Martini's special: The more you chew, the better it gets

Chef Marlon Manty, of Martini's, created this baby arugula salad with roasted asparagus and mushrooms with procuitto toast and egg as a $9 special. Chef Mandy is planning a new spring menu at Martini's, 832 S. Westnedge Ave. in Kalalmazoo, Mich. (Bradley S. Pines / bspines@gmail.com ©2012)

Is it finger food, or is it salad?

It’s really both as Chef Marlon Manty combines lettuce, chopped egg, asparagus, and a giant triangular crouton grilled with fancy Speck ham. The more you chew the Speck, the better it gets. The crumbled hard-boiled egg, about one-third of a whole egg, added richness.

The dish was a special at Martini’s, 832 S. Westnedge Ave., in Kalamazoo, Mich., yesterday. Manty is creating a new spring menu. If you haven’t been to Martini’s in a while, there’s a great excuse to visit. 

Manty is an old-school chef, eschewing both an email account and a cell phone. said, “I just work with fire and knives.