Samuel C.
Yelp
I can't say enough good things about this fantastic place.
Neither can the rest of the world.
While people disagree over politics, religion, sport and everything else on the planet,
There is at least one point about which everyone agrees.
Comfort Cafe is totally totally awesome.
What's good about this place?
The pro bono concept.
The people.
The art.
And the amazing food.
* * *
Comfort Cafe is the social support and fundraising arm for Serenity Star - a sobriety organization in San Antonio and branches in Smithville and elsewhere in Texas.
Whether or not Serenity Star is technically Alcoholics Anonymous or not -
The spirit of the endeavor is Alcoholics Anonymous all the way.
Since AA is the most effective substance abuse program on the planet,
This connection alone would make them a force for good.
Comfort Cafe has a meeting room for formal substance abuse sessions.
The Cafe is meant to cover that expense, and cover the expenses of a rehab ranch for more extended treatments.
It is also a "soup kitchen" which serves way better food than soup.
Serenity Star does not charge for its services - unless you really want to pay.
This includes eating at Comfort Cafe.
You can walk in without a dime in your pocket ...
Order everything from soup to nuts ..
And you only pay what you can afford.
At the end of the meal, they leave a little "cashbook" at your table - the type of item that a bill usually appears in.
You can put in a zillion dollars.
You can put in nothing.
No one ever looks to see what is inside.
So if times are rough, and you need to feed your family,
You can give them a massive Sunday breakfast with all the trimmings and everything is on the house.
And that breakfast will be fantastic. (More on the food later.)
If you actually do put in money, it covers the expenses of the cafe. The rest goes to the rehabilitation ranch.
Not surprisingly, the people who would design such a concept are as saintlike as you would think they would be.
I talked to a number of them.
They are all hardworking charismatic stars with a gift for gab and total charm.
Bastrop is an artist's paradise - and Smithville is Bastrop East with cheaper rents. There are art galleries all over town.
The town specialty is mosaic murals although there are plenty of good painters too.
Comfort Cafe has two buildings and an outdoor courtyard with an entrance alley. All of the above have been decorated top to bottom with local art and with the murals.
I think the artist who put the matching murals in the entrance alleyway is Stefanie Distefano. (If I am wrong, someone please send me a correction.) Her work is all over town and it is amazing.
She made two face to face mosaic murals for the Comfort Cafe alleyway.
Those double murals are absolutely spectacular and are not to be missed under any circumstance.
Just seeing the Distefano mosaics is worth driving from Houston or Dallas, never mind driving from Austin.
* * *
Now this is Yelp. And Yelp is about the food. How is the food?
O
M
G
These are the absolute best breakfasts in the Central Texas area - bar none.
Austin has nothing remotely close to what they serve at Comfort Cafe.
Portions are enormous.
The yogurt parfaits are served in a giant champagne glass the size of a salad bowl - and must have a pound of fresh fruit in them.
I ordered "light" and just had strawberry crepes.
These were three huge crepes totally filled with fresh strawberries - along with homemade caramel and mountains of whipped cream.
The crepes were absolutely positively spectacular.
My carnivorous partner in crime had a three meat scramble which virtually filled a whole dinner plate and was stacked high with meat. His blueberry pancakes had massive amounts of super large high quality fresh blueberries.
Their house coffee can beat any yuppie coffee house in Austin.
If these dishes don't appeal to you, (and you would be nuts not to order them yourself),
The menu of dishes you can choose from is massive. They have vast numbers of breakfast items including all sorts of benedicts, egg dishes, and a spectacular looking waffle sampler.
They also do burgers - which get a lot of action from the customers - a wide variety of hot and cold sandwiches - and a number of salads if you are feeling healthy.
Basically, there is almost nothing you could want for a Texas breakfast or lunch that they don't have at Comfort Cafe.
And you eat in a place with wonderful art, with wonderful people, and all of the proceeds go for a magnificent cause.
* * *
So what are you waiting for?
Get yourself to Smithville!
If you live in East Austin, this is not a problem.
If you live in Cedar Park or Dripping Springs, take the drive.
If you live in L.A. or North Carolina, get on a plane and get out here!
This is an experience not to be missed!