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Mondo Café in McStiff’s
Plaza finally lives up to all the connotations of its name.
Italian for world, Mondo offers both Italian and French roast
coffee, and, of course, serves coffee drinkers from all over
the world who happen into Moab. But did you know Mondo is
also a Japanese term for pithy dialogue? We’ll leave
out the Zen master part of that definition, in case regulars
get any grand ideas. And the new large space, opened up by
owners Bob Morgan and Sarah Edmunds, even makes its slang
meaning, huge, a fit description.
In the one year that Bob and Sarah have owned the café,
they have brought numerous improvements to an already popular
location. The expanded café now provides several couches
as well as more tables to gather at and enjoy a cup of joe.
In their hope of making Mondo Café a hub of activity
and culture in Moab, they offer a free venue for local artists
to have their work seen or heard. The walls are adorned with
constantly changing local artwork, and occasional concerts
have celebrated the music of Stonefed as well as other local
favorites. Open mic night every Saturday from 7 pm until
9:30 pm has offered everything from jazz quintets to improv
actors.
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The menu has expanded as
well. Mondo Café has a reputation for great coffee,
of course, but lately the talk is all about their mochas,
created with Bob and Sarah’s own chocolate sauce recipe.
Locals can’t seem to get enough Americano’s,
which serve up a shot of espresso in hot water. For chai
lovers, like myself, it’s like being a kid in a candy
store: there’s chai tea, chai mocha, iced chai, frozen
chai, chai smoothies, and even Chai-agra, made with South
American mate tea.
In addition to lattes and
cappuccinos, Italian sodas and smoothies are offered year
round. Since September, Mondo Café has been offering
local wines and Sierra Nevada beer as well.
In keeping with tradition, Mondo still gets their coffee
from the café’s original owner, Terry Patano.
Bob Morgan has his own Moab coffee roots, having run a coffee
stand at City Market years ago. Like so many residents, he
returned to Moab because of its haunting beauty and wilderness.
He had his eye on Mondo Café, seeing its potential
to serve as a center of activity in Moab. “Our goal
is simple,” he says, “to make good coffee and
make everyone comfortable.”
Recipe
of the Month
Mondo Cafe
Perfect Chocolate
Mousse
½ cup
pitted soft dates
3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cold-pressed coconut butter (optional)
1 ½ Tbsp non-alcohol vanilla extract
2 1/12 cups mashed avocado (about 3 med. Avocados)
¾ cup raw carob powder
4-6 Tbsp cocoa powder (or additional carob powder)
Soak
the dates in ½ cup
fresh water for 5-10 minutes to soften. Drain the
soak water and set aside. In a food processor, blend
dates, maple syrup, coconut butter, and vanilla until
smooth. Spoon in avocado and blend until smooth.
Add a few tablespoons of date soak water if necessary
to aid in blending. Spoon in carob and cocoa powder
and blend until smooth.
Spoon mousse into parfait
or wine glasses.
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And to feed them as well.
Mondo Café offers tantalizing creations all day long.
Breakfast features giant Belgian waffles as well as Green
Eggs. For those who have always longed to know what exactly
Sam-I-Am was offering, here it is: 3 eggs steamed with pesto,
ham, provolone and tomato, served on focaccia bread. The
café’s Stacker literally stacks 3 eggs, provolone
cheese, grilled onions and tomato all on a bagel. The Chocolate
Oatmeal is another big hit, and another benefactor of Bob
and Sarah’s homemade chocolate sauce.
Delicious panini sandwiches are available in several varieties,
such as the Italian Pesto or Hard Salami, for the reasonable
price of $6.50. Vegetarians will appreciate the assortment
of choices, from garden burgers to the Vegetariano, which
features artichoke hearts on provolone with roasted red peppers,
roma tomatoes, onions and green leaf lettuce. The Italiano
can be enjoyed with or without the salami, offering pesto
with fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, and all the veggie fixings
as well.
Delectable baked goods are always available, from Red Rock
Bakery as well as Oh Susanna’s Bakery in season. And
where else in Moab can you find real Gelato?
Mondo Café offers a great place for meeting with friends
or just reading a book. It also offers free wireless internet,
as well as use of their PC at a reasonable cost for those
without a laptop. Come in and experience a microcosm of Moab. “We
see everybody here,” Bob describes, “cyclists,
climbers, jeepers, people just passing through.”
“But it’s the local regulars” adds Sarah, “that
allow us to stay open all year.” That’s the world
of Moab, or, more accurately, the Mondo of Moab.
Mondo Café is located at 59 South Main in McStiff’s
Plaza, they can be reached at 259-5551.
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