In the past few years the city of Carmel has exploded with new art galleries, retail stores, spas and restaurants. It seems that each time I am up there, I find something that I haven’t seen before. Enter the Blu Moon Cafe, located in the Design Center just north of 126th on Rangeline Road.
One of our family’s favorite foods is sandwiches. If you’re a follower of Solid Gold Eats, you may remember that I blogged about Emeril Lagasse’s cookbook Kicked-Up Sandwiches, eating my way through each page, as I shared the experiences with you.
So, when I was introduced to Blu Moon Cafe, there was no surprise that I would be interested in tasting their deli sandwiches or a panini. Believe it or not, one of my favorite comfort foods is a sandwich with soup or salad.
Blu Moon Cafe takes a creative approach to their menu. You won’t find broccoli cheese soup as a Tuesday special, as their spicy tomato or butternut squash soup is more likely to be found handwritten on the chalkboard behind the counter. Inside the deli case were big bowls of cucumber salad swimming in juices (JUST how I like it), lentil salad that I may have stared out with my mouth open, and a wide variety of sides that could accompany your meal or be eaten alone. I appreciated how there were traditional tuna and chicken salads to choose from and also lighter, vegetable salads that you don’t normally find at a cafe or deli.
During my visit, I ordered half of a turkey BLT and a house salad. “Skimping” is not something that Blu Moon Cafe associates themselves with. My “half” sandwich was full of roasted turkey breast, several slices of peppered bacon, aged cheddar and swiss, tomato, lettuce and pesto mayonaise. I was also impressed with the large salad of cucumber, tomato and kalamata olives.
Along with a hearty menu is a devotion to utilizing seasonal, local produce and meats. One of my original attractions to Blu Moon Cafe was when I heard that they purchased meat from Smoking Goose Meatery, one of my favorite places to buy bacon at. I’m not a person that only eats at restaurants in which I know where the food comes from, but since I know that I LOVE everything about Smoking Goose, I can’t deny that Blu Moon Cafe is going to produce great plates.
It’s important for me to note the layout of the restaurant. Like some cafes, it can be normal for it to feel like you’re sitting on top of everyone. The large windows and high ceiling open up the restaurant, and the seating along with windows has a counter that is high enough so I could stand and eat at the same time, which I liked.
Blu Moon Cafe is also open for breakfast, and I’ll surely be back to try their unique take on biscuits and gravy (a chorizo tomato gravy)! Open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday, Blu Moon Cafe should not be passed up. Thanks to them, I have a $25.00 gift card to giveaway to one lucky reader! Enter through the Rafflecopter below – giveaway ends December 15 
Disclosure: I was invited to check out Blu Moon Cafe, but I paid for my meal and all views presented are my own. Blu Moon Cafe is providing the $25.00 gift card as a giveaway.
My name is Sara - welcome to my small blue kitchen and all of its creations. Here you'll find one-pot meals, my adventures in baking, canning and preserving methods, and a photo or two of my two pups and my loving boyfriend John. These recipes are about my life, and I can't wait to share it all with you!
