Small Axe Cafe at the Umbrella Factory (next to Ninigret Park
My friend Chris and I had lunch at the newly reborn Small Axe Cafe last week. We had the quiche. While we were eating the waiter/cook came over to our table and asked how we liked it. We stared at him and nodded reverently while chewing. We couldn't talk because that would mean putting down the fork and having no quiche for that many seconds.
With the quiche came a big, fresh Garden-of-Eden salad. For dessert, a "kolache," which is an anise-scented Czech pastry. And a cup of tea in a Small Axe mug. All told, about ten bucks each.
The Small Axe Cafe can be found tucked into a twist of verdant path in the secret wonderland known as the Fantastic Umbrella Factory. The cafe is a wooden box of a room, painted soft green here and there, with wood floors, a low ceiling, happy incandescence and reggaemusic wafting in through the screen door of the gift shop next door.
After the quiche we went out to visit the resident goats and emus. On our way to the gardens a black duck walked up and asked us if we had any snacks. We didn't, so he waddled on. In the gardens we saw Egyptian papyrus, Irish Moss and coral begonias, reeds and lotus and bright orange coi. The whole place makes you want to tune in, drop out and live off the land.
On Wednesday nights there's music at 6:30. Soon they will have music on Friday nights too. Superb food and positive Rastaman vibrations for ten bucks. In Charlestown
By: Regina DeAngelo