Let me start out by saying the people here at the Blue Sky Cafe were very nice, considerate even, and that I was hoping my chow experience would match such pleasantness and accommodation!

I found this place on Yelp…and many of their reviewers indicated that it was “even better” than Billy’s Downtown Diner….and many made this place seem like the underdog of the local breakfast spots.  Always a fan of the underdog, I decided  I wouldn’t go with the crowd and I would nestle up to the cozy Blue Sky Cafe.

So, I drove the few hours from home to Bethlehem, targeting this old city as my first stop on a multi-day journey through Pennsylvania to Maryland.

Ok, well, I arrived at 9:45 or so, and I grabbed a meter in front of this little breakfast spot.  I was pleasantly surprised that there are only 6 people in the place that looks like it might seat 35 or so at full capacity….and what does this mean for this man on the move?  Nice quick breakfast!  Or…so I thought.

I was greeted promptly and was told I could sit anywhere (and I mean…anywhere!).  I had coffee ordered before I rested myself at my table and had a menu laid on the table before me.

I could get used to such pleasant, attentive service.  This place seems to really care about you.  And as I looked down, the grouping of napkins under my table leg convinced me. The people here are all about making your visit comfortable….but more on that later.

I had researched some food review websites, and I had planned on going with one of their signature dishes:  Banana Bourbon French Toast.  I decided to have it with chocolate chips (why go half way…right?) and of course, a side of bacon.

Some people, use “like” in conversation.  Some people use “ya know what I mean” … Well, my catch phrase is ” …and a side of bacon”.  It works for me…you should try it.

The anticipation for breakfast grew.  This french toast would be quite a change-up from what has become my usual (can you say egg beaters omelet, side of fruit …and sadly no bacon).  Then….at some point, a period of anticipation becomes a wait….and then it becomes a long waiting period….and finally becomes a “There are ONLY six people here, how-could-this-be-taking-so-long-wait“.

How do you know when things are REAL slow?  When you feed the meter with plenty of quarters and you STILL get one of these?

Ok…ok…maybe it will be worth the wait.  And maybe this is a shift change at the Blue Sky Cafe….but word to the wise, things can get slow….and obviously not just in the “busy” periods.

Ok — the food arrived — and it was very appealing to the eye!

First take, it appeared a little soupy, but hey, french toast looked firm, so it is obviously holding up to the swimming pool of bourbon sauce.  I dipped the fork in the sauce as a way of revving the taste buds.  Next reaction?  ”There’s bourbon in here”?  I didn’t get the taste of anything like that, really….just a “plate pond” of super sweet, syrup, with some melted chocolate co-mingling with it.

Well, there was SOME good news…they give you FIVE strips on your side of bacon — and while the bacon was pedestrian, it was nice to get five instead of the standard three pieces some places try to give you.  Yes….in case you are wondering, sometimes it’s the small things….more on that later.

In retrospect, the chocolate chips on this may have been a little much.  The dish is super sweet to begin with and I thought the chocolate-bourbon combo would give the taste buds a new adventure.  When the bourbon flavor, or any NEW flavor, failed to surface, it became a dessert – one that proved challenging to enjoy.

The best I can say on the main dish is the bananas were perfect, not too ripe, not falling apart and just right for the planned dish.  Secondly, the french toast does not succumb to the soupy sauce and it actually stood up to it and was the perfect base here.  But, while it would be good for a kid’s dessert, this “signature” dish didn’t accomplish anything for me.

So, in summary, coffee was average for diner type coffee.  Bacon was plentiful, cooked well, but otherwise unremarkable.  Banana Bourbon French Toast was a lacking dish for me.  Maybe others can find happiness in this swimming pool of sugar, but I’d rather pass on taking this swim!

Ok….but rather than closing on that note, let’s go back to the considerate people at the Blue Sky!  There’s a couple of unique ways they relay that they care about you….how they want you to feel loved and comforted.

First of all, my waitress, who was attentive once my slow wait for my food was over, was very good overall.  Only thing missing, perhaps, was her realization that a virtually empty restaurant might lead me to getting my food served more promptly.  She added a nice touch to my check, affixing a valentine’s sticker to make me feel loved.

The  next bit of hospitality is, well, to me…..a little creepy!

Not wanting to take all my coffee with me on the road, I hit the bathroom to make sure I was empty for the next leg of my journey (TMI??)

Ok, ok…..let’s see what you think of the photo below….any nominations for what I might find creepy in this photo?

(tick tock, tick tock…..there are no game show prizes, so shout out your answers…).

Could it be the top of the toilet being askew?  Could it be the can of Oust!?  While those are two fine tidbits….they don’t rate on the creepy meter!

How about…

#1) While I don’t show a closeup (in case it has some personal meaning to the place), there is a photo of a guy on the wall, behind the toilet, either watching you pee or worse, behind you….and by the way, he’s playing the drums.  Now, he might be someone’s relative, and I want to be respectful in case….but does his picture need to be behind the toilet?  I don’t even want to think about why it is there.

#2) Well, I’m sure this next item might be seen as courteous by some, but really….?  A magazine rack of reading materials in a restaurant bathroom????  This, to me, is creepville!  I mean, do you really have a lot of people who use that john and think….I wish I could blow out this bathroom while reading some magazine….?

Curious what they offer for your “visit”?  I’m sorry, but I did NOT flip through to see what they had for variety.  I could only see what was the first periodical:  “Parachutist Magazine”.

Ok – I laughed out loud.  I hope the SIX people in the restaurant couldn’t hear me.  I mean seriously??

And how did I interpret this?

You’re sitting on the restaurant john, decide to read something…and you reach for Parachutist Magazine?  All this while your breakfast parachutes into the toilet???

Sorry for the visual….it was the only thing I could think of for the next hour or so as I headed towards Hershey.

And…the next time you read a group of reviews saying this place is better than “X”, or just as good as “X”, maybe they are really telling you who the standard-bearer is!  “X” is the measuring stick for a reason.  Next time in Bethlehem, I’ll try “X” (Billy’s Downtown Diner”).

So, in closing, …breakfast here was not so great, but Blue Sky Cafe certainly made me feel “comforted”.