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Today I spent the day with my wife. With our schedules this past week it’s been tough seeing her for more than an hour a day, so I savored every minute spent with her. Our morning started off at our local cafe, where I enjoyed something called a Decaf Peruvian Royal- it wasn’t the best coffee I’ve had, but it was a very nice brew for a mid morning drink. It’s a water-processed decaffeinated coffee (in a nutshell, using only water to decaf the bean, no chemicals) and the coffee itself was very very mild, and I found little aftertaste in it. The aroma was pleasant, perhaps a slight smokiness to it. I’d decided to forgo caffeine this morning, but the accompanying pastry more than made up for it – something called cocoa crunch or something like that – it was a muffin with shaved cocoa slivers and espresso beans.
The cafe is now showing artwork by an artist called Laura Lee Therrien. Hanging around the walls of the coffeehouse are papier mache masks made from recycled household materials – they include owls, beavers, birds, along with some more abstract creatures, most interestingly something called “The Grotesque”, a bat like creature in grey, with burlap wings.
I probably visit this place 3 or 4 times a week, only because it’s just a few blocks from my house. It’s very small (seating for maybe a dozen or so people) but they’ve got a great selection of coffees and chocolates to choose from. They’re also really involved in the community – sponsoring, among other things, bird walks and an annual neighborhood picnic. The staff is knowledgable, but at times can seem a bit brusque if you don’t know what you want, or if you hesitate at the counter. If you aren’t sure what you want, just ask for the house blend, it’s a medium roasted Columbian, and you generally can’t go wrong with that.
Birds and Beans – 2412 Lakeshore Blvd. Open weekdays 7-5pm, 8-5 weekends & holidays
