Blue Moon Café and Coffee House |
|
| 1621 Aliceanna St. | |
| Baltimore, MD 21231 | |
| 410-522-3940 | |
|
Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. | |
| What's nearby: | |
Fells Point cafe fills niche with pleasing, cheap fare
The cinnamon rolls, and everything else, are made on site.
By Karen Nitkin
Special to the Sun
Originally published Jan. 16, 2003
For a Sunday morning, our 25-minute wait at the Blue Moon Cafe wasn't bad. In the 6 1/2 years since it opened, this cozy
Fells Point cafe has become something of an institution, with customers gladly waiting an hour or more for tables, especially on the weekends.
One reason for the wait is that the place is so small, with only 10 tables jammed into its wood-floored, blue-walled space. Another -- more important -- reason is that Blue Moon fills a niche, serving enormous, dirt-cheap breakfasts that put lots of diner fare to shame.
Everything from the muffins and biscuits to the jams and salsas are made on the premises, and the extra work pays off, even if it means Sherri and Sarah Simington, the mother-daughter, chef/co-owner team, barely get any sleep.
When we were finally seated, we drooled over the goodies in the pastry case, read the colorfully written list of specials and perused the three-page menu, which is decorated with funky little drawings of lunar phases and astronauts.
Because it was close to Christmas, we ordered the eggnog latte, and because we love crab, we ordered a crab, blue cheese and tomato omelet. Both were specials.
We listened to "Help Me, Rhonda" over the sound system as the Raven's Brew coffee arrived. We learned later that it is from Alaska but was chosen in part for its local-reference name.
Our young waitress, wearing a Raven's Brew T-shirt, told us that a fruit smoothie we'd ordered might take a few minutes because it would be "made with tender, loving care."
When it did arrive it tasted more of milk and honey than mango and peaches. A little more fruit and a little less TLC
would have been OK with us.
We drank our coffee and latte and watched the pretty Fells Point people as we waited, noting that the first batch of coffee was weak, but the refill was just right. The eggnog latte was frothy and not too sweet, with a nice hint of nutmeg.
Then the food arrived, looking more gorgeous than the people. My omelet was nearly crowded off the plate by a Frisbee-sized
disc of hash browns and a mile-high biscuit served with a small cup of homemade jam. Unfortunately, the cheese in the omelet overpowered the other, milder flavors of the dish. And the hash browns were crisp but could have used a little more salt or onion or something for flavor.
The biscuit was the real winner, so tender and light, definitely worth waiting an hour or more. The side of homemade jam made it even better.
One of my friends got the vegetarian scramble, a plate full of tender-firm mushrooms, broccoli, peppers and onions, held together with eggs and cheese. It was served with the same hash browns and biscuit. Not bad for $6.95.
My other friend ordered French toast with fruit, which arrived in a swirl of whipped cream and was immediately declared light and delicious, even if the fruit was just canned peaches. A side order of spicy sausage patties was devoured by all of us.
Though we ate way too much food, we succumbed to temptation on the way out and ordered a gooey cinnamon roll that was larger than a hockey puck and packed a wallop, what with all that yummy butter and sugar.
Though Blue Moon is known for its breakfasts, it also serves lunch daily, starting at 11 a.m. It also opens at 11 on Friday and Saturday nights and stays open until 3 the next afternoon.
We have no idea how the Simingtons sleep at all.
Ratings:
Food: *** 1/2
Service: ***
Atmosphere: *** 1/2
Rating system: Outstanding: ****; Good ***; Fair or uneven **; Poor *
The cinnamon rolls, and everything else, are made on site.
By Karen Nitkin
Special to the Sun
Originally published Jan. 16, 2003
For a Sunday morning, our 25-minute wait at the Blue Moon Cafe wasn't bad. In the 6 1/2 years since it opened, this cozy
Fells Point cafe has become something of an institution, with customers gladly waiting an hour or more for tables, especially on the weekends.
One reason for the wait is that the place is so small, with only 10 tables jammed into its wood-floored, blue-walled space. Another -- more important -- reason is that Blue Moon fills a niche, serving enormous, dirt-cheap breakfasts that put lots of diner fare to shame.
Everything from the muffins and biscuits to the jams and salsas are made on the premises, and the extra work pays off, even if it means Sherri and Sarah Simington, the mother-daughter, chef/co-owner team, barely get any sleep.
When we were finally seated, we drooled over the goodies in the pastry case, read the colorfully written list of specials and perused the three-page menu, which is decorated with funky little drawings of lunar phases and astronauts.
Because it was close to Christmas, we ordered the eggnog latte, and because we love crab, we ordered a crab, blue cheese and tomato omelet. Both were specials.
We listened to "Help Me, Rhonda" over the sound system as the Raven's Brew coffee arrived. We learned later that it is from Alaska but was chosen in part for its local-reference name.
Our young waitress, wearing a Raven's Brew T-shirt, told us that a fruit smoothie we'd ordered might take a few minutes because it would be "made with tender, loving care."
When it did arrive it tasted more of milk and honey than mango and peaches. A little more fruit and a little less TLC
would have been OK with us.
We drank our coffee and latte and watched the pretty Fells Point people as we waited, noting that the first batch of coffee was weak, but the refill was just right. The eggnog latte was frothy and not too sweet, with a nice hint of nutmeg.
Then the food arrived, looking more gorgeous than the people. My omelet was nearly crowded off the plate by a Frisbee-sized
disc of hash browns and a mile-high biscuit served with a small cup of homemade jam. Unfortunately, the cheese in the omelet overpowered the other, milder flavors of the dish. And the hash browns were crisp but could have used a little more salt or onion or something for flavor.
The biscuit was the real winner, so tender and light, definitely worth waiting an hour or more. The side of homemade jam made it even better.
One of my friends got the vegetarian scramble, a plate full of tender-firm mushrooms, broccoli, peppers and onions, held together with eggs and cheese. It was served with the same hash browns and biscuit. Not bad for $6.95.
My other friend ordered French toast with fruit, which arrived in a swirl of whipped cream and was immediately declared light and delicious, even if the fruit was just canned peaches. A side order of spicy sausage patties was devoured by all of us.
Though we ate way too much food, we succumbed to temptation on the way out and ordered a gooey cinnamon roll that was larger than a hockey puck and packed a wallop, what with all that yummy butter and sugar.
Though Blue Moon is known for its breakfasts, it also serves lunch daily, starting at 11 a.m. It also opens at 11 on Friday and Saturday nights and stays open until 3 the next afternoon.
We have no idea how the Simingtons sleep at all.
Ratings:
Food: *** 1/2
Service: ***
Atmosphere: *** 1/2
Rating system: Outstanding: ****; Good ***; Fair or uneven **; Poor *
