Reviews and Press
Soundcheck: There’s a Blue House Over Yonder
Valley Advocate
Oct 16, 2008
wonderful in every possible way
maps.google.com
October 10, 2008
Offerings grow with demand at restaurant
Daily Hampshire Gazette, November 29, 2007
Great Romantic Brunch
Northampton, MA Community Bulletin Board @ noho.com
Oct 29, 2007
Out of the blue, a new cafe
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 2, 2007
Cafe at the Crossroads: This coffee house in Haydenville
offers wayfarers many good reasons to linger.
Valley Advocate, November 3, 2011
Mark Roessler
True to its name, the Blue House Cafe is located in one corner of a blue house. Standing by the side of the road not far from a crossroads, the building has a welcoming feel, as if it might have once been a tavern or hotel.
As you head north on Route 9, just over the Haydenville border, it’s the white two-story porch that you notice first, its arms wide open in greeting. On warmer days, coffee drinkers sit there, watching the stream of traffic heading into and from the hill towns. I must have driven past them a hundred times since the cafe opened in 2007; one morning last week I finally stopped to investigate.
The sense of a public house was replicated inside. The room looking out over the porch is bright and comfortable. Along with the tables and chairs, there are books, a piano and art. The room at the back is darker, with a long bar, behind which is a fully functional espresso machine. Along with an appetizing array of homemade baked goods, a full array of teas, a homemade ginger chai, and juices and sodas are served here.
The walls by the bar are covered with the all-day breakfast and lunch menu. On weekends there is often live local music in the evenings, and when there is, dinner is also served.
The Friday morning I went, the place was humming with activity. There were three of us in the dining room and someone sitting at the bar, and all the while there was a steady flow of patrons coming in from the neighborhood just for the coffee. At one point, the staff of a nearby office came en masse to get their morning fix. Given the specificity of their detailed coffee orders, it appeared this was a daily ritual.
The Blue House Cafe’s basic house brew is satisfyingly rich and thick, and if you drink your coffee there, your mug is bottomless.
The cafe is vegetarian, and there are also vegan and gluten-free options. Along with the coffee, many of the ingredients are local and organic.
I tried the huevos rancheros. It was served in a bowl with generous helpings of scrambled eggs and chili divided neatly on top; hidden at the bottom was a tasty homemade corn tortilla. It was thoroughly satisfying, but the look of the waffles being eaten at a nearby table made me think I’d try them next time.
The sandwich selection includes paninis and several brie-based options that will also require further inspection. There are also several Mexican dishes and salads.
Though it has the appearance of a waypoint—a place to stop on a journey to somewhere else—the food, mood and hearty drink the Blue House Cafe provides make it a perfect destination for those looking for warmth and comfort this winter.
Great Romantic Brunch
Northampton, MA Community Bulletin Board @ noho.com
Oct 29, 2007
Posted by Greg Morell
The electricity was out in Noho and we were hungry on Sunday so we headed west on Route 9 and called a friend that lives in Williamsburg–he suggested “THE BLUE HOUSE” on the right, under the blue awning, in Haydenville.
We almost missed it, but then I’m very nearsighted.
This Blue House is a cozy intimate space with a handful of pine tables, soft Jazz, a couple of comfy couches, a small library of books, board games, and beautifully prepared foods.
What a treat.
We are talking personal intimate charm.
We had quiche, sour cream coffee cakes and vegetarian sausage—all superb.
This is the kind of place to fall in love with. What a terrific alternative to the hub-bub of Noho.
Thanks to the power company, we had a terrific Sunday morning.
Soundcheck: There’s a Blue House Over Yonder
Valley Advocate, October 16, 2008
Tom Sturm
Walking into the Blue House Cafe in Haydenville is one of the most genuine (well, except for the free wi-fi) old New England experiences one can have in the Valley. It has a vibe somewhere between that of a Vermont sugarhouse and the legendary Alice’s Restaurant, though instead of Alice, you get to meet co-owners Katy Eiseman and Corydon Woodard. The cafe offers a variety of vegetarian and many vegan dishes (all made from the finest local and organic ingredients available), a broad selection of hot beverages, delicious pastries and other baked goods (including a few gluten-free options), and an atmosphere that’s 100 percent Yankee.
The owners immediately strike one as staunch supporters of local arts—area visual artists’ work hang on the walls, and there’s an occasional poetry reading and a diverse mix of music on Friday nights. Upcoming Friday performances include jazz saxophone and piano by Steve Kurtz and Dan Belmont on Nov. 17 and original singer/songwriters Daniel Hales and Michael Griffin on Dec. 5. Friday night music begins at 6:30 p.m., and patrons are welcome to bring their own beer or wine.
One of the most charming facets of the Blue House is the “String Band,” (pictured) a cast of local gents who perform on Sundays, accompanying the all-day (till 4 p.m., anyway) brunch. Playing songs from 1900 through at least 1950, these fellows are a terribly sincere bunch whose performances leave you with the tingly feeling that you’ve just entered an extremely warm and fuzzy time warp. With instruments including guitar, stand-up bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and the occasional harmonica, their presence only enhances the friendly air of honest, sometimes ornery Yankee authenticity. When pressed to come up with a better name than just “the string band,” the autoharp player (a perhaps 50-something gentleman whom the others called “the young guy”) joked, “Oh, I don’t know… the Over the Hill Gang?” When asked where she found these wastrels, Eiseman replied, “They just walked in the door one day.” If they find out you have any musical talent, they will require that you sit in for a song or two.
wonderful in every possible way
maps.google.com, October 10, 2008
Cozy, friendly with great food and excellent coffee (and a stellar ginger chai) the Blue House Cafe is an exceptional experience every time. Also knowing that it is a local business run with integrity and consciousness (using organic local products, and fairly traded coffee) Makes Blue House not only something that makes you feel good, but something that you can feel good about.
Offerings grow with demand at restaurant
November 29, 2007
Deborah Doulette
WILLIAMSBURG - Friday nights can be lively at the Blue House Cafe in Haydenville. Curried butternut soup beckons, desserts are plentiful, and live music flows through the dining area.
Nine months after first opening their vegetarian café at 147 Main St., owners Cory Woodard and Katy Eiseman have expanded their eatery’s offerings to include Friday night dinners and a regular schedule of live music.
This Friday, jazz starts at 6:30 p.m. with musicians David Bartley on piano and David Christopolis, upright bass. “We have a very intimate space for the music; the musicians play right in the dining room,” said Woodard.
In addition to its regular menu Friday, the cafe is featuring peanut curried butternut squash soup, ginger sesame tofu with peppers over rice, and black bean burritos.
The cafe will also serve local beer and organic wine during Friday’s show.
“We first started to open for dinner on Fridays a couple of months ago,” said Woodard, “because we knew we wanted to start having live music as part of the cafe.”
Their first gig was local cellist, Stephen Katz. Eiseman’s younger brother’s band, Possum Haw, based in Burlington, Vt., followed.
People show up for dinner, listen to the music and stay to chat and linger after the show ends, said Woodard. When there is no music scheduled on a Friday, the cafe closes at 7:30 p.m., but when there’s a show, Eiseman and Woodard stay until the crowd leaves.
The cafe has had great local response since it opened in March, said Woodard.
There is no cover charge for the music, though a $10 donation to the musicians is suggested.
Upcoming shows include two local bands, the Ambiguities and Span of Sunshine, on Dec. 14, and Williamsburg resident Grayson Fleischner performing his original songs Jan. 17.
Out of the blue, a new cafe
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 2, 2007
Deborah Doulette
WILLIAMSBURG - The Blue House Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant that opened on Main Street in Haydenville last month, is part of a renaissance of sorts for the town. For Blue House Cafe owners Corydon Woodard and Katy Eiseman of Cummington, the new cafe was a labor of love, and one a long time in coming with a few pit stops along the way.
It took them two years to open the restaurant at its 147 Main St. location March 2. There were many tasks to accomplish before they reached their goal: extensive renovations to their rented half of the building; kitchen equipment to purchase; dining furniture to build. Oh, yeah, and they took time out in June of 2006 to get married.
Woodard and Eiseman’s cafe, with wireless internet access, is the latest in a series of new dining-and-socializing options in the Williamsburg area. Bread Euphoria, open in Williamsburg since fall of 2005, is at the southern end of Haydenville; both McFadden’s Pub, on Route 9 halfway to the center, and the Brewmaster’s Tavern at the former Williams House, opened this winter.
The Blue House Cafe is quickly finding its own niche. Woodard and Eiseman focus on breakfast and lunch for now, using local and organic ingredients. They plan to feature artwork by local artists on the walls and in the display cabinets. And within the year they hope to expand into some evening hours, adding live music and poetry readings.
Woodard and Eiseman are both in their early 30s, both from the Pioneer Valley. They left for awhile - Eiseman was a Manhattan lawyer for four years - but they were pulled back eventually by family ties and a love of the area.
The building at 147 Main St. - and it’s literally a blue house - across from a closed gas station, has served off and on as a restaurant and bar for over 50 years - it was a biker bar and an Italian restaurant, to name a couple of incarnations. But when Woodard and Eiseman started renovations, only a large sink and some refrigeration areas remained.
During the two years of preparation, Woodard used his carpentry skills and got help from his father - a contractor in Leverett - to renovate the cafe’s space. They crafted new furniture, making hardwood tables, with storage benches covered by pillow tops and cabinets, and used recycled building materials often.
Eiseman, meanwhile, had been working as a morning baker at the Creamery in Cummington. Her experience paid off; the Blue House Cafe’s side counters display scones, biscuits, cookies, biscotti and muffins from her own recipes or those of her mom and grandmother. Eiseman also bakes the bread for sandwiches.
Since the restaurant opened, business has been brisk, say its owners. Grateful neighbors who live within walking distance have already formed a constant stream of traffic, according to Eiseman.
“It’s really rewarding for us to hear the enthusiasm from the local residents,” adds Woodard, Plus, the restaurant’s sort-of neighbor, Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, just up Route 9, is already a steady customer. Woodard and Eiseman provide pre-ordered hot lunches to Hilltown students, Monday through Friday. Because of space and kitchen limitations, the school has never offered prepared hot meals before.
Amy Aaron, school administrator for Hilltown, said the option has been welcomed by Hilltown families.
“Students and parents are thrilled. We’ve never had such interest in school lunch before. They (Woodard and Eiseman) have been truly accommodating and flexible, making sure we have healthy and affordable lunches.”
The lunches include a main dish, a fruit, a vegetable, and a cookie. Once a week the offering is gluten-free. Fridays is macaroni and cheese - naturally, that’s the most popular day so far.
Woodard and Eiseman sometimes leave calling cards in the bags - by way of education, or simply seeking suggestions for new meals. A recent note reads “‘What’s with the hairy peas?’ These are organic edamame-fresh soy beans. Just pop them out of the pods into your mouth.” Just in case any students mistook the edamame for the snow peas that were in the bags the previous week, according to Woodard.
A storied past
Other restaurants over the years that were in the Blue House were R&J Cafe, Mill River Cafe, Martino’s and DaVinci’s. In recent years it was vacant for quite a while.
That picture has changed dramatically. On a recent afternoon, just after the cafe’s official closing time, the cafe continued to buzz with activity.
Two friends chatted in the corner of the dining area, a bright space with eclectic art on the walls, an ancient piano, and comfortable benches and couches.
Meanwhile, at the counter in the back of the cafe another friend showed Eiseman handmade greeting cards that she’s put out for sale near the cash register.
Woodard said their intent from the beginning was to approach local artists and offer exhibit space, but that they haven’t had to. The artists were already coming to them. Besides the cards, a basket of prints is displayed on the counter and a framed painting and poem on the wall; Woodard soon was expecting to showcase a friend’s ceramics in a cabinet.
Tucked into a nook in the dining area is a piece of artwork that is not for sale. It’s a tribute to Grant Wood’s 1930 “American Gothic” painting, but instead of a pitchfork-wielding farmer and his daughter, Woodard and Eiseman stand stiffly in the forefront. Eiseman’s brother, Ted Eiseman, a local graphic artist, created the portrait as a wedding present.
“Our mothers bothered us to put it up,” said Woodard as he glanced sideways at his image.
Just like at the home of many a newlywed.
