Sweet Harmony Café is Middletown’s best-kept secret that’s not actually supposed to be a secret. Unfortunately, most people at Wesleyan don’t know about this hidden gem, even though the café has been open for nine years.
Wesleyan students are probably unfamiliar with Sweet Harmony because it’s located off the beaten track on 158 Broad Street and is only open for lunch. However, making the trek is worth the effort—Sweet Harmony is the perfect place for a birthday brunch, lunch with parents, or just some good comfort food.
The lunch menu features salads, soups, and sandwiches. There are special sandwiches every day; I ordered the chicken bruschetta with melted asiago and mozzarella cheeses on a toasted rosemary roll, which was served with a salad and cost $9.95. I also chose to “harmonize” my salad, which meant they added gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries, and honey-roasted walnuts for $1.50 extra.
For $5.95, I ordered the bread pudding for dessert, which was served warm with caramel sauce and whipped cream. It was perfect and also huge—it definitely could have been shared between two or even three people, depending on your sweet tooth.
Their gourmet cakes range from $35-40 (for an 8-inch cake) and come in such scrumptious-sounding flavors as sweet potato with chocolate frosting, raspberry with white chocolate mousse frosting, four-layer chocolate truffle cake, and Kahlua pound cake. They always have some cakes ready in the kitchen, but to order a specific flavor you should call or email three days in advance.
While I was devouring my dessert, one of the owners—excited to find a Wesleyan student in her restaurant—explained that everything at Sweet Harmony is homemade, from the cakes to the turkey chili.
“And people say my meatballs are the best all around,” she said. “You should try the meatball sandwich!”
As I was leaving the restaurant, she handed me a giant chocolate chip cookie on the house.
“After you taste mine, you won’t want to eat anyone else’s,” she said.
It was a good cookie.
Sweet Harmony is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Check out their website at sweetharmonycafebakery.com.