At the Two-Bit Street Café, head cook Penny Allred said she is all about buying fresh, local and organic whenever possible. For the past eight years, Allred and James Dayley have co-owned the restaurant.
Dayley says he enjoys entertaining customers with tabletop magic — such as bending spoons with mind power — on the weekends.
“But, the real magic takes place in the kitchen where Penny is cooking,” he said.
Allred said that prior to opening the restaurant, she turned to cooking as a way to relax and unwind. Her mother was talented in the kitchen and her father grew a fabulous garden, according to Allred. She remembers as a child picking fresh vegetables and helping her mother prepare them.
Now Allred spends her days cooking for Two Bit Street Café, where the signature dish is the Grilled Cuban Tampa Bay ($7.95), a sandwich made with layers of ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and Dijon mayonnaise on Cuban-style bread, served with made-from-scratch kettle chips. Dayley was introduced to this sandwich while living in Florida, and he says Allred has perfected the recipe.
They also run several specials, including the Fish Underground ($15.95), orange roughy and fennel prepared with a special liquor made in an Ogden distillery called Underground.
Dayley said they also use the Underground spirits to make specialty drinks such as the Horhound Underground ($7), made with a botanical English soda; and the Two Bit Ho ($7), a mix with peach schnapps, cranberry juice and a twist of lime.
“We love Underground. The first time I tasted it, I fell in love with it,” Dayley said.
Allred said that since she makes everything from scratch she is able to cater to customers with food allergies. For example, she can make almost any of her sauces gluten-free.
The restaurant also offers an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu. Some of the most popular vegetarian dishes include the Creamy Greek Pasta Salad ($7.95) with homemade dressing; The Roasted Veg Med ($7.95) with potatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, tomatoes and feta cheese; and the Mediterranean Melt ($5.95) with artichoke spread, roasted red peppers, spinach, olives, red onion and provolone on a ciabatta bun.
For Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be the same day the restaurant celebrates its eighth anniversary, Two-Bit Street Café will provide a meal that includes soup, salad, entrée and dessert for two.
TWO-BIT STREET CAFÉ
- ADDRESS: 126 Historic 25th St., Ogden
- HOURS: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday-Monday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
- PHONE: 801-393-1225