Mark’s Score 8.6
What is that old saying? When God closes one door, he opens another. Earlier in the summer Rise Up Coffee moved from their old location next to Specific Gravity to a new location next to RAR Chessies. I thought that Specific Gravity might expand into Rise Up’s space, but that was not to be. I thought no more of it until I was traveling down East College and noticed a new restaurant, Sunrise Café. I resolved that the next time I went out to lunch, I would give it a try.
Maurquetta Gay opened Sunrise in late August as a casual, contemporary café offering freshly prepared breakfast and lunch dishes, as well as health-conscious smoothies – lots of smoothies. Her concept is to offer quality foods in a sophisticated, yet casual atmosphere.
The first thing I noticed when I pulled into the parking lot was all the new flower boxes at the entrance, full of colorful flowers. I didn’t know at the time, but it was a harbinger of the change in atmosphere from Rise Up. Rise Up’s décor was sleek, but it was also cold and lifeless. It was also incredibly noisy and chaotic. Gay has turned that aestetic on its head. Instead of sleek modern, you walk into a dining area of warm colors, soft light woods offset by black trim. Instead of the caucophany of expresso machines and blaring music, you are greeted with light and soothing piano music. Though the space still looks vaguely familiar, it is worlds away from Rise Up. I was smitten, the moment I walked in.
Gay was operating the cash register, serving another customer when I walked in, which gave me time to review the menu. I guess that should be no surprise, in a restaurant named “Sunrise,” there were many breakfast items on the menu. But I was there for lunch, The lunch menu is much shorter. I ordered the Sunrise Club Panini. They have many smoothies and frappes on their menu, but frankly, I am not a fan of either. So, I ordered the lemon infused water, which they make themselves. They have three flavors of infused water, lemon, lime and cucumber. I was a little hesitant, so Gay suggested doing a mix of all three. She gave me a sample of all three flavors combined, I went with the lemon.
When my sandwich was ready, Gay brought it to me, herself. Most restaurants use deli meat in their sandwiches. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Sunrise makes their club panini with chunks of turkey right off the bone. That simple fact alone, won me over. Better still, the turkey breast was cooked to moist perfection.
There are many nice breakfast/sandwich shops in town. But Sunrise puts together an impressive package of atmosphere, friendly service, and quality food. I think I just found myself a new go to sandwich place, and I definitely want to try their breakfast food. This place is the whole package, give it a try, you won’t be sorry.
What else is there to do in Salisbury?
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