How to go
WHAT: Morning Sun Cafe
WHEN: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day; 10 p.m. - close for bar service and light munchies Fri. - Sun.
WHERE: 109 West High St., Oxford, Ohio
COST: reasonable
MORE INFO: (513) 524-MSUN or (513) 524--6786; carry-out available
CRITIC’S CHOICE: Applewood Smoked Bacon on Toasted Flatbread; Tom’s Way Napolean; Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Morning Sun Burger; Cucumber Salad; Classic Breakfast Combo; Grilled Chicken Breast or Roasted Eggplant over Rice and Seasonal Vegetables, Mac & Cheese dinner; Mimosas.
OXFORD — “Change” is the word at the Morning Sun Cafe because it’s not just for morning and afternoon meals anymore.
Now, this local uptown Oxford restaurant also includes dinner, according to Tom and Cher Uhl, local Oxford owners and longtime residents.
But that’s not the only change at this comfy cafe, according to the Uhls’ son and the Morning Sun Cafe manager, Nathan Uhl.
“We’ve added a room and doubled in size, changing the seating capacity from 24 to about 60-ish,” said Nathan Uhl.
In addition, this restaurant now has a liquor license and a full-service bar.
Of course, with all of these changes, Nathan Uhl has recreated the menu, adding nightly dinner specials and a drinks section.
Each night offers a different special.
For example, Monday is Mac & Cheese Night.
“A customer can choose whether to have the macaroni and cheese plain —or have it made to individual preferences,” said Nathan Uhl. “It varies from regular macaroni and cheese to spicing it up a bit. You can add chicken, eggplant or tofu on it. The other night, the chef, Chef Nathan Witt, did a mac ‘n cheese with a little salsa on it, and it went over well.”
The nightly dinner specials are fun because the chefs can still be creative with the dishes. Chefs and customers especially like Wednesday, pasta night, because there’s so much playfulness with the type of pasta, sauce and toppings.
“We make most of our sauces inhouse -- the peppercorn mayo, alfredo, pesto sauce and garlic-basil cream sauce, said manager Uhl. “And the only dinner special that is fixed -- that we don’t personalize or play with, is Thursday’s Chicken-fried Steak and Mashed Potatoes Night.”
Breakfast and lunch is served all day, including after 5 p.m., when the dinner specials start.
Breakfast favorites include Tom’s Way Napoleon and the Breakfast Burger.
Tom’s Way Napoleon is made of three eggs, cooked to order, stacked with fresh sauteed vegetables, such as spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes, a garlic-basil cream sauce and a side of pesto. Regular customers often order hash browns, cooked to perfection, on the side.
“It’s layered and that’s why it’s called ‘Napoleon’. And it’s called ‘Tom’s Way’ because that’s how my Dad (Tom), the owner, likes it,” said Uhl.
Favorite sandwiches include Applewood Smoked Bacon on toasted Flatbread, a 6-ounce cheeseburger and the Morning Sun Burger.
Everybody loves the Applewood Bacon Flatbread sandwich, according to manager Uhl. Besides bacon and the special bread, it contains melted Provolone cheese, sliced tomato, baby greens and a basil pesto.
“But one of my favorite lunch selections -- the Grilled Chicken Breast or Roasted Eggplant over Rice and Seasonal Vegetables -- also makes a great dinner selection,” said manager Uhl. “We have many homestyle dinner options that make you feel comfortable when you come down to the restaurant. You’ll find something that makes you feel like you’re getting dinner at home.”
Friendliness is also very important to manager Uhl, so it’s not surprising when customers say “thank you” and give a casual wave good-bye after their meal.
“We’re happy to see regulars and we remember their orders,” said Uhl.
One regular customer, simply known as ‘Johnny’ (Helfinspine), who runs the music store down the street, said he eats at the Morning Sun Cafe or has coffee with his wife there, every day.
The Morning Sun Cafe got its name from a farm plot that the Uhls own on nearby Morning Sun Road.
“We opened the cafe about the same time we purchased the farm, about a year-and-a-half ago. We are currently expanding and doing a lot of work out on the farm and creating a conference or catering center. But eventually the farm will also supply vegetables in season for the restaurant,” said Uhl.
The Morning Sun Cafe already uses ingredients and food items from local sources as much as possible .For example, all of the local wines on the menu are from Valley Vineyards in Morrow, Ohio.`
The cafe is small, but people have told manager Uhl that it’s like a touch of New York.
“It’s a big-city atmosphere where they feel comfortable. And we serve high-quality food at a reasonable price. It’s not a greasy spoon,” said Uhl.
Try it, Uhl love it.
Contact this writer at suoreilly@aol.com
About the Author