Audra Earnest shows off her popsicle at Fuel Cafe.
On a visit to Fuel Café for an early lunch, I was delighted to see that the restaurant now has hand-crafted popsicles in flavors like raspberry fudge and watermelon. The pops are a little Creamsicle-ish but still icy and refreshing. They cost $2.50 each.
Will Johnson, the ice cream chef at YoLo Frozen Yogurt & Gelato, makes the popsicles for Fuel, said chef de Cuisine Andrew Armstrong. It took a little experimenting. “We also had to learn how to handle them,” Armstrong said. “Last week, somebody left them out, and they all melted.”
Armstrong, who cooked at Restaurant Iris for three-and-a-half years before coming to Fuel in December, also explained his updated dinner menu while he sauté scallops. “It’s not supper-changed, but there are some new seasonal dishes,” he said. “We’ll probably switch up some things on the lunch menu toward the end of June.”
For instance, Armstrong deconstructed Fuel’s eggplant caviar and put it back together, but Frito Misto is new, offering a seasonal mix of chickpea battered vegetables served with tzaziki. New dinner entrees include Tennessee Moulard Duck Breast over fava beans and Berkshire bacon garnished with mint gremolata, Gulf Snapper Grenobloise served with shaved fennel, asparagus and orange brown butter sauce, and cumin-crusted New York Strip with fried yucca, corn and pico de Gallo.
Entrees ring in at $20 or less, and veggie-friendly dishes remain on the menu. “I’d guess that about half our customers are vegans or vegetarians,” said Armstrong, who is happy to cook off-menu for dietary restrictions.
Fuel Café, 1761 Madison (901) 725-9025
