A new place for lunch

Last week the cafe across the street from my job re-opened. Previously it had been a coffee shop that served chili, wraps, and other subtitle lunch fare. However, the people that ran it, although they were very nice, were very spacey and inconsistent in the quality of their food. A number of times I was left to wait for my food while others, who had ordered after me, were served. The last straw was when I found a long strand of red hair in my taco salad, GROSS! (They were supposed to wear hairnets, or at least have their hair tied back, and consistently didn't)

The new owners are a husband and wife team, Chris and Rita, that have redesigned the space and are operating it as a family owned business. Their typical menu right now has salad, chicken soup, chili, quiche, and farmers pie.

Chris and Rita painting the fence

I had not planned on writing anything on this, but I was super impressed this morning when I went down for breakfast this morning. I don't usually like breakfast, and if I have it at all it's usually around 10 or 11 so it ends up being more of a brunch type meal. But I was hungry this morning so I thought that a Farmers pie sounded good (I can eat it because the crust is made from hash browns). However, this morning they did not have it ready yet, and not knowing my GF lifestyle they offered me a slice of quiche. I explained it to them and nice as can be Rita quickly offered to scramble me up some eggs and sausage with the hash browns (basically a ready made pie, minus the triangle shape). I even got it topped off with some provolone cheese:) And due to the wait I also got a free cup of java (they only serve drip coffee so that they're not in competition with the other coffee places in town, a nice non competitive treat in the rat race that can be small business).

Anyway, I also decided to make it down there for lunch today to try their chili and it was delicious (also a bit spicy so if you get it ask for some sour cream so that it will balance out the spice). It's made completely from scratch so I don't have to worry about preservatives in the cans. Rita also gave me a side of mixed greens and tomatoes because I can't have the cornbread. Their Lemonade is also good. It actually has a lemon taste. Unlike most restaurants that make a mix out of sugar, this lemonade is made fresh and is tart like a good lemonade should be. If your mouth doesn't pucker then it's just not lemonade. But this is what I love about living in a small town like this once the owners know you they'll try to accommodate their patrons.

The other thing that is nice is that they're not open on Sunday's. They've chosen not to be open on that day so they can rest with family. While most people would find that an inconvenience, it's nice to see people make that day a priority in their lives. Everyone needs to have one day of rest.

Anyway, for those of you that live close by you should check out the Mosquito Fleet Chili House on Front St. (right across the street from the Penn Cove art gallery). I've enclosed the link for you all to read the story, and if you stop in tell them Carolyn sent you.