Blue Moon Cafe

I’m sorry, Chesney. You’re a good cook and I’ve really enjoyed the food at every event I’ve attended that you catered, at least a dozen of them. I’ve described the food in the restaurant, but today was the last straw. The crab benedict was pretty awful, the eggs cooked too hard, even after I mentioned that they needed to be soft, the hollandaise had not one hint of lemon and the crab was hard to spot and didn’t taste good. If you can’t get good crab, which few seem able to do right now, just don’t serve crab until you can.
The waffles that my partner had were tiny, the syrup stringy and side of sausage burnt and also tiny. He was so annoyed that he left the smallest tip I’ve ever seen him leave, for which I apologize to the waitress. But Chesney… if you spend over $ 30 for two breakfasts, you really shouldn’t have to stop for a snack an hour later. You can do much better than this. Kick it up a few notches. We were the only ones there this morning, late morning, but still… Upcountry needs you, not to mention the tourists, and Daffodil Hill opens today. Need I say more?

Always check that Blue Moon is open before you visit. We have driven here on a Sunday morning to find it closed. In fact, we’ve driven here numerous days of the week to find it closed. This is a owner operated business with a small staff and the hours reflect that. It is annoying at times but as a business owner myself I understand. Plus, I’d rather come here when they are firing on all cylinders instead of them killing themselves to always be open with less quality of cooking and staffing.
Blue Moon Café is an exceptional restaurant for numerous reasons. First, the quality of the food, how it’s prepared, the flavor and the portions are perfect. The lettuce is always fresh, the plates are delivered looking very appetizing and everything is the correct temperature. Next the prices are excellent and many times we get our bill and feel like they missed charging us for something… I always take a second look and scan the receipt.
One of the most impressive facts about Blue Moon Café is the owner is the cook. This is always a good sign because there is no one that takes more pride in their food then the owner. Many times I’ve altered my order and she has come out to confirm certain details. I usually make many requests and they always do special things for me.
Some of the things I’ve ordered. I love the fish sandwich. They grill the fish outside on their BBQ and it’s moist, good texture and fresh. Secondly, I’m not a big omelet fan but the owner/​cook mentioned her asparagus crab omelet and it was amazingly delicious. It’s the first omelet I’ve had in 30 years. I love the egg dishes, all the salads, and everything on the menu is delicious as I haven’t had a bad meal. Finally, my husband loves this restaurant too. He usually gets some kind of burrito, sandwich or burger. He always finishes his entire portion and feels good afterwards. I recommend their potato salad on the side. We usually order it when we feel like over filling ourselves. It hit’s the spot. Finally, I’m an ice tea addict and I’m always happy with the taste and freshness of their ice tea. It’s refreshing and the perfect strength and not bitter.
Now, after looking over some reviews I noticed someone mentioning their email response time and I haven’t noticed any about their hours of operation but I would expect some. This business isn’t technical with a website or social media presence. If there is anything online for this place I’m going to image it’s very basic and simple. The owner is more focused on being a good business then marketing herself as a good business, there is a difference. Plus, she works very hard at running this business and I would imagine she does a great job catering but I haven’t used her. I just know she wears all hats so you will probably need patience and expect to pay a little more because she doesn’t use pre-​made anything so she puts tons of labor into her food. This will always be more than a restaurant that uses Cisco for fill in ingredients. In my 20’s I worked at a restaurant that everyone loved her homemade pies and homemade red cabbage. Let me say everything but the signature dishes were from larger suppliers with all the pieces pre-​made. So when we made the strudel we took the pre-​made pastry and put the canned blueberries in it and wrapped it up. Blue Moon doesn’t do this. The best way to understand is to try their food. You can tell when it’s homemade and taste the quality. This is why I’ve given this restaurant five stars.

The Blue Moon Café is absolutely terrific. Their stake and seafood dinners are as good as it gets. I only wish they were open for dinner every night.

I am another satisfied customer. This café/​restaurant is hidden away, but very inviting on the inside. There is not a large staff so don’t expect «quick», but it was well worth the wait. There were several specials to choose from as well as the main menu.
I had a chicken salad sandwich with a cup of burrito soup. A cross between a chili and a stew, the soup was very hearty. My wife had a sausage polenta that was also excellent. The portions were just right for us.
Between the fresh ingredients, attention to our needs and well maintained establishment, we were well taken care of.

The presentation was beautiful, the taste was outstanding and service superb. Great little place. Loved the crab sandwich. Nice wine list to boot! My friend had the BLT and a cup of french onion soup she couldn’t compliment it enough. Worth the drive!

I’m was so disappointed in this restaurant. We waited with baited breath to visit this little hideaway only to come away saying, what a disappointment! First we were shocked when we ordered a dinner to be split between the two of us when they informed us there was a $ 7.50 split fee, I think this is the highest amount we have ever paid to split a meal but we went with it since I could not find anything else on the menu the screamed out I must order. We had one of the specials of the evening «Fresh Salmon» on a bed of risotto. Well the fish may have been fresh when they picked it up but was clearly a couple of days old, not a big deal however it was luke warm when we received. The risotto was also luke warm but not fully cooked. There were crunchy rice grains througout. The only favorable thing about the whole meal was the salad. Had a nice mix of greens and veggies and was dressed perfectly. When we got home we looked at each other and said, wow I just ate 30 minutes ago and I’m starving the meal was way too small even if only 1 person ate, I also asked what did we pay for that meal that we realized that a price was never given when we ordered. We had an overnight guest and he treated, Most prices on the menu were between $ 18.00 and $ 28.00 so my guess is it was between $ 25-​$ 26 plus the $ 7.50 split fee. An expensive meal since we had to come home and snack. Most likely we will not visit again. So sad since we have a very limited places to go and have a sit down dinner in this little town.

Charming interior and amazing food! The breakfast burrito was delicious I think because there were hash browns INSIDE. I’ve had many breakfast burritos and this one would definitely be in my top 5. (Got the salsa on the side)
My friend got the chicken fried steak which was also quite tasty.
Unlimited coffee as well, so what more could we want on the start of an 8 hour road trip.

Been coming to Pine Grove for several years finally tried Blue Moon. Shouldn’t have waited so long we missed out on great food. The ingredients are fresh and everything was really good. Hubby had the burger with bacon and Brie it comes it comes with a nice salad. He ate every bite I had Cobb salad and it was really great. Can’t wait to come back.

My wife and I have stopped to eat twice while in the area looking for a home. The first time our daughter had the Cobb salad she really enjoyed the taste; fresh. My wife had a hamburger the first time and grilled chicken with Brie the second time: she loved the presentation and the taste was delicious. I enjoyed the BLT with avocado and loved the portobello mushroom sandwich.
The staff is welcoming and the service excellent. We have added the blue moon café to our list of favorite places to eat.
I almost forgot: the serving size is large so you really get your money’s worth.

We stopped in and loved this place. I am giving this place 5 star because there really isn’t that many good places to eat in Amador County. I had the salmon salad so ooo yummy. My hubby had the double cheeseburger so good. Perfect temperature too. We ordered two desserts the berry mascarpone cake sooo moist my little brother lives it and he doesn’t like sweets. The lava cake was amazing as always. Sodas seem a bit pricey tho. can’t wait to try the dinner. Chesney really pushes fresh food and boy it makes a difference.

I have been there 3 times. All 3 times I had hair in my food. I’m so grossed out by their lack of clean preparing. I won’t step another foot in there.

We split the fresh crab melt sandwich. Very good. Came with a very small salad and 4 – 5 chips probably because we split the plate. But the finale was bread pudding a la mode with caramel sauce which was excellent!

Best breakfast and lunch on the mountian! Monday-​Friday 6 – 3. Chesney really makes you feel welcome and the food is stellar! Nice to find a hidden spot in Amador County with food to come back for time and time again!

Great, top shelf ambiance with attention to every dining experience detail. Service was warm and timely. The menu choices were varied and savory. We had a scrumptious Dungeness crab melt (crab from Mendocino) and a delicious meat loaf (homemade) sandwich. Frei Chardonnay and Blue Moon Beer complimented our lunch choices perfectly. A marscapone layered cake (suggested by the owner/​server) and coffee provided the perfect ending to a perfect dining experience.

This little place off the main highway is the place to go. While in the area camping and visiting the local caverns, We were told that the Blue Moon had a great breakfast — and they were right! I had the breakfast scramble that had hash browns, scrambled eggs and crumbled sausage. It was wonderful.
Don’t let the country style and small space fool you, the plate came out like a 5 star restaurant — the presentation was spot on! My family also has a mushroom and salad breakfast and the standard bacon and eggs combo.
We all walked out extremely pleased. The server and service we received was wonderful (we also think our server was the owner) and she even cooked our meal. (yes she was the cook too) A woman of many talents!
We went back on a Saturday but looked like they were closed. I think it is a M-​F only place. Bummer I was looking forward to another great meal…
Meals were about 7 – 10 dollars each per plate and reasonable. I would pay more and defiantly go back. I recommend it if your in the area :)

I’m definitely a fan!
The café does have a wonderful area outside to eat, but we chose inside as I was a bit chilly. I ordered the Tri Tip and it was perfect! My brother had the same, and my son had the Blue Cheese Burger (I believe it was called) and all of our meals were very good!
The service was the BEST! I’m going back to try the breakfast and lunch for sure. Thank you thank you thank you Blue Moon Café for a wonderful end to our day.

Great spot for brunch, just had the Crab Benedict and a mimosa, fantastic! Owner was very sweet and I will be coming back soon. Inside nice decorations and cozy atmosphere, highly recommended. A gem in the heart of the mother lode!

Going down the list of entrees, each hailed from a different cuisine. We tried the vegetarian napolean, turkey+apple+brie wrap, Greek salad, and tomato-​basil soup. They were all excellent and the napolean (rich tomato, pesto, onion sauce, polenta, eggplant) was outstanding.
The diverse menu which included standards like burgers and fries was a pleasant surprise in the mountains

I LOVE this place! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is the limited menu and limited hours. The food is great and I love the ambiance. There are special dinners on Friday night, with a rotating menu based on seasonal foods. I have often had selections off the lunch menu and have tried everything, there’s not a bad selection on the menu! They also do catering and I have attended several events they catered, again, not a bad bite to be had! If you live in or visit Amador County, be sure to eat there sometime soon, it’s one of my favorites!

We have a cabin about 20 mins from the Blue Moon Café, and tried multiple times to stop in for a burger! Finally, we got the times right, and managed to meet the in-​laws for a quick bite.
Cozy little place, with great staff, and stocks Blue Moon beer (no association, though). Everyone either ordered their blue cheese burger, or their portabella mushroom burger. Both were amazing! Personally, I preferred the vegetarian selection. The fries were great too — lots of garlic!
it’s a new place, so don’t miss it as you drive by. The building is set back in the lot. Going back skiing soon, so hopefully we will be able to stop back in!