Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point offers fresh, fast and fantastic without sacrificing flavor
Sweet Potato Chili with a Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich at the Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
Sherrie's Nachos at Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
Pumpkin Pancakes with cream cheese glaze and maple syrup at Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
The main serving station at the Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
Water, utensils and other meal items are pictured at Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
Sherrie's Nachos at Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
Sherrie's Nachos at Brick Canvas Cafe at Thanksgiving Point.
It was a crisp Wednesday afternoon in November when I bundled my kids into the car for a quick trip to Thanksgiving Point.
Though I have a winter birthday, there’s just something about the constant cold that I struggle with, so I’ve made it my mission to enjoy and bask in every last drop of mild weather that comes my way. A surprisingly non-frigid fall day? You better believe I was taking the chance to not only hit up the last restaurant on my Thanksgiving Point checklist, but also spend some time wandering the farm and taking advantage of the unlimited pony rides – my kids’ favorite thing about our membership investment.
Despite the many times we’ve been to Lehi to use our membership in the last year, I still had to pull up maps for directions to Fraische Café, nestled in the Brick Canvas building at Thanksgiving Point. Now called the Brick Canvas Café, one thing is certain, it doesn’t matter what the restaurant is called, it still provided the best and most diverse dining options I’ve experienced at Thanksgiving Point.
The café truly is a hidden gem, and it took me five to 10 minutes of walking around the Brick Canvas building to even realize where we were supposed to go. For reference, park in the lot in front of the building, head straight through the ivy-covered arch, veer left around the main building and you’ll find a back entrance that will take you toward the spa portion of the building. It’s in that entrance on the right that you’ll find the restaurant, and you’ll know you’re on the right track if you pass the patio dining area.
Getting there was an adventure in itself, but experiencing it was even more of one – I’d looked up the menu on the Thanksgiving Point website and based my visit off the hours it listed. The actual menu is on the Brick Canvas website, and the hours are much longer than I originally found. Though both differences were a little surprising to me since most other eateries have been spot on, neither surprise was particularly unpleasant – I’m always game for a more diverse menu and extended hours. Especially when it’s just me with the little people.
With some help from the solo server manning the fort when I first arrived, my crew settled on the seasonal featured item of pumpkin pancakes, Sherrie’s Nachos, a Turkey Cranberry sandwich and a Choco Monkey smoothie. It was a close contention with a pumpkin spice hot chocolate, and I’m almost wishing still that I’d caved for the latter.
Regardless, my crew and I took a moment to enjoy the more simplistic and bright design of the restaurant while grabbing water and finding a table. Touting refined sugar and gluten free, the venue itself was refined, and I enjoyed the chance to just sit, rest and breathe in such a refreshing atmosphere. I suppose it makes sense, though, that the café itself gave off a feeling of wellness, considering Brick Canvas’ theme is “Discover Wellness,” and the venue features fitness options, a salon, a spa and reservable venue space.
”Our approach is simple,” the website states. “Take care of the body, mind and spirit, and you can achieve wellness. With a spa, salon, fitness classes, education classes and healthy food – we’ve got you covered.”
As I waited for our food, I enjoyed listening in for a few minutes on the conversation nearby us. Clearly people who knew more about health and healthy eating, they discussed foods and diets, ingredients and fitness while I attempted to follow along. It wasn’t long after the food arrived that another person stopped by to check in on us and ask how we found out about the restaurant. It took me less than a bite of my first item to realize what a hidden treasure the café is, and sadly, the only reason I knew about it was my quest to eat at every restaurant Thanksgiving Point has to offer. Making the venue even more delectable was the fact that all our delicious food was at least remotely good for us, and made fresh to order – it’s really hard to beat that!
The clear, hands-down favorite was the pumpkin spice pancakes, which came with a cream cheese glaze, real maple syrup and a sprinkling of crunchy nuts. My 3-year old ate through at least half of the large portion by herself and wasn’t too keen on sharing until she was almost done. One bite and I understood why. Those pancakes were GOOD.
I shared the turkey and cranberry sandwich with my toddler son, and we both loved the hearty slices of turkey and an excellently tart yet sweet cranberry sauce with just the right amount of crispy and flavorful cheddar. The bread was firm enough to hold in the meat and cheese, but chewy and moist enough to devour, and it’s the one thing we had no leftovers of to take home and share.
It was accompanied by a sweet potato chili, which was good, but also quite unique in flavoring. Despite the fact it had beans and looked like chili, it didn’t quite taste like it, though it was still really great.
Finally, we all shared the crispy-topped delight known as Sherrie’s Nachos. Featuring gluten free tortilla chips, shredded chicken, avocado, cotija cheese, Sherrie’s salsa, refried black beans and house-made cilantro cream, the nachos were a dream. Which actually surprised me – I’m not crazy for avocado and cilantro. We have a complicated and shady relationship. But I honestly didn’t even realize it was punctuated with cilantro because the flavors were so boldly delightful. It was easy to tell that each aspect of the nachos was made fresh and then compiled, and it was great.
The Choco Monkey smoothie was a recommendation based on wide popularity, and included cocoa, banana, almond butter, almond milk and dates. Considering it was not huge and was priced at $7.50, it was probably the only thing I wasn’t completely and entirely sold on. A little lacking in the flavor department, despite the fact it was chocolate, it was the only thing that tasted more like it was about health food than flavor. Though I’m sure there are plenty who love the taste, I’m pretty sure a different flavor (there are several) or a lesser expensive item like hot chocolate or a steamer would have gone over better with my little motley crew.
Ultimately, our time at the Brick Canvas Café was amazing. The staff was helpful and outgoing, the environment was comfortable and classy, and the food was fresh and delicious. The only thing more I could possibly want from it is that more people could find it! I’m hopeful though – it’s located at the rear of the new Butterfly Biosphere, and, if nothing else, I’ll be back to introduce the rest of my family!
BRICK CANVAS CAFÉ
Where: 2455 W. Executive Parkway in Lehi, Ste. 104
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.
Prices: $2-$8.50
Info: (801) 407-8635, brickcanvas.com/cafe