A Hoppin' Good Bakery

The Blue Frog Bakery
Glassell Avenue
Old Town Orange, California
Open Tues. - Sat. (Closed Monday)
4 scoops of Bosco

By Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco

I have never been to Paris, but somehow I imagine myself ducking into a small, quaint cafe/bakery away from the mist of the morning after a brisk walk. And that cafe/bakery would look exactly like the Blue Frog in Old Town Orange of Southern California. Complete with it's French blue colors with white trim and a matching awning over the service area mixed with the delicious aroma of the bakery, the Blue Frog is a wonderful experience.

While the full bakery is delicious....try the single portion pecan pie...my favorite, the Blue Frog also has a wonderful and extremely affordable breakfast and lunch menu. For less than $8.00 you can get a delicious Chicken Caesar salad, or a grilled breast of chicken on Chiabatta bread, or a tasty burrito for breakfast entitled The Big Froggy, with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, sausage, home fries, salsa, wrapped in a tortilla.

In addition to that, eat upstairs overlooking the main dining area or curl up on the couch sip great coffee, and read or study. The Blue Frog also is a free wi-fi hot spot. The other neat thing is that it is in Downtown Orange on Glassell Street, right in the middle of the best collection of antique stores and historical buildings in the country. It is also right across the street from the famous Army-Navy Surplus store where various movies have been shot including Tom Hank's That Thing You Do.

Ok, it's not French music playing over the speakers. The music is a wonderful eclectic mix that adds to the atmosphere. The day I was there they played a Jack Johnson album, then a Joni Mitchell album, and finished with an older Bob Dylan entree.

My only drawback is that it isn't open on Mondays. Why stores take off one day when there is so much interest and business to be had is beyond me. But other than that I highly recommend the Blue Frog and the experience of being there.

And just down the road, the owners of the Blue Frog have spun off a cafe focusing on lunch items featuring delicious burgers.