We've all heard it from mom, be it our own or somebody else's: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Greasy, high-fat meals are an occasional treat, but certainly not the way to start your day on a regular basis. This is where Blueberries, a new breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant at 522 6th St. in downtown Racine, fills a void. Owner Lauren Bell opened her small, cash-only café in summer 2008 as a refreshing alternative to the city's usual players.
"I love breakfast; it's my favorite meal of the day. (But) there is nowhere else in town that you can go to get something to eat that isn't a giant heap of meat and potatoes," she says.
That's not to say that you can't get meat and / or potatoes at Blueberries. You can, but it won't be your usual steak 'n' eggs plate; it'll be an all-organic quiche served with a side of fruit, thinly sliced wild smoked salmon atop a toasted bagel with Wisconsin cream cheese or various deli slices offered with cheese, fruits and whole grain breads as part of the European platter.
"I try to do the most healthy version of all that we offer," Bell says. The biscuits and gravy, for example, are made with whole wheat flour and a mushroom-based gravy.
"I think the only thing on the menu that isn't local is the lox, but we make sure that it isn't farm-raised."
The lunch menu, priced between $3.95 and $7.25, offers a variety of sandwich options -- toasted PBJ, toasted cheese and a build-your-own from her selection of meats, cheeses, veggies and dressings -- as well as homemade soups, salads and veggie dogs.
In the summer, 75 percent of her produce, dairy and eggs comes from Wisconsin farmers' markets, a practice that Bell says is important to reinforce in order to support our state's family-owned farms and maintain a thriving local economy.
Plus, she says, local food just tastes better thanks to its seasonal freshness -- a plus for any restaurateur.
Blueberries is only open Friday through Monday from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. and is not only a nice breakfast option, but also a fun spot to spend time. There aren't an overabundance of tables -- maybe 10 -- but there is a cozy little nook opposite the dining area where couches, plants and stocked bookshelves complete a comfortable conversation corner. It's a place for book club meetings or discussion groups or the choir after Sunday's church service.
"Working together with our community holds high priority and we look forward to expanding the ways in which we are able to interact with our neighbors," Bell says.
Blueberries was closed during the month of January, during which Bell expanded her kitchen and remodeled. She officially reopens for business Feb 6.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
