The Chop has not been doing much of brunching lately. Ever since we decided to join a gym we’ve been bicycling past the Hampden Bruncherati each Sunday on the way to run and lift and row and squash and what-have-you. And we’re fine with that. Even though we do love to brunch, we don’t envy you all your thick-cut French toast and eggs benedict and bloody marys. We’re perfectly happy with our cup of yogurt and granola and fresh fruit.

But when we do sit down to brunch we like to do it right- and no place has ever been more right than ye olde Morning Edition Cafe. Tucked away far from the Chophouse on a quiet corner of Butchers’ Hill, it’s been a favorite for years and years. So after a lovely walk along the park yesterday we were more than a little excited to get back inside and get some banana pancakes in our belly. For it had been far, far too long.

But what’s this? A big-ass ‘for sale’ sign hanging from the building? and a smaller sign announcing that the Morning Edition has closed forever? You can imagine how crestfallen we were to stand there on Patterson Park Ave while the rest of the city was out tailgating the Ravens’ home opener… feeling the empty void inside that was not being filled by gooey, cheesy omlettes.

If we had been paying attention we might have noticed a brief article in the Sun the week of Fourth of July announcing the closure on Morning Edition’s 30th anniversary. But no: we had to learn the hard way. Woe, woe unto the brunchless Chop!

So we’d like to take a moment to publicly mourn the Morning Edition here on the blog. Hopefully someone will buy the space soon and care for it as well as its former owners have. There are such precious few nice places north of the park that any half decent spot that takes it’s place has a great chance of being a beloved neighborhood spot for decades to come.