Blue Willow Marketplace-Eatery

We went there for the first time this weekend for breakfast. The ambience and the place is lovely, but could use some more attentiveness because yes one waitress trying to do it all is not good because you can tell (by the look on her face) that she was being overworked and just running around and not giving any table any particular attention, it was like a factory conveyer line for her just to get the food orders and get them out. The owner does chip in to help when it gets busy but the atmosphere is already created. It is pricey and that is okay as long as you are getting your money's worth in both service & food quality, especially if the owners want to establish this as a gourmet cafe which is what it seems to be, but slightly off the mark. If the owners want it to be gourmet, then they have to put every effort into service (#1), quality (#1), and presentation (#1). My husband ordered a ham & cheese crepe and the presentation was so so.. it was just the crepe on the dish which made it look sparse. It would have been nice if they included some fruit on the side & some garnish on the plate to make the presentation better (that is why you pay more ($14) for a place like this rather than a diner. I had oatmeal ($7) and it was good but once again the only option included with it was brown sugar. It should have included some fresh fruit, nuts, or granola for that price especially when you can get it at a diner for half that price with all of those toppings included. I brought home one of their "Love Burgers" a vegetarian burger which was very good and tasty and one of their soups, also very good. Great things, the menu is versatile and offers something for everyone, including vegetarian and gluten free. This is a big plus and the owners did a great job on the menu. You come here for the ambience (the interior and the setting just superb) but the owners should work on some service & presentation skills especially (and including some small sides with the main dishes). The owner was very friendly, but the waitress who didn't even have time for a truly friendly smile because all she could think about was getting patroners their food orders and delivering food to the tables. If a place like this wants to be considered as gourmet and charge more for food options they should "NOT" skimp on "anything" because it is only going to leave a sour taste in people's mouth's (no pun). So I say this could be a fabulous place and hopefully if the owners check out and take the time to read the reviews that customers make and then use those suggestions as positive reinforcements & improvements then this place can be spectacular and customers will flock back repeatedly because they don't mind paying a little more for all that it could be. It has great potential and I hope the owners take a step back and heed the comments as positive because I would like to come back again. I know this because I have been in the owner's shoes as a chef as well as a cafe, catering, & deli owner (as well as a restaurant story writer). Good luck because I would hate to see this great place (with so much potential) located in a lovely setting in New Vernon, including the edifice that houses the cafe, and the interior setting, not make it for the long-haul (which I am sure the owners want) in the community.
Aug 30th, 2013

We have been here 4 times over the course of a year. Its a real shame that this place is as bad as it is because it is such a cute charming place and you can tell they use fresh ingredients. The service is HORRIBLE (all different servers). Tonight we were waited on by the chef for half of our meal because server was late and it was the best service we have ever received here. Once we finished our meal the server arrived and it took her 10 minutes to bring us the desert menu after we asked for them. The food is OK- hit or miss. We had a pot pie and it was fresh but had zero taste. We had to salt it after every bite... and we are not salt people, at all. I keep saying we will go back for brunch but tonight was the final straw. GET IT TOGETHER!! You have a beautiful space and alot of potential but the service has been horrible every single time we have went and whether or not the food is good I just cant look past horrible service and the fact that it usually takes over 30 minutes to actually leave once we are done eating.
Jun 14th, 2013

Taste was decent, but the portions are small and makes what would normally be expensive, very expensive. We have been twice now, and have been unimpressed each time. The store is nice and has some clever items and the staff is friendly too.
Apr 20th, 2013

June 2013 TERRIBLE SERVICE! COLD COFFEE and SPOILED, LUMPY CREAM!! Poor waitress, the only one, trying to keep up with everything! When we arrived, we ordered coffee with cream. The COLD coffee came (about TEN MINUTES LATER!), what restaurant can't bring you a nice hot, steaming cup of coffee? OMG, the cream!!! It came out in LUMPS and was SOUR! How old WAS that cream??? EEEEWWWW And if the woman I complained to about the coffee was the owner or manager, SHAME ON HER! Her response was, "first complaint of the coffee all day". Then we looked around. NOBODY had coffee on their table! So, we receive another cup of coffee, STILL COLD! Her "FIX" for the COLD coffee was to NUKE IT! Oh COME ON, doesn't she remember the McDonalds law suit???! And she came off as quite the SNOB! Food was really good, but QUITE sparse. Expect to be there for AT LEAST an hour and a half for your lunch. When ordering our lunch, we asked the waitress if the whole wheat bread had seeds, as my dining companion has an issue with seeds. She said no. Here comes the sandwich, WITH SEEDS!!! Service is VERY, VERY SLOW! Seriously, I had to actually STAND UP and WAVE MY HANDS to flag down our waitress for MANY needed things. NOT ONCE, did our waitress come over to ask how everything was. Terrible! Second time there in 3 months, and NOTHING has changed! ALSO, they CHARGED us for the undrinkable coffee! Told our waitress, she looked flustered, to say the least. She said she'd would check on it. The SNOBBY owner/manager brought the check back and basically THREW it on the table and said, "I took the coffee off". Nice, REAL NICE! Way to keep your customers coming back - NOT!
Dec 14th, 2012