Orlando is for cats!

or how to earn your cat's respect

 

 

Photos by Girlchild aka Jennifer Taylor 

 

 

 To the “Mouse” world, Orlando is for mouse lovers! The four-legged-kind, of course, as in Mickey Mouse. However, on a recent visit, I discovered a sub-sub-subculture. The Black Cat Culture. And for evidence, I present Spooky’s Black Cat Café and Milk District Marketplace!

 

 Located in a somewhat surreptitious suburb (but then we know cats are sneaky and subversive!), the café’s physical address is  207 N Primrose Drive. It’s quiet—no thirteen television sets blaring in the background—so you can actually talk. The ambience is casual, and the décor is artsy.Perhaps a more accurate term is “feline familiar.” Feline I’m sure you understand, but “familiar” as in a witch’s familiar, i.e., an animal, as a cat, that embodies a supernatural spirit and aids a witch in performing magic. Books containing potion recipes and spells are openly displayed.

 The libations list is limited to an eclectic range of beer (try the Old Rasputin Russian Stout. Dark, spicy with a warming finish—like drinking coal, but in a good way, I’m told), cider (apple and pumpkin), and wine. The menu is subject to change daily and is decidedly unique. Think flatbread with truffle oil, cheese, basil and sun dried tomato; Tour of India—a selection of curry-type dips for pita bread; pulled pork on waffles; hominy and chili on cornbread; Dragon Egg appetizers (deviled eggs with sriracha, wasabe, and a sweet chili sauce); quiona tamale pie; and meatball subs.

Desserts are out of this world. I met Donna, the dessert diva and she cooks! Literally and figuratively. Carrot cake with dates, red velvet cupcake with cream cheese, caramel chocolate crunch cake—yum!

 Prices are very reasonable. The staff is friendly and nonjudgmental—they even welcome dog lovers, as Girlchild can attest. By the way, there is actually a black cat named Spooky in charge and a resident black dog. The dog, (not being a cat) grovels and lies on his back to be petted.

Spooky’s is not a place for the uptight, far tight er right, but en fin (cats like that word fin, it makes them think of fresh fish), Spooky’s Black Cat Café is a funky place to hang out and enjoy the cool atmosphere with comfy chairs. Furthermore, when you go home and tell your cat you had dinner at Spooky’s, your cat will regard you with new respect.

 

And en fin, once again, I must thank Girlchild who found this charming establishment!