<p>The “P3” sandwich – Portabella mushroom, provolone cheese and pesto with caramelized onions and lettuce on rustic bread, served with a side of quinoa salad at the Blue Scorcher.</p>

The other day I was in downtown Astoria when a pair of strangers stopped me on the street. They were visiting from out of town, they said, and were looking for a restaurant that could accommodate their dietary concerns; the man was vegan, and his wife needed to adhere to a strictly gluten-free diet. The first place that immediately leapt to mind was the Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café.

The Blue Scorcher is a worker-collective that specializes in hand-crafted meals and baked goods using only local, organic ingredients. Its located next to the Fort George Brewery and Public House, and the building lies on the original site of Fort Astoria. Locals may remember when the building was an automotive place. The renovation of the building is nothing short of spectacular, and the inside of the Blue Scorcher has a light, airy quality, as well as a cool, industrial, eco-hipster vibe that feels like something youd find in Portland.

I spent a few years as a vegetarian, and I have enjoyed the offerings at the Blue Scorcher many times in the past. I added meat back to my diet several years ago, but I never mind a meal without it, and indeed at the Blue Scorcher there is something to suit any palate, even for the most die-hard carnivores.

On this occasion I arrived in the mood for a toasty sandwich. I ordered the P3 Portabella, provolone and pesto with caramelized onions and lettuce on rustic bread, served with a side of quinoa salad. The bread is exceptional with a pleasing, yeasty center and crisp crust, and the pesto tasted exceptionally fresh and was not overly flavored with basil, as can often be the case. The portabella is a meaty-textured mushroom, and may even fool meat-loving taste buds. My only quibble with the sandwich was the caramelized onions. I love caramelized onions, and I could see them working well in another sort of sandwich say one with sliced pears or figs and maybe bleu cheese. In this sandwich though, the sweetness of the onions didnt marry well with the tart acidity of the pesto. I removed the onions from the sandwich and ate the rest of it quite happily; it doesnt need the onions.

The quinoa salad was a delectable mix of quinoa and beans topped with greens and other veggies. Quinoa (pronounced keen-waa) is actually a seed that can be prepared much like a grain. It tastes great, is full of protein and amino acids and can be prepared more quickly than other grains. It is similar in texture to couscous and could be used in any meal in lieu of couscous or rice. I am pleased to see quinoa being featured more in the culinary world, and those who are unfamiliar with it should most definitely give it a try. The salad seemed to be dressed with olive oil and vinegar, and I could have used a bit more of it.

As a next entrée I selected the simply red pizza, topped with pizza sauce and a blend of cheeses, including feta and bleu. The pizzas at Blue Scorcher are lovely to behold, with their puffy, crisp crust, and the mini sized ones are about dinner-plate sized, perfect for a one-person meal or an appetizer to share. I overheard a diner at another table, who had ordered the same pizza, remark, Now THIS is pizza.

One of the diners who accompanied me on this day was my four-year old daughter, who is extraordinarily picky and doesnt care much for meat so naturally, she was right at home. She enjoyed playing with the kitchen in the childrens area, and when our lunch arrived she happily gobbled up the toddlers four-bowl lunch: tiny bowls of rice, beans, cheese and apples. It may seem an odd combination, but she was positively delighted with it, and it was a welcome change not to be leaving a restaurant with half of her meal still on the plate. There were other pleasant-sounding meals for children on the menu, and teamed with the ample childrens play area, this is a wonderful spot for families to visit.

With already overly stuffed bellies, we decided to enjoy some offerings from the bakery. Each item we sampled was flawless and delicious. A first dessert selection was a lemon crème cupcake, and it was so delightful that I wished for an entire cake of the same. The cake itself was light, fluffy and sweet with a pleasing tang of lemon, and the topping was whipped lemon crème with lemon zest. If you are a lemon lover, this is the cupcake for you, and it is noteworthy to mention that a gluten-free version of the same is available. A chocolate ganache bar was next, a thick, dense layer of fudgy chocolate on a shortbread crust and topped with slivered almonds, and it was decadent and rich. Finally, I tried a bran muffin that was packed with goodness and flavor, with raisins and a crunchy, raw sugar topping. These are not your average, run-of-the-mill bakery offerings; every ingredient used is fresh and organic, and as such the flavors are more like home-made, and not like the homogenized, sugary treats youd find in some other bakeries. These are artisan-quality bakery offerings, the best to be found in Astoria.

I left the restaurant with a loaf of rustic bread tucked under my arm and a latte with cardamom and honey, which was heavenly. My only real complaint with the Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café is that I dont live next door to it.