Blue Arbor Cafe, Occoquan - Chef-Owner Steve Power and GM Sherry Mangas at 201 Union Street

[KMango]

Tidal water has a presence, a cadence, a palpable feeling of being.  You know the moment you arrive, without looking, that you're there.  The water pulse is in the air, and it's more than witnessing the sudden drop off landscape behind a row of buildings.  You can feel it.  The enduring rhythm, ions, and humidity are also nature's sedative.  People residing in a small seaside town live several steps lower on the anxiety scale.  Shallow life worries are replaced by the constant reminder of nature and the broader world, with an ever-present hum of liquid life bigger than ourselves.

Occoquan lived for me on a recent Friday morning.  I arrived around 9:30, early for a breakfast appointment, and walked the empty, main drag on Union Street.  Damp, chilly, counter-intuitively dense air embraced me, emanating from the river as a thief of the heat.  Union Street is the stuff of my wish-for-the-world business dreams. The avenues showcase small mom and pop shops, cafes, boutiques, and services, many with hand-painted signs and the other personality tells of an owner carefully expressing the hopeful art of selling. I considered each storefront, made a quiet wish for prosperity and happiness, and sent virtual smiles to any new patrons who would enter their doors that day.

The Blue Arbor Cafe, tucked away on Union and Mill streets, was my destination.  Recommended by a friend, the website seemed promising of a good experience, reinforced by the enthusiastic reviews on FourSquare.  I opened the door to perhaps a dozen tables, via two small rooms, and greetings from nearly every staff member. My dining companion had chosen a table adjacent to a bay window.  It encompassed a stained glass interpretation of the building, providing a cozy, sunny environment.  I received an attractive menu of surprisingly enticing soups, sandwiches, and breakfast fare, a good-value price range of $4 to $12.  The daily specials board indicated a lobster roll option, and at least one soup of the day.

Paralyzed by good choices, I wound up mirroring my companion's selection, berries and cream crepe ($5.95).  I dined lightly with the intention to order a couple of sandwiches for takeout.  Unfortunately, our lively conversation ran overtime, and I was unable to do that, so I must return in the near future to try the French Orchard (ham/apple/brie/pepper jelly) and the Not A Reuben (which read very much like a Reuben, there must be a story there). The crepe was immensely delicate and flavorful, graced with honorably treated fruit and rich, whipped cream.  Split this as a dessert when you go, if you can look past the homey options such as Bourbon Street pecan pie and peanut butter bomba.

Service was attentive and caring.  The friendly owner shared his smile with us, and every table, halfway through the meal to ensure complete satisfaction.  We lingered far longer than we should have for such a small repast, and business was picking up dramatically by 11:30, but we felt zero pressure to "turn the table".  And the thoughtful server literally ran out to my dining companion's car with alarm when she realized he left his phone on the table.  These are signs of authentically caring hospitality, leaving each patron a bit more relaxed than when they arrived.    

I noted the small town lull only goes so far.  On the quiet street, no strangers passing by made eye contact nor uttered "good morning" as they focused intently on their destination or data devices.  The pulse, ebb, and flow of the calming river tide followed me to my car, out of the area, and evaporated back towards it's source as I merged onto the crowded highway to return to the city.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Tidal water has a presence, a cadence, a palpable feeling of being.  You know the moment you arrive, without looking, that you're there.  The water pulse is in the air, and it's more than witnessing the sudden drop off landscape behind a row of buildings.  You can feel it.  The enduring rhythm, ions, and humidity are also nature's sedative.  People residing in a small seaside town live several steps lower on the anxiety scale.  Shallow life worries are replaced by the constant reminder of nature and the broader world, with an ever-present hum of liquid life bigger than ourselves.

Occoquan lived for me on a recent Friday morning.  I arrived around 9:30, early for a breakfast appointment, and walked the empty, main drag on Union Street.  Damp, chilly, counter-intuitively dense air embraced me, emanating from the river as a thief of the heat.  Union Street is the stuff of my wish-for-the-world business dreams. The avenues showcase small mom and pop shops, cafes, boutiques, and services, many with hand-painted signs and the other personality tells of an owner carefully expressing the hopeful art of selling. I considered each storefront, made a quiet wish for prosperity and happiness, and sent virtual smiles to any new patrons who would enter their doors that day.

The Blue Arbor Cafe, tucked away on Union and Mill streets, was my destination.  Recommended by a friend, the website seemed promising of a good experience, reinforced by the enthusiastic reviews on FourSquare.  I opened the door to perhaps a dozen tables, via two small rooms, and greetings from nearly every staff member. My dining companion had chosen a table adjacent to a bay window.  It encompassed a stained glass interpretation of the building, providing a cozy, sunny environment.  I received an attractive menu of surprisingly enticing soups, sandwiches, and breakfast fare, a good-value price range of $4 to $12.  The daily specials board indicated a lobster roll option, and at least one soup of the day.

Paralyzed by good choices, I wound up mirroring my companion's selection, berries and cream crepe ($5.95).  I dined lightly with the intention to order a couple of sandwiches for takeout.  Unfortunately, our lively conversation ran overtime, and I was unable to do that, so I must return in the near future to try the French Orchard (ham/apple/brie/pepper jelly) and the Not A Reuben (which read very much like a Reuben, there must be a story there). The crepe was immensely delicate and flavorful, graced with honorably treated fruit and rich, whipped cream.  Split this as a dessert when you go, if you can look past the homey options such as Bourbon Street pecan pie and peanut butter bomba.

Service was attentive and caring.  The friendly owner shared his smile with us, and every table, halfway through the meal to ensure complete satisfaction.  We lingered far longer than we should have for such a small repast, and business was picking up dramatically by 11:30, but we felt zero pressure to "turn the table".  And the thoughtful server literally ran out to my dining companion's car with alarm when she realized he left his phone on the table.  These are signs of authentically caring hospitality, leaving each patron a bit more relaxed than when they arrived.    

I noted the small town lull only goes so far.  On the quiet street, no strangers passing by made eye contact nor uttered "good morning" as they focused intently on their destination or data devices.  The pulse, ebb, and flow of the calming river tide followed me to my car, out of the area, and evaporated back towards it's source as I merged onto the crowded highway to return to the city.

This has my vote for literary post of the year. Easily could have been written for Lucky Peach. Bravo!

[darkstar965]

Big agree with Kibbee Nayee. Your post is beautifully and revealingly written, kmango.

I've never been to Occoquan but will make it a point to visit now.

These folks should buy you lunch next time you're in town.

[LauraB]

Beautiful post!

[BlueArbor]

KMango

Thank you for the kind words about my Cafe, and what a creative post. Wonderful theater of the mind, I felt like I was walking down Mill Street. Be sure to introduce yourself if you're able to to stop in again, and Ill share the story of the "Not a Reuben"

Steve

Owner

The Blue Arbor Cafe

[darkstar965]

KMango

Thank you for the kind words about my Cafe, and what a creative post. Wonderful theater of the mind, I felt like I was walking down Mill Street. Be sure to introduce yourself if you're able to to stop in again, and Ill share the story of the "Not a Reuben"

Steve

Owner

The Blue Arbor Cafe

Welcome Steve! Great to have you here on the board and can't wait to get to down to Occoquan.

[DonRocks]

This has my vote for literary post of the year. Easily could have been written for Lucky Peach. Bravo!

Big agree with Kibbee Nayee. Your post is beautifully and revealingly written, kmango.

I've never been to Occoquan but will make it a point to visit now.

These folks should buy you lunch next time you're in town.

Beautiful post!

KMango

Thank you for the kind words about my Cafe, and what a creative post. Wonderful theater of the mind, I felt like I was walking down Mill Street. Be sure to introduce yourself if you're able to to stop in again, and Ill share the story of the "Not a Reuben"

Steve

Owner

The Blue Arbor Cafe

I just saw this for the first time. What a beautiful post, KMango. Thank you.

I'm on page 13 of the posts, making sure everything is in order - I'm putting Blue Iguana in Italic in the Dining Guide because of the powerful evocation here - I'm also following them on Twitter (1 of 22) because they linked to your post - I had no idea they had.

[schulju]

Like darkstar, I've never been to Occoquan, but it and Blue Arbor are now on my list of must see places.  Thanks KMango!