Bonnie's Cafe

Although BARF-SUAVE began simply as an effort by two guys to eat their way along University Avenue, it has taken on a larger purpose as Central Corridor light rail construction has proceeded. The areas in which construction is occurring are enduring a lot of pain: loss of on-street parking, chain link fencing in front of businesses, inability of traffic to cross University except at selected intersections, etc. This will be occurring in segments along University until LRT construction is complete in 2014. One of the areas that is currently hard hit is the western section of University in St. Paul: from about Highway 280 to Hamline Avenue.

And smack in the middle of this mess is Bonnie's Cafe at 2160 University Avenue West. Bonnie's is on the south side of University, and currently the whole south side is ripped apart. Bonnie's has decent parking behind the building (which it shares with the Dubliner Pub). The parking lot also has its own temporary gravel connection to University Avenue, fortunately. But the view from Bonnie's front window is not a pretty sight. Bonnie (or at least we presume it was Bonnie) told us that she had been told that the construction immediately in front of the building was only supposed to last for three weeks, and she seemed frustrated about not having been informed about the exact schedule. But it looks like much more than a three-week project, and eventually the north side of the street will get torn up, too.

So, partly out of sympathy for this little cafe, but also because Christian and I had never been to this breakfast spot before, we added it to the BARF-SUAVE list. Inside, it's a lovely place--full of light green colors (green booths, green-checkered tablecloths on tables, and green stools at the counter). We invited our old pal Craig to join us, once again in town from Wisconsin. There is no LRT in northern Wisconsin, so this little peek into urban transit construction was an eye-opener for Craig. (Not to suggest that Craig is backwards, but he still refers to trains as "iron horses." I think he envisions that a gentleman with a pocket watch who looks like Captain Kangaroo will collect customer tickets at each LRT stop.)

Bonnie's is another hold-over from the 50s deserving a spot on the National
Register of Historic Places 

Bonnie's has non-breakfast items on its menu (like burgers), but breakfast is really what Bonnie's is all about. The printed menus in the booths were fine, but most of the specials were plastered all over the walls, not in the hard-copy menus. I went with the blueberry pancake special (2 pancakes, 2 sausages, and 2 eggs for under $8)--really good. I have high standards for blueberry pancakes, and these were outstanding. Christian and Craig both went with one of the other specials (2 eggs, hashbrowns, bacon or sausage, and toast--under $7). I find that breakfast fare is usually pretty standard and predictable (which is fine with me), and this was no exception. The pancakes were a cut above, and the rest of our meals were about what you would expect at any solid breakfast joint.

The front section of Bonnie's has several collages of customer photos--a nice touch. It seems like a place that connects well with its patrons. Let's all hope that Bonnie's makes it through the LRT construction--so please endure a little minor inconvenience to enjoy a lovely breakfast amid a sea of green.