Cafe Chloe, Tapas Picasso, and some bbq – Part I

It’s been quite the weekend for eating.  A friend came into town for the 3-day weekend (of which I do not get to celebrate and have to work) so I went with Cami to pick her up from the airport and get some brunch at Cafe Chloe.  We have been talking about going for quite some time, but we just never seem to make it over there.  We almost went for afternoon tea but opted for a more “traditional” setting instead at Crown City (our usual tea standby).  However, after reading about the food Alice Q enjoyed, I really want to go now!  Especially since the space is so cute – very urban chic.

So, because I am a bad food blogger, I have no pictures to show you of the cute space or the yummy food.  But it was so good, trust me, that you will want to make a visit for brunch, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea (I certainly want to go back).

First, Cafe Chloe makes an awesome cup of coffee.  Strong, rich, and potent.  I love it.  Also, they bring you liquid sugar for iced tea so you don’t have to stir like crazy getting sugar crystals to dissolve.

We had the hardest time deciding what to order.  Cheese plate?  Moules frites?  Poached eggs or scramble?  We ended up with an order of steel cut oats with bruleed bananas, poached eggs with wild mushrooms, and the savory custard with toast (the savory custard was ham and… something green that day, I forget what).  The oatmeal arrived looking beautiful with a cover of bananas and a crispy sugar coating.  The savory custard looked smooth and eggy and perfect with the dark bread and salad.  I assume it tasted good, too, because the dish was empty by the end of our meal.  I ordered the poached eggs, and here’s why I totally love Cafe Chloe.

When our server brought my plate over, she asked me if the eggs were overcooked because she thought they looked a little overcooked.  I poked one open and found that, while the yolks weren’t totally cooked through, they certainly weren’t runny.  So she took it back and had them repoach the eggs (and then offered to bring me some bread or something to nibble on while I was waiting!).  Now, if she had just brought my dish over and left, I certainly would have noticed my non-runny egg yolks.  But, being me, I would have just eaten them and not bother asking her to send them back.  And the dish would have still been good.  So, the fact that she was proactively looking out for me was pretty awesome.  I like that kind of service.

We finished our meal and were pleasantly full (I’m assuming… I certainly wasn’t still hungry) but not stuffed.  I’m learning to enjoy meals that end like that.  Being too full isn’t really fun.  I think the prices at Cafe Chloe are pretty reasonable and the food is of good quality.  The space is definitely small, so make sure you time your visit correctly.

On the way back to the car, we passed by Neighborhood Restaurant which looks like another good spot we should be visiting.  After getting home, it was off for a hair appointment, rushing back to the house, and then getting ready for dinner/birthday plans at…