Comfort served all day at Hearth Room Café

Ann Ojile loves to cook. In fact, Ojile’s passion for cooking was the driving force behind the opening of Hearth Room Café, the restaurant she opened with business partner Tina Harper.

“This business gets in your blood,” said Ojile, who can count four other restaurants to her culinary credits. “When Tina and I opened here, we wanted something that would set us apart – make us unique.”

Setting Hearth Room Café apart begins with its location; the cafe is tucked along the inside courtyard across from the fountain at Lamp & Lantern Village in Town & Country. It is a comfy hideaway where the comfort food served is as warming as the oversized hearth dining room where breakfast and lunch are served daily. 
“Even in this economy people still want to go out, and breakfast and lunch are more affordable,” Ojile said.
The Hearth Room Café’s menu combines comfort classics with gourmet flair, featuring items such as a vanilla-laced French toast and an Athens omelet flavored with a mélange of Kalamata olives, feta and artichoke hearts.

Plenty of traditional favorites also are cooked to order daily, like the breakfast combo of eggs any-style served with bacon, ham or sausage with hash browns and a choice of breads. French toast, pancakes and sausage gravy are combo extras designed to satisfy the hearty appetite. There are Light and Fit selections also, such as the fruit and yogurt parfait.

Lunch overlaps breakfast with the same attention given to both the traditional and trendy.
“Our wraps are fantastic, and our signature sandwiches are different from the usual bar and grill,” Ojile said. “We even serve different sides with our sandwiches so you’re not stuck eating fries.”

Wrap options include the gyro, Thai chicken, and vegetarian. Signature sandwiches – like the Mediterranean Tuna Salad and the Rancher’s Beef – score high for creativity and taste. And for a plateful of real comfort food, nothing beats the house specialty – Chicken Salad Pie – a variation of the potpie that is served with either a salad or fruit.

“We make our Chicken Salad Pie with celery, almonds and a cheese and cream sauce,” Ojile said. “Then we turn it into a crust and bake it until bubbly.”

‘Tis the season to party, and Hearth Room Cafe offers private party planning, complete with the option of designing a custom menu with entrees ranging from prime rib to chicken pitcata to specialized appetizer buffets. As with the restaurant’s standard menu, the emphasis for custom selections always is on fresh and homemade.

In fact, fresh, home-style goodness and creative recipes are what really set Hearth Room Café apart.
Perhaps Ojile summed it up best, saying, “We do the kind of cooking you would do at home if you had the time and inspiration.”

Hearth Room Café
265 Lamp & Lantern Village
Town & Country
(636) 220-4120
Breakfast hours: 7 a.m. to 11a.m., Monday – Friday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday
Lunch hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday – Friday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday