Breakfast Nook
Mokka (527 York St., Newport) fills an important niche for breakfast eaters, serving genuine variety and pleasantly upscale affordable food. The interior is cheery, with two nice clean rooms painted brightly and pleasant art on the walls, and there's patio dining if weather permits.
One nice touch is the choice of regular or flavored coffee ($1.50). I'm a coffee purist for the most part, but the caramel variety I tried one morning was a nice change.
My favorites have been the frittatas, and a favorite among these would have to be the California ($5). It's packed with red peppers, tomatoes, chopped chives and smoked gouda. My suggestion would be a dollop of sour cream for a garnish, just a nice counterpoint.
Mokka's not shy about cream in other places -- their French toast ($5) has a wave of crème brulee pastry cream on the top that's very impressive. A teaspoonful of that same cream garnishes the fruit cup, a nice touch.
The breakfast specials are served with diced fried potatoes and your choice of bacon, goetta, sausage or ham, as well as a nice small fruit cup. The potatoes are deep fried, not pan-fried, and much less greasy than diner hash browns.
Another great plus for Mokka is the availability of lunch items at breakfast. The more wide-awake among us appreciate a mid-morning sandwich, and Mokka's two grinders are among their best bets. I adored the portabella grinder ($7). They get the mushrooms just right, pile on the roasted red peppers and Monterey jack, and add a little vinaigrette accent. Served on a crusty baguette, this is a real treat. If you're in a fowl mood, there's a chicken variety as well ($7). Sandwiches are served with fried potatoes or pasta salad.
We've been back to Mokka so many times that it's become a habit, and we've had some real treats. A crab quiche ($4) that was the special one Sunday was packed with actual blue fin crab. No crab-like substitute! And their French onion soup ($3.50) really impressed my husband, who nearly always gripes that American onions have no flavor. They also feature homemade desserts ($2.50$3) that are usually big enough to share.
Bumps? Awkward seating, mostly. We've seen them make people wait outside when there were seats available because the kitchen was backed up -- wouldn't it have been nicer to let them sit and have coffee, explaining that it would be a little wait for food? A few tables are too cramped for comfort, and one is so close to the stove you can feel the heat. Small details. Even with those, Mokka makes early birds happy. ©
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