Coffee House Cafe

Opened August 2011.

Coffee House Cafe, Carrie Kelleher's coffee-driven concept at Frankford and Preston, is not even officially open, but already she's packing them in. She's in soft opening mode, but you wouldn't know it from the bustling crowd I encountered on a recent morning.

Coffee ranges from organic, Fair Trade espresso to coffees made by various methods such as French press and individual drip cuppas. I sat around the horseshoe bar that is the figurative and literal center of the restaurant, which has lots of brick. I can't wait for the patio to open (yes, even in this heat). There are rocking chairs out there.

As for the food, it tends to breakfast-brunchy things, and it all looks so good. I have the huevos rancheros, which were quasi-deconstructed. The eggs were scrambled, the beans were a three-bean ragout, the very-fresh (made in house?) corn tortillas were folded on the plate, and the tomatillo sauce came on the side. It was a perfect portion. Oh yeah, the applewood-smoked bacon was baked - crispy, not greasy - which took the flavor to a new smoky level.
-Kim Pierce/Eats blog (08/01/2011)