Perused the exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts lately? How about the museum’s Cafe located just inside? The MFA Cafe in downtown St. Pete is the perfect end to a museum tour, or like us, a break from work. The Cafe is open to the public and you don’t have to visit the museum exhibits to dine there, though MFA members do get a 10 percent discount.

Gone are the arctic temperatures in the Burg and though it was a sweaty day indeed, we chose to sit outside on the patio where there was a slight breeze and shady umbrellas to keep us cool. The view of the bay was the perfect scenery for a relaxing lunch. Passerbys can be seen from the lofty outside dining area, making it a prime people watching spot.

We sipped on water in curvaceous squat glasses, wishing we could pick something from the limited but quality drink menu, like a Jai Lai, Cigar City’s IPA, or a glass of wine. Our server brought a basket of fresh bread and hummus. The bread was soft in the middle with just enough crunch around the edges and the hummus had a zest to it that so many bland versions lack.

The menu changes frequently with a column dubbed “Traveling Exhibits” for the rotating specials. Appetizers, soups, salads and sandwiches galore boasted of delicious vegetarian and carnivorous accoutrements, so we took our pick.

The Grateful Bread: Not being one of those people that can wake up in the morning and chow down, I was starving by lunchtime and needed something hearty. I chose the Herb Crusted Turkey Panini with in-house roasted turkey breast, dried fruit jam, basil aioli on fresh ciabatta bread and mixed greens on the side. The turkey came in a thick cut, which was a nice change to the typical thin deli slice. The aioli was the perfect combination with the jam, evening out the sweetness. If the bread had been too soft this combo wouldn’t have worked, but it had the right consistency and all was well. The mixed greens were a work of art, curly-q carrots and all.

DJ Fab: What I like about the menu at the MFA Cafe is that there are not too many options to make it complicated to choose especially when you’re in a hurry. And from their offering, I opted for the duck quesadilla. Something light but included some protein and easy to eat. It wasn’t too oily which is usually the case at other places which makes for a messy lunch. All in all, I don’t recall ever having a bad experience at the MFA Cafe.

Vegenator: It’s hard to mess up a salad, but from experience, it’s even more difficult to perfect one. I can honestly say that the MFA Cafe boasted the best I’ve had in the ‘Burg. With mixed greens, sliced apples, bleu cheese crumbles and walnuts, it was the dressing that sold me and made the dish. Get ready for it… Elderflower vinaigrette. The flavor combination had me grunting in happiness. I may have even blacked out, I can’t remember. Moral of the story, the MFA Cafe may not offer this particular salad anymore, but I have every reason to believe their current menu is just as creative and delicious.

The MFA Cafe, 255 Beach Drive NE, is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11am-3pm.

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