You will eat your fruit and vegetables at the Blue Willow, or deal with some guilt if you try to avoid them.
Vegetables, or fruit, are served with nearly everything on the menu. Even a side order of macaroni and cheese ($4.50) came with a little bowl of fruit - chunks of pineapple, strawberries and sweet red grapes.
One of the joys of the restaurant is that all the fruit and vegetables are fresh and, on our visits, ripe.
The 33-year-old restaurant isn't as sprouty as it was in its early granola days - when it seemed like everything except a cup of coffee came with alfalfa sprouts. But it obviously still understands and caters to those seeking healthy food. The menu is loaded with vegetarian dishes, much of it made with organic fruits and vegetables. And the rare beef items are made from grass-fed beef from the Double Check Ranch near Winkelman.
Vegetable-based dishes are the Blue Willow's strong suit. The sweet potato sandwich ($8.95) was a vegetarian's dream.
We went along with the server's suggestion of pairing the veggie sandwich with fluffy pita bread.
The bread was strong enough to handle the generous spread of hummus and the big chunks of perfectly grilled sweet potato, red onion and layers of spinach.
A side of field greens with slices of cucumber and a serving of balsamic vinaigrette provided almost too many nutrients to consume in one sitting.
The meal-sized apple salad's ($9.50) pile of field greens was set off by slices of a sweet gala or fuji apple; some creamy and flavorful, but not too pungent, handcrafted Sonoma goat cheese; spiced pecans; and an apple cider vinaigrette.
We detoured from the healthful high road for the aforementioned side of macaroni and cheese, with its generous side serving of fruit. The mac and cheese had a nice baked crust on top of a creamy, but fairly bland, serving of elbow pasta.
The Willow's raspberry herbal iced tea didn't require any additional sweetening, and the refills were endless.
My favorite of the dishes we tried over two visits was the salmon cakes ($10.50). The three cakes had a tasty panko crust. Inside was a moist mixture of very mild salmon, so pale that it reminded me more of a crab cake. They were served with two side dishes of sauce, a sesame chili-mayo with a surprise cayenne afterkick and a tzatziki-style yogurt and cucumber sauce that complemented the mayo's burn. The cakes were served with organic mixed greens.
With all this healthful eating, who says you can't have dessert with lunch? The pair of chocolate crepes ($5.50 with just whipped cream and chocolate, $6.95 with either sliced strawberries or bananas), was a joy. The crepes were light, and the chocolate tasted like a melted Godiva bar.
An evening visit found the Willow's patio dimly lit and hushed, almost unrecognizable, with only a few occupied tables. It was a big change from the midday light and chatter and clinking of the lunch rush.
The meatloaf entree ($14.95) included soup or salad. Having already consumed a pasture of foliage in the earlier visit, I took the gazpacho. The cup of tomato-based cold soup was dense with chopped celery, carrots, green onions and possibly some jicama. The chopped vegetables overwhelmed the mild tomato broth. They do love their vegetables at the Willow. Maybe tomato, technically being a fruit and all, couldn't be allowed to stand on its own.
The meatloaf itself was dark, moist and rich, but very lean, not at all fatty or heavy, as meatloaf often is - and covered in a thick brown gravy loaded with little mushroom slices. Barbecue sauce is an option for those who don't want the gravy.
It was plated with three vertical slices standing up next to a small mound of relatively dry and bland mashed potatoes - maybe I've become used to creamier and tastier garlic mashed potatoes - and some delicious steamed vegetables, including broccoli florets that tasted almost grilled, zucchini and sweet red pepper slices.
The other main course on the dinner table was the shrimp scampi angel hair ($13.95). It, too, offered a choice of soup or salad. The salad came on a nearly 8-inch plate of chopped romaine with carrot, red cabbage and cucumber slices, and cherry tomatoes. The house creamy oil and vinegar dressing was served on the side in a little pitcher.
The main plate contained a perfectly cooked pile of angel hair (which can go from al dente to all gooey with a few seconds too much time in the boiling water) in a sauce of mild white wine, garlic, flaked red pepper and parsley, surrounded by roughly a dozen small to medium-firm - again, not overcooked - shrimp. Perfect.
No excuses were needed for dessert with dinner, and the three-layer sour cream chocolate cake ($5.95) was a hit. It was moist, and the chocolate frosting between the layers, again, was creamy and tasted liked a melted dark chocolate bar. I'll take this over those flourless chocolate asphalt cakes anytime.
The table service on both visits was near perfect. The servers struck a nice balance, being both friendly and efficient.
The intimate restaurant offers quaint indoor seating in this former adobe home's original white plaster and wood-floored front rooms. A high ceiling, an abundance of plants and breezes from fans and the overhead ventilation system give the enclosed patio an almost tropical vibe.
Review
The Blue Willow
2616 N. Campbell Ave.
327-7577
Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Family call: It's a friendly, casual place, but the Blue Willow's quiet - almost yoga studio-like - atmosphere makes loud children out-of-place. There is a kids' menu with a fruit crepe with yogurt and whipped cream ($4), peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese sandwich ($4.50) and spaghetti with or without meatballs ($5 with, $4 without) and some breakfast items. Some sandwiches and macaroni and cheese please timid palates.
Alcohol: The wine list is loaded with good, not great, by-the-glass bargains, including $4.50 Concha y Toro varietals and a number of recognizable Australians and Californians for $5.50 a glass. The same wines are priced between $18 and $28 by the bottle. The bottled beer list is extensive, with several good imports, national and local microbrews for $4, and Bud and Bud Light for $3.
Noise level: Peaceful, although it can become moderately noisy when packed or in the mostly enclosed patio when the ventilation system is cranked up.
Vegetarian options: Vast.
Gluten-free: Besides several gluten-free salads, a fruit, nut and gluten-free cracker cheese plate, huevos rancheros, a chorizo scramble and a sesame-ginger stir-fry are offered.
Dress: Casual.
Reservations: Weekdays and weekend evenings only.
Price range: Sandwiches and breakfasts are mostly under $10; dinner entrees range from $8.95 for the citrus soy stir fry to $16.95 for the Cajun-spiced salmon filet.
