Cassandra
You might know him for his briskets, soups, “cans and clams,” or Screamin’ Ridge Farm. Now you’ll know Joe Buley as the force behind Café NOA, a new soup and sandwich shop on Putnam Street, in Montpelier, just off Barre Street (and along Stone Cutters Way).
Last fall, Buley planted 300 crocus, tulip, and daffodil bulbs in anticipation of opening the café. He didn’t wait for the bulbs to bloom before opening, though; they’ve been covered with a recent spring snow dump. But the sandwiches on Red Hen bread are ready to roll.
Buley renovated the building next to his (former) summer barbecue location, with a large south-facing porch perfect for outdoor dining in the warmer weather when the awnings go up. Open just over a week as of press time, this writer enjoyed a build-your-own breakfast sandwich, featuring Buley’s homemade English muffins and housemade sausage, along with an egg, cheese, and a scoop of kimchi. NOA’s breakfast offering starts with a basic egg sandwich, with a long list of add-ons to make it your own.
The menu includes Buley’s locally famous soups, plus greens from his Screamin’ Ridge Farm in East Montpelier. Pork for sausage and bacon comes from Robbie Farm and Walden meats, but Buley grinds his own sausage.
“It’s better,” he says, “and I know what’s in it.”
Café NOA features a few amenities not seen in his next door summer BBQ, such as radiant heat in the flooring and a raised patio overlooking the bike path. Early birds can get their breakfast sandwich at 6:30 a.m. — but don’t expect bacon strips or sausage patties: at Café NOA, they grind the bacon (or sausage) and cook it in with the egg, a departure from most other breakfast sandwiches, designed to spare customers the indignity of chomping down on a slab of bacon and having the whole thing pull out of the sandwich.
Café NOA, at 8 Putnam Street, Montpelier, is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
