Henderson couldn’t resist the tasty aroma of the Wildflower on Monday.
Three months of closing, the Wildflower Cafe was back in business on a warm, sunny spring day at the corner of Breckenridge and Garnett streets downtown.
Owner Patricia Newhouse, who also operates Gray’s Gourmet, was new, as were the Carolina-blue polo shirts for the wait staff, the rainbow-bright draperies woven into the ceiling and some of the for-sale works by local artists decorating the windows overlooking Breckenridge.
Also revealing the special circumstances were some helium-filled Mylar balloons carrying messages of congratulations for waitress Tracy Gruber from a customer happy to see her back on the job.
But the essentials were the same. The lunchtime eatery had the same menu, much of the same staff, the same eclectic, colorful sense of style, the same lively, friendly atmosphere, and the same big crowd dotted with the city’s elite. Among the familiar faces in the Wildflower between 1 and 2 p.m. were City Council member Bernard Alston; Maria Parham Medical Center official David Ruggles and his wife, local ACS leader Debbie Ruggles; Lighthouse Entertainment owner Nancy Smith; Harperprints founders Michael and Lynn Harper; and Daily Dispatch Publisher James Edwards and most of the newspaper’s editorial staff.
“I think we had a good day,” Newhouse said in an interview after closing time. “I’m excited.”
The restaurant is open from 10:30 to 2:30 for lunch Monday through Friday and 5:30 to 9 for dinner Thursday and Friday. Newhouse said people started arriving about 11 a.m., and she had a packed house by 11:30.
At times people had to wait for tables, Newhouse said.
Once they sat down, diners had the option of choosing such Wildflower favorites as the Key lime grilled chicken and the quiche of the day, which was ham and cheese. The main-dish special of the day was a crabcake sandwich — an appropriate choice by chef Donnie Coffey (brother of former owner Bill Coffey), given that Newhouse grew up in Maryland near Chesapeake Bay.
With the help of holdovers such as Coffey and the experienced wait staff, opening day went smoothly, Newhouse said. The only hitch was a problem with a coffee pot.
“I think it went beautifully,” Newhouse said.