A cozy cottage near Pine Tree Shopping Plaza houses two remarkable restaurants-The Blue House Caf? open for breakfast and lunch, and Francisco’s, open for dinner.
The tight two-room dining space was nearly full at about 11:00 a.m., but we managed to get the last table. Given the number of guests and that the confines allow for only one waitress, service was unsurprisingly slow.
When we finally ordered, I selected from the long list of standard breakfast and lunch dishes: Granola, fruit and yogurt, priced at a ridiculous figure near eight dollars. My mother chose the special frittata, containing spinach, tomato, portabella mushroom, and Gruyere cheese.
We drooled over the healthy portion our neighbor ordered. We also flirted with hot chocolates that came from the kitchen in bowl-like mugs. Crowned with regal rings of fresh whipped cream, laced with jeweled dots of dark chocolate syrup, and finished with a scepter-like spoon, our neighboring party gave them two thumbs up.
While we ogled edibles about the room as time elapsed; we wondered where our food was. The open window to the kitchen behind our table in the sunny second room painted in watercolors, confirmed that the yogurt bowl had been prepared, but as the frittata cooked the clock tick-tocked monotonously.
After about 40 minutes, our beautiful breakfasts arrived. I inhaled sweet bananas, red raspberries, ripe strawberries, halved green grapes, sweet toasted granola and organic vanilla yogurt. The portion was generous, but not worth eight dollars.
My mother eagerly attacked her frittata, but spit out the second bite when she realized it was full of spicy sausage. Our waitress said the error was hers. She returned five minutes later with the proper frittata. In the meantime, my mother made fast work of a heaping portion of bacon and home fries that she called, “The best potatoes I have eaten in my over half-century of life.”
By the time the new frittata arrived, I had consumed the yogurt. Given the huge size, my mother split the golden, rich egg dish in half, and told me to “dig in.” I devoured my helping. Warm and wonderful, gooey, sharp cheese accented mild mushrooms, ruddy tomatoes, and splendid spinach. I would eagerly recommend this dish, and the other delicious delights at the Blue House Caf?. It is unfortunate that slow service and a sloppy mistake had to interfere with the fantastic food. u
RATINGS OUT OF 5 STARS
SERVICE: 2
FOOD: 5
ATMOSPHERE: 4
OVERALL: 3.7
The Blue House Caf? is located at 1081 Brighton Ave, Portland. 347-8050