I’ve been charioting around all of Charlottesville for the last few months trying to figure out, what, in fact is the Best Breakfast Place in Charlottesville. We’ve done a brunch roundup before, but since I’m Thor, I’m an absolutist.I needed an answer for myself. More importantly, I needed an absolute answer so cVillain readers could tell me I’m wrong (or right). So, here it goes…
We’ve had our issues with the C-Ville’s Best Of and Charlottesville-dining.com. First of all, C-Ville’s Best of List claims that Bluegrass Grill & Bakery takes the top spot. Secondly, Charlottesville Dining has Shenandoah Coffee and Spudnuts as the Top Breakfast Joints (eliminating those places with 1 vote). I wholeheartedly disagree with these rankings. Here’s why…
I’ve been to almost every real place I can think of for breakfast. Here’s my list:
Tip Top, Tavern, Boheme, Nook, Bluegrass, La Taza, Cafe Cubano, The Point, Spudnuts, Shenendoah Joe’s, Maya, and probably more places.
The Background
For several years, Blue Moon was our “go to” joint for breakfast and lunch. Back then, it was a little dirtier and the grill was up front. Suddenly, the owners decided to close shop and focus on catering. I’m not exactly sure why they closed shop, but I would wager to guess that it was a combination of the small size of the restaurant, the gourmet omelet ingredients and the inability to turn tables fast enough to make money given the low margins on the high quality, low priced food. Somewhere, people said they were working too hard. Highlights of our historic Blue Moon experiences were (1) the portobello sandwich they used to serve with fresh mozzarella, fresh pesto, Albemarle Baking ciabatta and roasted red peppers (2) being served by someone more hungover than us post-Foxfield at 9AM in the morning and (3) being, literally, the last people to sit in the restaurant on its closing day.
Why It Came Back
[pic]
For over a year, we ceremoniously sacrificed lambs to the blue moons in the hopes that their earth presence, conveniently located at 512 W Main St, would reappear on Midnight of the New Blue Moon year. It worked. The C-Ville seems to think it was because of a new fangled partnership, but we know better.
Bar? Just like with our new web hosts, the Blue Moon upgraded. It got cleaner, a bit nicer and kept all it’s old charm. It still appeals to that hipper, Apple toting, I ride a Vespa (or bike if I’m poor) crowd, but damn, the food’s good. Unlike most places, I’ve always had instant service at the bar. For some reason all the UVA kids get scared by the bar. Maybe it’s because they see more tattoos than they’ve ever seen amongst all their sorority sisters combined, but trust me, everyone’s nice. We like it, even if we do get to inhale the cigarette smoke and wonder, why on earth would that person want a Pabst at 10AM in the morning?
First of all, pancakes aren’t easy little buggers to do right. Bluegrass does a good stack, I’ll admit, but Blue Moon does them lighter and sexier. No one else in town comes close to these two. When you add the unique syrups and specials that Blue Moon does, they are a clear winner.
Hash browns? Yesssssssss (in a dirty way). Blue Moon has always had amazing hash browns. They did reduce the number of green peppers and onions in the new hashbrowns but the crispy tastiness still exists. No one compares in town.
Coffee? You may have read our espresso review in the past and it’s sad to see Blue Moon doesn’t serve espresso, but hey they are hip and do what they want. Half of Elvis was watching over me and mentioned that maybe Cubano’s coffee is a bit ahead, but Blue Moon is in a very, very close second place.
One thing that always irks me about breakfast joints in Charlottesville is wait times. I almost puke everytime I drive past the yuppie line at Bluegrass and wonder, do hour long wait times really justify this place? Cubano can get some pretty nasty wait times these days (I like to think it’s because of our roundup) but at least they can move quickly.
What about service and wait times at Blue Moon? Winners! The staff at Blue Moon goes the extra mile to apologize in advance on slow days by explaining food “may take 30 minutes.” Hell, that’s a good deal as long as you disclose it and don’t act like it’s the customer’s fault for ordering *COUGH* MAS *COUGH.* Despite the busy days, Blue Moon gives it’s guests the best southern hospitality in town, even if they are a hipster joint.
The One Gripe
I do have to complain about one thing. The omelets just don’t compare to what they were back in the heyday. Ingredients aren’t as fancy and the eggs are just not done quite right. If you stick with scrambles, heuvos or something of that nature, then you should be ok.
Bottom Line
Did we mention it’s cheap? You can get out of there for under $10, no problem. Good luck doing that at Bluegrass. If you can deal with a little cigarette smoke and some tattoos, Blue Moon is, hands down, the best breakfast place in Charlottesville. Make sure you look around at all the trinkets and fun decorations. There is always something to discover (can anyone tell me about their ABC sign?). They will even play records from their collection for you.
I hope that reviewing it doesn’t make more tourists crowd this little joint, but all the better. Keep up the good work folks! We’ll keep coming back.
[thanks to Blue Moon's MySpace page for the pic]
Related posts:
- The Breakfast Battle: Bluegrass Grill & Bakery vs. Blue Moon
- Recession Wining and Dining: Blue Moon Dinner
- Best Charlottesville Easter Brunch?
As a longtime regular at the diner when Mark and Gus ran it, I tried to give the new place a chance. But the service is so dreadful, and the food overpriced for what FINALLY gets served, I have had to write it off. While the service sucked in the good ole days, it shines when compared with the current crew. Too bad, because this town needs a real diner (and Bluegrass ain’t it either).
Highlight of my Blue Moon experience was the millenium New Years party there.
Not that I recall much of it…
Blue Moon has the best bacon anywhere. Mmm, unexplained bacon.
I could use less peppers in my home fries, but that’s just because I don’t like squishy cooked peppers. All the times I’ve been there, it’s been delicious, and my guests enjoyed it as well.
Agreed with the need for an authentic diner. Something in a train car with a waitress who gives you attitude and grilled cheese.
Got to side with Horatio on this one. I keep trying to like the new Blue Moon, but the service and sloppily cooked food keep me from being a regular.
man ive been there at least 4 times in the last 2 months and never had a problem..sorry i forgot the mention the bacon.. that’s good stuff too
BLUE MOON IS MY FUCKING SHIT. There are definately weeks where I’ll eat there four out of the seven days cuz that place is rock and roll personified as a restaraunt. Artisan bacon, smoking, emerGIN-C’s, old timers named Syndey who come in EVERY DAY to sit in their seat and have a soda and throw napkin balls in the trash can, cute waitresses(and owners), it’s next to the liqour store, the list goes on forevor. It is and always will be my joint.
Thor, I hope your post doesn’t blow this shit up more than it already is.
Horatio: what is a real diner? because if i were making the check list, I think Blue Moon would definately constitute as a “real” one.
I think I’ll have lunch there before I vote today…
I’m a fan, but I’m still nostalgic for the old Blue Moon. Maybe I just miss someone asking me if it’s okay if they lock the front door so the cooks can smoke up in the back room.
For a hangover cure, I’m a fan of the Saturday breakfast at Rev Soup. There’s only one option (bacon, eggs over easy, grits and toast), and it’s BYOC (bring your own coffee). Best damn grits anywhere. Not a breakfast place, but worth mentioning.
I love the sausage gravy there. I know I had a thread about this a while ago… That and they make bloodies right, and to order, depending on who’s serving. Hypocrite again, though. Sometimes I don’t like people smoking there, sometimes I smoke there…
dijonbray, Blue Moon used to be a real diner. But with the new management, there are a shade too many organic and free range options. Never mind the wait staff, while surly enough, just not knowing what it means to be a server. They are all about their “art”, and not their diner work. Everyone should be treated equally, regardless of your hip quotient, and that is just not the case any longer at the Blue Moon.
Quit compelling, Horatio! I actually kind of agree with you. I happen to be quite the elitist hipster as well, so perhaps that’s why I regard it so highly(I honestly do feel cooler just by being there). I aslo get suuuper good service everytime because our bass player cooks there.
Real Diner: Fox’s? Preeetty cheap and greasy, and you can tell all the ladies who work there have their lives revolved around the establishment.
Another winner at Blue Moon: a grilled cheese. How f*ing hard is it to find a good grilled cheese in this city? Actually, very. Thank you, Blue Moon!
Great grilled-cheese at Rev. Soup
i agree with all the praise. there has been one glaring omission, though. they have the best t-shirts ever: “My farts smell like bacon.” Who needs quick service when they have great coffee and its sunday morning. where else are you going to go? church? please.
Went there on Sunday in all the post Live Arts glory/walk of shame and the Bloodys and Huevos were just what I needed. Saw Stanley and his hottie girlfriend too. It was a lovely and lazy brunch, so thank you Blue Moon, you rule in my book.
food is always dry and overcooked. staff is too hip and into themselves. the only thing that keeps me coming back is th eplaces love for cigarettes.
Like the blue moon for sure, but clearly somebody on this site must work there, not sure it’s worth all the praise…
The Bluegrass Grill RULES over the blue moon diner if you actually WANT TO EAT. If you want to drink liquor at 11am and smoke tobacco and throw up then frequent the blue moon.
The diner rocks. The owners and wait staff (with the exception of one grumpy one) are a dream. The food is delicious. The bathrooms are great. There’s smoking and non-smoking options. The crowd is diverse. And they have parking. As to the old diner… I don’t miss the grime or the strung out waitress.
fuck Blue Moon. Hit the Nook. THEY have the bomb bacon, son.
Seems the drinkin starts earlee there too then, grapee. Or do you curse so ripe in the morning any place you choose then?
I’ve got to go with LaGrape and Chance on this one. I have NEVER had a good meal at Blue Moon, especially breakfast.
Some instances:
1. After waiting for 1/2h for a table, the waitress sits a group down that just came in. She comes up to us and says “Sorry, they’re friends of mine, you have to understand.” I hope she understood the bird she was dealt as we turned around and walked out the door. Lame.
2. Every GD time, the homefries are uncooked. I always get some nastyass green-tasting raw potatoes in there. Homefries? Seriously?
3. The food, when cooked, is just not that good a) for the price, and b) in general.
I want to like BM, I really do, but it’s just not worth it.
we like that – I’ve gotten drunken booty calls from Blue Moon – at noon on a Sunday!
I think we’re finding out there’s enough brunch to go around. The more I travel the less spectacular I think brunch in this city is at all. It’s like wow, a western omelet, never seen that one before…
Blue Moon gets my vote because the DIY omelet has the longest, most interesting list of ingredients (goat cheese, for the love of GOD!) and sweet potato fries (which are yam, actually everyone’s are yam, but we’ll let that go). One of these days, I’m seriously going to drop a tub of honey mustard off at their back door and drive off, though. It’s a must-have. However, if smoke and/or a wait to sit are going to get your panties in a bunch, the Nook and Bluegrass are both great.
Here’s a dream omelet menu:
Veg: spinach, artichoke, green pepper, asparagus, olives, tomato, sundried tomato, red onion, caramelized onion, green onion/scallion, portobella, white mushroom, potato, garlic, avocado.
Meat: sausage (soy, chorizo, and Italian), Canadian bacon, bacon, turkey bacon, ham, shrimp, chicken
Cheese: cheddar, swiss, mozz, chevre, parmesan, feta, gorgonzola, asiago, cream cheese
Other: sausage gravy, spinach/artichoke cream cheese blend, pesto, salsa…
I better stop now.
With the option of egg whites or beaters.
Tuffy, I did a triple-take when I read that last line!
The sentence works for both varieties, Lil. I can always count on you to catch the gross subtleties.
I take back my Nook excitement. I remembered that a couple of years ago I decided to stop going there because not once but twice the pancakes tasted rancid. Once I can forgive. But on 2 separate occasions? I’ve never in my life been to any other place that had sour pancakes, and the Nook had ‘em twice. The bacon’s still the bomb though.
Wait wait wait! Isn’t it new ownership? And how sour are we talking about? Unsweetened buttermilk’s kinda sour. Think raw Bisquick.
Fuck the Nook. BM rocks. If you don’t like it, it’s cuz you’re not cool.
I’m glad this thread keeps coming back because I spent FOREVER thinking of shit to put on eggs.
1 girl 2 eggs?
again- i need to remember to carry my towel with me to the computer….cause i always interpsace travel with it-(was that the correct form? or should it have been intraspace travel? i feel that question could lead to a tasty existential debate. which is, to my taste. in the vernacular kids today use, hawt!11ty!).
I worked in C’ville in 1990, ‘91, and ‘95. Ate at Blue Moon at least twice a week. Still have fond memories of food, decor, and yes, service.
had the most beautifully romantic memorable moment of my life there, sitting in the window on a sunny weekend morning. spotted this girl walking along the opposite side of the street. we’d met only once and for only thirty seconds at Mudhouse several weeks before. Scrambled from the table leaving my buddy with no explanation and flew across to her, nearly getting mashed by cars blazing past. I was wearing this ghastly-gay flame-pink pima dress-shirt, and though i remember the conversation almost to the word, what sticks out most in my mind is apologizing for her having to see me in that shirt. the rest is not posting material, but it was a four-minute stretch of time that decided and changed everything in my life from that moment on. perverse that of all the magnificent places i’ve been and seen, it’s the vision from a Blue-Moon two-top that will fill my eyes as the sheet is drawn over me.
i don’t go there so much anymore.