St John's in Covington, LA

Another great post from Rob at Crabapple Lane:

Taken this afternoon at St John’s Coffeehouse. Yes, I asked permission. The employee said most people don’t ask. He told of one professional photographer who set up a tripod and started shooting without asking permission or telling anyone he was going to do it. He blocked the entrance in the process. I don’t know the ethical or legal responsibilities of professional photographers but it seems to me that goes beyond rude into criminal and that one should have been forcibly removed, if necessary.

St John’s is one of my favorite places to go in Covington. It has a quirky, small town, old building charm that you just can’t put a price on. That said, it should be noted that you can spend an afternoon or evening there for almost nothing. The coffee is fabulous. I absolutely love the place and have spoken of it many times here. I try to stop in whenever I’m near it. You know, within a hundred miles or so. They also feature live music on most Friday and Saturday nights. If a Starbucks or some other chain opens near this place with their sterilized tables, drive-thru, and ridiculous menus, I think I’ll picket them with my sign in one hand and my cup of St John’s Café Au Lait in the other. Leave this place alone.

Tosca's in North Beach - San Francisco, CA

This comes from Erich Walrath:

When it comes to coffee, nothing beats Tosca's in North Beach. The coffee difficult to not to notice as the bar is lined with cups filled with the stuff.

Tosca's was a popular coffee house during the period directly prior to the passage of the 21st Amendment. As coffee houses go, it was more boisterous then most. The 2-3 fingers of Scotch surreptitiously added to the drink, or whatever the patron's pleasure, must have contributed to the conviviality of the place.

Today this era is celebrated by the aforementioned line of coffee mugs set along the bar. Worth a visit. Perhaps someone could actually try the coffee and report.


Cheers,


Erich

Grangeville, Idaho

Highway 13 is one of the (very) rural highway routes between Boise and Missoula, Montana. Highway 95 follows the river canyons, but once you're on Highway 13, it flattens out to farmland. Grangeville is a farming town with a lovely little clothing and espreesso shop called Hannah's Closet. We just got frueffy drinks there (it was raining, so hot chocolate seemed ideal). The nice thing was that the drinks had a very distinctive taste not the usual Torani syrup.

Dreaming in Reno

This past weekend our family went to Reno. Well, it wasn't supposed to be a family trip, but when our sitting (my sister) had to bail (nephew with stomach flu), we decided to bring the little one with us. Most tourist congregate on Virginia St. closer to the freeway than the river (Circus Circus/Silver Legacy/El Dorado complex is there), but I love the Truckee River, and the redevelopment agency has really spruced it up. We stayed at the Siena on the south side of the river, which is pricey, but very nice. The area is also being promoted as an arts district. The sitter we hired for my son recommended the local art museum (we'll have to check that out when we are sans-fil). The National Auto Museum started by Mr. Harrah is there. There are also a couple galleries, and a neat coffee shop called Dreamers right on Virgina Street on the south bank. Dreamers has sofas, and bookcases. I also see from the Yahoo listing, that it has WiFi. If you step outside with your drink there is a stunning river walk and the river itself.

Metairie, Louisiana

The following recommendation was provided by Rob:

My favorite [place] is Royal Blend in Metairie,
Louisiana. Metairie is a suburb of New Orleans. I think they have
three locations now. The Metairie store is the second one they
opened and the only one I've been in. Its about a mile off of
Interstate 10 and you'll pass a spectacular New Orleans cemetery when
driving to it. I drink hot, dark roast coffee. They have several
varieties (My favorite is Cafe Reveille but they're all very good)
and they brew a different one every day. Sometimes they brew with
chicory, sometimes without. I usually drink it au lait but can also
drink it black. No sugar. I also buy coffee beans from them for
home brewing whenever I'm there because I just can't get down there
often enough to feed my addiction. As for the tea lovers, the iced
coffee lovers, and the flavored coffee lovers, they sell and serve
plenty of that, too, but you're on your own there. I have never
tried any of them.

Their website: http://www.royalblendcoffee.com/08gal.html

I also mentioned Java Grotto and St John's Coffeehouse at Kim's
place. I don't know the status of Java Grotto right now. It was
severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina I hear. It's just about on
Lake Pontchartrain. St John's is very good also. They're in
downtown Covington, Louisiana.

Jordan Valley, Oregon

We stopped at the Rockhouse in Jordan Valley, OR. on our trip to Montana last summer. It’s the last town in southeastern Oregon before the Idaho border, so there are services and hotels for folks too tired to continue on to Boise. The Rockhouse is a really nice outpost of art-farty stuff: caffeine drinks, ice cream, local crafts, and a selection of books on the area (lots on Lewis and Clark) are available. If you are going north on US Hwy 95, it'll be on your right as you enter town.

Goals and Guidelines for Coffee Tourist

This blog starts out of a recommendation made to me after our family trip this summer to Montana (and back to Sacramento, CA). We had lots of pictures in our blog of the trip showing local coffee shops we had found along the way. Someone (I forget who) said we could write a guide to local coffee places.

For some reason, when we travel, our family tends to go local. First, it's pretty hard to avoid Starbucks where we live (a newer area with no local coffee shops), and we don't have any problem with chains, necessarily, but it's just nice to find someplace new and different (isn't that what travelling is about?). I also live in horror of going to the same places where I eat at home when I'm on the road. I mean what's the point to travelling if you're going to the same place and doing the same thing?

I don't think we travelled far enough to write a guide on our own, but I've got enough to start a blog and get submissions from others about places they have found. Here are the guidelines:

• It must be a locally owned, non-chain coffee store/bar/cafe. Non-chain means fewer than 5 outlets;
  
  
• It must be in a place that travelers and tourists are likely to be near, and fairly easy access. You may have a local place that is great, but if it's down two blind alleys and has no street parking, how are strangers from out of town going to get there?
  
  
• They must make a decent cuppa joe;
  
  
• Please try to be informative and, as I tell my students, use details.
  
  

Send me an email with your submission.