The Giraffe on Duane Street

May 27, 2010

Back in May I was walking up 15th Street nearing Duane, when I noticed two things I'd never seen before, and I cut over to get a better look. For one thing, I don't remember the sign commemorating the Lovell Auto Co. The date on the sign says 1910, but the paint looks new. For another thing, I thought someone had put a giraffe high on the side of the building. When I got closer, I could see it wasn't intended to be a giraffe - I had just found the bundled-up wiring on a lucky day. Here's the same building in another post seen from the corner of 14th and Duane.

Around the other side of the building on 15th Street was a similar arrangement, but this time it was clearly not a giraffe. The Blue Scorcer Cafe is located inside the glass windows.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Warm and Pleasant Funk

October 26, 2009

Blue Scorcher Bakery Café

1493 Duane Street, Astoria, OR 97103

The Weather Underground site shows light rain and mist, so it must be the wind-driven waves slapping at the pilings of the building that contrive to sound like a torrent out there tonight. I know for sure that it's wet, and it feels cold. The pleasant warm-looking funky interior of the Blue Scorcher appears inviting as I write this post late Thursday night preparing for autopost on Friday morning. That's why I took it out of the archives for you.

The lettering on the side of the glass where they do their baking says, "Free Estimate." Since the window, now used as a room divider, was recycled, I wonder where it came from.

. Earlier posts on the Blue Scorcher

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Life imitates art

I like seeing the various types of leaves imprinted into the sidewalk in front of the Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe. The other day, the the cement imprints had been joined by some of their real cousins, and the rain made all quite peaceful and still.

The Blue Scorcher: A bakery/cafe with a big difference

One of the pleasantest places to eat in Astoria is the Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe at the corner of 15th Street and Duane Avenue. Occupying half of an older Astoria concrete building, this place has an atmosphere like no other. It's built into the side of a hill, which is not so unusual for this town, but it does lend charm. The walls are . . . well, you can see for yourself. The decor is funky. The space is spacious. The views are riverine. The smells are delicious, and the tastes are even more so. It's run as a workers' collective. You can borrow and read the New York Times or any number of other papers and magazines you don't see on every street corner in Astoria. The owner/workers are friendly, and they think "Community" with a capital "C." They have a program called Bread Equity, which you can read about on their fascinating web site, linked above. (Check out their gallery; 40 types of bread? And those are only the ones they have photos of!) One thing I'm not sure about is how they got their name. Do they have a temperamental indigo oven that runs a little hot? (Ah, mystery solved.) One warning: Don't go in unless you intend to get hooked.

Here's a review and some photos by someone who loved it.