FORK & CORK: Blue Moon Café Pleases The Palate

Located in Historic Downtown Fayetteville, this kind of indoor/outdoor cafe could be found in any bustling city across America.

captures the essence of Historic Downtown Fayetteville's brick walls and walk ways in their decor. Seating can found inside or out. I preferred outside in the sunshine at the cheerful blue umbrella tables as I watch people mill by and my dining experience begins.

Joey Meyers, the culinary chef behind Blue Moon Café went to Johnson and Wales University, where he studied Culinary Arts. At only 23, Myers has amazing experise, and knows how each dish on the menu pairs with another, to include wine and craft beer.

Samantha Thompson Hammons, the owner, is married to the military. Her husband has chosen all the brews in their fine beer selection from his worldwide travels.

Hammons is the perfect host. Sam, as she is affectionately called, is not only beautiful, but also sweet and accommodating. Her welcome made us feel special instantly.

Great teamwork is at hand with Blue Moon Café. Together, Hammons and Meyers capture the presentation in the artful way of arranging each dish. Backed up with flavorful taste, my palate was pleased.

The meal started off with three of my favorite food ingredients. Joey suggested his mushroom Brie cheese appetizer baked in puff pastry.
Combining the aroma and flavor of earthy mushrooms with a delicate soft brie was inspiring. Earth meets heaven in this dish - the flavors offset each other beautifully. Delicate puff pastry is shaped into a bowl style and filled with Brie cheese, topped by a heaping layer of sliced sauteed mushrooms in butter then baked to a golden hew. As the flavors melt together, it is quickly placed on a dish and served piping hot. 

The perfect accompaniment to my glass of Pinot, but not to be outdone by the main course. The 5 level Panini.

Playfully nick named The Big Nice n' One, taste proved this chef's expertise. A panini filled with turkey, sun-dried tomato pesto, basil pesto, a generous slice of farm fresh tomato and red onion, surrounded in rich warm melted provolone cheese.

Crisp and generously stacked, it was like tasting a fresh garden salad layered with turkey & cheese – along with a slice of bread, simultaneously.

Alongside the panini was a mound of homemade potato salad, filling enough for anyone. Something was so creamy I had to ask the secret of the subtle yet rich flavor. Joey clued me in. He makes his own mayonnaise. This meal was hard to top. But top it he did!

Their go-to dessert – Chocolate Brie Croissant Panini Dessert – has earned rave reviews. A mouthful to say and a mouthful of flavors. It was paired with a raspberry reduction sauce that causes an explosion of tastes with your first bite.

It's a buttery croissant grilled crisp on the outside, with a thin layer of Brie cheese that's been infused with a generous layer of European melted chocolate inside. The flavors of the chocolate pair perfectly with the raspberry. Something about the chocolate and the Brie combination – it was buttery, yet chocolaty. Quite simply, sinful.

I recommend any of Blue Moon's fine appetizers, entrees or desserts. A patron dining nearby said it's hard to find a Caprese Salad anywhere else that tastes as Blue Moon's does.

Another dinner guest was savoring his bruschetta appetizer, along with a craft brew. The bruschetta had a light drizzle of balsamic reduction sauce.