In comparison to brown blocks of a strip mall that hide behind it, the Blue Dog Art Café appears out of place with its white rectangular box shape and pastel colored beach chairs out front.  The cafe houses an interesting gimmick that can’t be found anywhere else in Harford County.  The small café is half restaurant and half pottery barn.

I immediately felt at home in the small sitting room decorated with modern black chairs surrounding a small coffee table covered in chalk writing.  Behind the sitting room was the counter, covered in cases harboring cookies, muffins, and breakfast sandwiches.  But this is where things got a bit strange.

The chalk board menu behind the counter displayed few food choices, but when I asked for a chicken salad wrap (one of the few items on the menu) I was informed that their menu is getting redone and my only options for lunch were quiche, croissants, and muffins.

More than a little disappointed, I settled for the bacon and ham quiche and a caramel cappuccino while my partner in food ordered a bubble tea.  There were many options for the tea such as the choice of adding chewbies, which are gelatin spheres, or the type of tea itself.  However, I think there should have been more options for food than tea.

Since the café is quite small the dining area also serves as the pottery area.  Shelves filled with white ceramic animals lined the walls around the small dining tables.

When my quiche was ready I picked up my slice and carried it to my table.  The quiche was the perfect temperature and had just the right amount of cheese.  The flavors were balanced with ham and cheese and heavenly goodness.  The only thing wrong with it was the oiliness of the dish.

As for my cappuccino it was pretty bitter and had to be filled with splenda and nutmeg to achieve the taste I was looking for.  I also couldn’t get past the foam.  I understand cappuccinos are supposed to have foam, but the amount of it on this drink was too thick.  The bubble tea was an improvement.  It was a type of chai tea that included colored gelatin bubbles on the bottom.  I wasn’t quite sure if the bubbles were edible or not but every sip taken brought up a bubble.  Unfortunately, the gelatin didn’t taste great.

My first visit to the Blue Dog Art Café was not the experience I’d expected but I would go back in order to try out their new menu and attempt to paint some pottery.

The Blue Dog Art Cafe is located on 802 Conowingo Road Bel Air, Maryland 21014

Chioma Iheoma is an A&E editor for the JCpatriot and JCpatriot.com