Opening quietly on the festival weekend, the Quarter Note Café fills a much-needed void on the Cedar Key eatery scene. Serving traditional hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hotdogs, as well as Boca burgers for the vegetarians in our midst, the café offers residents and visitors alike a place to enjoy a quick bite or a leisurely lunch. The familiar face in the kitchen is that of Bill Valle. Valle brings 26 years of restaurant experience with him. His plans for the café's menu include introducing fresh classic salads, tacos and quesadillas sometime soon in the weeks ahead, all at prices easy on the wallet. With the lazy, hazy days almost upon us, the café's ice cream parlor will surely become a popular spot to escape the heat and enjoy a cool cone, milk shake or a scoop or two of one of their frozen confections. Valle's special cheesecake will make a comeback soon, along with his famous apple pie. A prize-winning pie at a pie-picking in the Carolinas, it once prompted a man to exclaim, " if you were a woman, I'd ask you to marry me".
Anyone who has ventured into the Listening Room on a weekend night when the vibes are strong can attest to the fact that serious music fills the small space. Blake, an entrepreneurial musician, dreamed of bringing jazz and original music to Cedar Key as part of its music tradition. The Listening Room fulfills that dream. One special night, we were treated to the sounds of Kurt Lang, a keyboard virtuoso from Chicago. It was a magical evening for all who were privileged to be there. Lang was accompanied by Gainesville's' Doug Riefler on the bass. Riefler is amazing to watch. We have witnessed his ability and agility as he melds melodies with his musical partner Frank Sullivan on the keyboard. With her connections to the music world, Blake, who often brings her own special style to the keyboard, has turned the Listening Room into one of the regions best nightspots. Singing the blues never sounded so sweet! Blake informs me that a quarter note, in musical terms, defines a measurement of time. Her new café promises to be just the place to pass the time in a timely way. The Quarter Note Café is open daily, except Thursday and Sundays. For takeout orders, phone 543-0065. A Grand Opening will soon be announced. | 