Finding the soul of Little Kitchen

This is a weird time to be writing about eating out. There is no way to share the atmosphere of a place with you, because I am unable (or, as of now, unwilling) to experience said atmosphere in a restaurant. Good eateries have souls, given life by the people who create their passion and imagine new flavors to delight. When I can't sit inside that space, specifically created for me to enjoy the food and touch the soul of the restaurant, then I can't communicate to you completely what I felt and tasted while I was there. There is a missing component that can't be made up or fudged. But I will do the best that I can under the circumstances. After all, that's what we're all doing right now.

I had never been to Little Kitchen before, but it has been on my list to try for a while. I went through the drive-through, and let me give you an insider's tip, if you will. This is absolutely not fast food. Your food will be cooked after you order it, so if you go through the drive-through, you will wait for them to cook your food and so will everyone in line after you. To keep everyone happy, order online or give them a call. They will have your food ready and you can help them keep their line moving.

The way I approach a new place's menu is pretty simple. I scan it, and my eyes stop on things that look unusual to read the description closer. The first thing I noticed was the St. Paul Sandwich. How many times have you gone to an Asian-style restaurant and seen a sandwich on the menu? I don't think I've ever seen one, so I ordered without even reading the description. When I got home, I unwrapped the neatly wrapped, plaid-papered sandwich. In between two simple slices of white bread were lots of crunchy iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, pickles, and a fried patty with lots of tasty goodies packed inside. I ordered the combination St. Paul, so there were vegetables and a mixture of meats pressed into a patty probably held together with breadcrumbs and a bit of egg (I'm totally guessing here, don't take this as canon). It had a Thai flair to it with zingy citrus textures, and the lettuce kept it light. This dish was totally unique and an easy way to eat your Chinese in the car while driving -- if that's the kind of thing you're into. No judgments here.

Little Kitchen has a robust menu full of delicious Asian foods, including favorites such as Cashew Chicken with white rice. I ordered that as well and was delighted, as always, by the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Water chestnuts have the best texture in the world, able to be cooked and yet still crunch between my teeth. The cashews were generous and the golden brown sauce holding the dish together was perfectly seasoned, not spicy at all, and accepted a dash of soy sauce that was generously provided on the side.

Little Kitchen also makes the best Lo Mein noodles that I've had in Cape. My daughter orders plain Lo Mein every chance she gets, and when she put the first bite in her mouth, all she had to say was, "MMMmmmm." So I tried them too, and wow! There is a lot of flavor saturated into those noodles. There is no surprise in the seasoning used, but there is wonder in the amount of Lo-Mein-ness that Little Kitchen can pack into a single noodle. Well done and kudos!

A close-up of the St. John sandwich from Little Kitchen, a totally unique hand-held take on a traditional pressed fried patty.ubmitted by Rebecca LaClair

I caught a glimpse of the soul of Little Kitchen, a hint and a healthy dollop. I cannot wait until I can visit again when things are my personal definition of "safe," when I can see how the same minds that cooked the food decorated the space inside. Head and heart, I want to see the complete picture, live and eat in the manifestation of someone's dream. Until I can do that at Little Kitchen and numerous other places, I will visit in the drive-through or take curbside carryout, and do everything I can to ensure that these special places come out intact on the other side. Variety is literally the spice of life when it comes to eating out, and I greedily want all the variety I can get.

You can find Little Kitchen at 1036 N. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau.