Let's Do Lunch! @ Cafe Miranda

Ask anyone where to go in Rockland, Maine for a great meal and you'll hear, Cafe Miranda. Let's Do Lunch! took that advice for Sunday brunch and chef/owner Kerry Altiero didn't disappoint. He's a character well known for his gift of gab, and his gift of cooking.

Kerry became a chef out of necessity, joking his mom overcooked La Choy eggrolls! There's always a story to the creative menu items. Homemade hummus sans the tahini was born out of a Thanksgiving party adding chick peas for color, to become 'Hummus Goes To Italy.' The foccacia was a happy accident when loaves caught on fire in his wood-fired oven. Kerry's been doing the farm to table thing 'before it was hip' as all the wood and veggies come from the Headacre Farm where he lives.

Cafe Miranda, named for his dog, opened in 1993 when Maine was a culinary wasteland. The fanciest dish was shrimp cocktail so Kerry changed that with classic comfort meals with a robust twist. Beef Groce is Thai-influenced beef salad with just the right kick. Try Fish Cake Bennies with smoked haddock topped with creamy hollandaise, where the egg explodes onto the fish. Kerry's fire-roasted kale pre-date kale chips that melt in your mouth. Visit http://www.cafemiranda.com