a nice amount of crumbled blue cheese, thin pear slices, dried cherries and tasty candied pecans. A dark cherry balsamic vinaigrette perfectly ties together all the flavors in this sweet and salty salad.
Save some room for dessert, too, like a warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding topped with raspberry sauce or Triple Berry Shortcake with whipped cream.
Blue cheese and pear salad offers diners something sweet and salty.
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