All Over Albany

Moon and River Cafe in Schenectady

So earlier in the week I dropped into the Moon and River Cafe in Schenectady to checkout the Electric City Ukulele Club and I thought, "Wow, I should write about this place."

It was my first visit to this fun, quirky little cafe but it certainly won't be my last.

Moon and River is earthy-crunchy in the truest sense of the term - that is, it's hippie-ish in a way that existed long before tie dye shirts were sold in malls and granola and soy milk could be found in regular grocery stores. It's a cozy little place that's kind of the anti-Starbucks. It's laid-back and the service, while friendly, isn't exactly quick. There's no venti or grande nonsense, just coffee or tea in a regular ol' mug. With its hodge podge decor, this is not a place to obsess over your Blackberry. It's low-key and pleasant, the type of place where time seems to serve little purpose.

Moon and River is run by Richard Genest, the former proprietor of the much-beloved and now sadly defunct Mother Earth's Cafe, which once occupied the corner of Western and Quail (where Pepper Jack's is now). And years before that, he was co-owner of a cooperative cafe on lower Madison called the Halfmoon which featured the subversive-for-its-time series Readings Against the End of the World.

The food at Moon and River is healthy and fresh without being frou frou. Yes, there are plenty of tempeh and soy burger dishes, but there's also fish and poultry -- although not red meat. The menu consists mainly of simple food done well - plentiful salads, simple veggie enchiladas and a large list of sandwiches, many available in either vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous options. I tried the vegan antipasto, which was just a green salad topped with plenty of veggies, roasted red peppers and baked marinated tofu and served with a slice of whole wheat bread. There are also fresh juices, cane juice-sweetened sodas and vegan smoothies along with plenty of coffee and teas.

A word of advice: despite itss ever-so-intriguing name, I'd skip the Swedish coffee unless you're not averse to picking particles of cardamom from your teeth for the rest of the evening. I wasn't a fan. I opted for the regular joe on my next cup.

As Arielle pointed out, you can also buy animal crackers at "a handful for 50 cents." The counter is playfully lined with other such ala carte snacks, like 10-cent ginger snaps, chocolate graham crackers (two squares for a quarter) and pudding cups for 75 cents.

In a lot of ways, Moon and River feels like you're in someone's kitchen and living room, except that living room is run by a kindly older peacenik offering you chamomile tea or non-alcoholic beer.

No, there's no palpable aroma of patchouli. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Moon and River is open seven days a week and there's free live music or poetry open mics every night. But leave the plastic at home, because M&R is a cash-only joint.