In addition to being National Chocolate Mint Day, it's also unofficially National Sarah Talks About Coffee Houses Day! I don't know about all of you, but I loooove a great coffee house! I'm always on the lookout for the best places around town because (mark my words!) my sister and my roommate and I are one day going to open our own cafe, and we have certain criteria that we believe to be of the utmost importance: comfort, quality food and drink, quality presentation of said food and drink, charitable activism, beautiful decor, and friendly service! (My personal additions to those criteria include excellent soup, excellent ice cream, and excellent tea!) With those elements in mind, I'd like to tell you the places where I go for a nice cuppa joe...and by cuppa joe, I definitely mean "potta tea." :-)
1. Walnut Bridge Coffee House, http://www.walnutbridgecoffeehouse.com/
Pros: This place serves up one of the best scones I've had this side of the Atlantic Ocean. (For the best in the world, go to England's lake district...oh my goodness...). Try the cranberry pistachio or the chocolate chip! They also have decent tea, an excellent selection of truffles flown in from a California chocolatier, lots of European hot chocolates, and a very comfortable atmosphere. The owners are friendly and local, and the food presentation is excellent...makes you want to eat everything. Oh, and great music--with an international flair to it!
Cons: The owner/baker, friendly as she is, will not give me her scone recipe. (Perhaps she views me as a threat?!) I'm considering sending in one of my friends to act as a Bon Appetit reporter, but that seems awfully desperate. The seating is limited, perhaps because the cafe in general is not very large. Also, the hours aren't particularly desirable for the typical "busy student" or "working professional" type. Closing at 6:30 will not attract those of us who have to work until five. Furthermore, the view out of the cafe windows is the fairly disgusting "Sweat Gym," which is actually called "Sweat" AND actually drenched in sweat...the windows are always strangely foggy...
2. Naked Chocolate Cafe, http://www.nakedchocolatecafe.com/home.html
Pros: Naked Chocolate is conveniently located right in University City, and the hot chocolate there is available in great variety. It's very rich and European, so be sure you're prepared for what is to come...you won't be disappointed! I haven't personally experienced any of their desserts, but the look of them suggests to me that they are delightfully decadent! They also have Harney & Sons tea, which is one of the best brands around! Friendly services makes the Naked Chocolate experience a real treat!
Cons: The place could use about fifteen additional tables and if every item on the menu could be one dollar less, that would make my life complete...and expand my waistline by several inches...ugh.
3. La Va Cafe, http://www.lava-cafe.com/
Pros: The tea selection is very au natural--loose tea served in a little pot with an infuser basket so it's freshly brewed. The chairs are comfy...that is, if you manage to snag one!
Cons: The people who work here are nice enough, I guess, but I don't get that welcoming vibe that other places give me, and that fault is enough to keep me from coming here very often. I haven't tried their food, but I think that's partially due to the fact that it's not presented in a very appetizing way (as in bagels that appear to have been dumped directly from the bag into a
glass window...). There's a sort of dim and dusty feel to the place that's nice if you're in the mood for it...I'm just usually not.
4. Chapterhouse Cafe, http://www.yelp.com/biz/chapterhouse-cafe-and-gallery-philadelphiaPros: Chapterhouse gives the scones at Walnut Bridge a run for their money! They also have hot apple cider year round, which makes my Lancaster-loving heart incredibly happy! The location is spacious and full of locals, and it's quiet enough that you can read a good book without feeling overly stimulated. Food presentation is very good...lots of raised trays of delicious-looking baked goods topped with glass dome lids. The friendly service is definitely there as well!
Cons: The place is a little tough to find...there's not really a sign out front or anything. Also, the comfortable seating gets snagged very quickly, and while it's not likely that you won't find a seat, it's likely that you'll end up in one that's not crazily comfortable.
5. Bonte, http://www.mybonte.com/cafe-entry.php
Pros: Bonte has four locations in Philly--9th and Walnut, 13th and Walnut, 15th and Locust, and on 17th between Walnut and Chestnut. The people who work there are some of the friendliest people I've met in Philadelphia (and I always have an eye out for friendly people!). In addition to their AMAZING waffles which you should absolutely try, they have very good tea and a number of yummy-looking baked goods. The 17th Street location is partially underground, which is kind of neat, and the friendly servers didn't mind my that my friend and I took our time catching up and enjoying our waffles.
Cons: Um...none as of yet. I guess you all should go here...
6. Green Line Cafe, http://www.greenlinecafe.com/contact.htm
Pros: The Green Line Cafe is very environmentally and fair trade-conscious, which I really like. It has three locations in University City, and I recommend the one at 45th and Locust, although the view is best from the 43rd and Baltimore (Clark Park) location. The teas at Green Line are great, and if you go to the 45th and Locust location, you can buy...drumroll please...4TH STREET COOKIES! This is no small matter...those cookies are the stinking most delicious things you will ever eat.
Cons: The biscotti = hard as a rock. Perfect for tea dipping...but if you're like me and you occasionally just like to bite into a piece of it sans beverage, you--and your teeth--will be very sorry. I haven't even tried the other baked goods yet because they are not presented in an appealing way at ALL. It looks like someone first threw a bunch of various baked goods in a bag and then dumped them onto a shelf for everyone to look at disgustedly. It's too bad because I have an inkling that they might actually taste pretty good. Beverages are also fairly overpriced, and the internet connection at the Clark Park location is dodgy. (I don't really think that the dodgy is the word I should be using here, but I really wanted to say it...dodgy...)
So I hope you've enjoyed celebrating National Sarah Talks About Coffee Houses Day! I've been wanting to share these sentiments for a while, and I hope that you'll benefit from my advice!
Future coffee destinations include Mugshots Cafe, The Random Tea Room and Curiosity Shop, and Chestnut Hill Cafe...yea!
1 comment:
wait a second...you didn't go to all of those in the same day did you?!
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