Cafe Gutenberg

This morning K and I set out for the 17th St. Farmer's Market, in search of some local produce- eggplant and tomatoes- for a culinary adventure/experiment I had in mind for later today. I will admit, since I seem to be on a crotchety streak lately, that the Market is disappointingly light on farmers and heavy on knicknack and craft vendors. I resolved to make for the greener pastures of the Forest Hill Market next weekend. But in the midst of this, we worked up an appetite for brunch. We spotted LuLu's, across the street and poked our heads in, asking if we could smoke at the bar. After receiving a negative, we left and walked up the street to Cafe Gutenberg, where they have an outdoor patio. The patio theme is turning into a regular thing for us.

We hadn't been to Gutenberg for a long time, and really didn't know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. The brunch menu looked wonderful and intriguing, and unlike our dining experience the previous evening, it lived up to its hype, for the most part.

For morning cocktails, they offer an interesting twist on the mimosa, with a choice of cava cocktails. Cava is a sparkling Spanish wine similar to champagne, and Gutenberg serves it splashed with blood orange juice, mandarin or pomegranite. We opted for the blood orange, which was a pretty deep orange, opaque hue, served in a fluted glass. It was not overly sweet at all, dry and refreshing- it was something different and we both enjoyed it. I also ordered a cup of plain coffee that tasted about as good as plain brewed coffee could possibly taste.

The brunch menu was varied- with everything from crepes to egg dishes, and options aplenty for both the vegetarian and the carnivore. We had a terrible time making a decision, and since we're boring old dykes we both ordered the same thing- the 17th Street Scramble. This was a vegetarian option that consisted of a large dish of scrambled eggs with white cheddar, asparagus, fresh spinach, spring onions, regular onions, yukon potatoes and green peppers, topped with creme fraiche. The veggies and the eggs were cooked perfectly, and the dish was unique and delicious. I really enjoy eating something in the morning that is not heavy and greasy, which is exactly what we got. The portion was large and neither of us could even begin to finish it.

K also ordered a vegan biscuit and gravy, which was, well.. interesting. It was a large fluffy homemade biscuit, covered in some sort of (mushroom?) gravy with spring onions. I think it would have gone over better if it wasn't billed as a 'biscuit and gravy.' I just don't know why, but in contrast to the egg dish, this is something I almost want to be a little greasy, and since it wasn't, there was just something lacking.

We enjoyed sitting on the patio, and for the non smokers, the inside area is spacious and pleasant. It is somewhere we are certain to try again, mainly because I'd like to sample some of the sweet breakfast options like the french toast or the crepes. Gutenberg would definitely be considered in the realm of 'fine dining' but the prices were very reasonable- many of the brunch entrees were less than $10.

My only complaint today, with this place was the service. Granted, every server is different, and had we gotten a different one, I probably wouldn't be whining about our service, but since we didn't, and since I like to write as much about the dining experience as the food, I just can't help myself.

The restaurant was not particularly overcrowded, and from the beginning, we got the basic bare bones service, which was fine. At the end of a meal though, I hate it when the server leaves a table sitting...and sitting.... and sitting. And then she committed the ultimate faux pax- my pet peeve of waiters. Check plopping. When the waiter ignores you for an interminable amount of time, then appears suddenly, check in hand and plops it down on the table without asking if anyone wants anything else. Especially at brunch, where a diner might care for another cup of coffee, and especially in a situation when there's no one waiting for you to vacate your table.

As grumpy as I get about that stuff, I still would not have necessarily mentioned it here, except that after the plopping of the check, she proceeded to walk by our table with a water pitcher, ignoring our partially filled glasses, fill the table next to us, and then walk by the check and credit card on our table. We sat for another minute, then I ended up walking our check into the restaurant. Normally when a server completely ignores us like that, I get all anti-lesbianphobic, and blame it on whatever gay making out we were doing, but since we were seated way across the table from each other, we weren't even holding hands, so it couldn't have been that.

At any rate, I will give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume that the server was just having a bad day or something. We really like Cafe Gutenburg as a brunch option, and will surely want to check out dinner as well sometime in the near future.



Cafe Gutenberg
1700 E. Main Street
804.497.5000