Scottie's Coffee and Tea House

I finally made it out to Scottie's Coffee and Tea House, in Ye Olde Worthington, OH. I actually visited the place twice last week, once with a friend and once on my own. I really enjoyed myself, and I may just have to drop in more often.

If you need a reminder on how I've set up my review system, you might just want to go here.

Wifi
Free wifi is available. I didn't catch the service they use, and since I used my Centro while there I didn't find out for myself. There were quite a few people online both times I was at the store, and several of them looked camped out for extended periods (class projects, one guy editing a power point presentation). No equipment provided for computer users...but there are old-school Ms. Pacman and Centipede machines available for 50 cents a ride.
Rating: Full Mug for free access and making patrons comfortable enough to stay for hours.

Space/Layout
Scotties is laid out essentially as a roomy horseshoe. There are two doors in, and either one leads to a couple of intimate seating areas. The bar runs along one wall, facing the main room where you find larger tables, a couch, and several armchairs that accomodate large groups easily. Drip coffee is served from a table of vacuum pump carafes, and the condiment bar is right across from them (easy as pie to find).
Rating: Full Mug for having plenty of space, a variety of comfy seating, and simple to find essentials.

Menu
The drinks offered strike a good balance between espresso classics (cappucino) and pricier, more exotic fair (Surly Girl Scout). The menu itself is clear and uncluttered without being boring. In addition to some excellent drip coffee (I enjoyed a cup of Highlander Grog, always a winner) Scotties offers a full range of hot and cold espresso products, and well as smoothies, teas, and simple food (PBJ sandwiches, hummus, coffee cake).
Rating: Full Mug for having a simple menu that delivers what a reasonable patron would want.

Price
Prices are reasonable. You can get a 20 oz. cup of coffee for $2, and refills for $1 a piece. There's also a bottomless mug option for $2.68 a cup...free refills, but it'll take you three mugs to earn back the investment. Other price checks: 20 oz latte, $4. Flavored latte, $4.75 for 20 oz.
Rating: Full Mug for not price gouging, and providing a balance between profit and value with the bottomless mug option.

Ambience
Scotties has one of the best coffee house feels I've run into. It smells like coffee, has the classic coffee shop patrons (college students, bohemians, old men playing chess). The furniture has a unique, not-bought-from-Sysco feel to it. There's even original art work on the walls and for sale...photographs by Cheryl and Doug Kneisley, underwater scenes from the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida Keys.
Rating: Full Mug because I don't think they could be more like an indie coffee shop if they tried...because, well, that's what they are.

Let me finish off with a couple pictures of the place...I neglected to get a shot of the storefront like I'd planned, but I might be able to update that at a later date. If you're anywhere near Worthington, Scotties is a great place to stop for a bit...just a couple minutes south of 270 on US-23.

Rating Overall: Five full, steaming mugs of java!

The Late, Anti-Climatic Post

I had intended to write a late post, a review on Scottie's Cafe and Tea House. I had it in mind all day, even while I had one of the worst days at work ever. I made myself drag my tired, vegetable-like butt off the couch and head down to Worthington. I made sure I had my review template on my Palm, and realized I could shoot some pretty cool pics with it once I got in the space and saw how neat it was.

Then my friend showed up, and we spent the hour visiting. Ooops.

I'll go back very soon, 'cause this is one of the coolest shops I've been in, period. In the mean time, informal poll time:

In order to atone for dereliction of duty, should the author

1. Be made to post on the weekend
2. Submit to a kick from each reader
3. Write "I Won't Forget to Take Notes" 25 times
4. Just write the dang review ASAP
5. All of the above

Make your selections, choose your druthers!

Java's

I deliver pizzas in the Gahanna area. Every now and again, I drive by a sign advertising Java's Cyber Cafe drive thru. I'm always intrigued by new coffee shops, but I deliver pizzas too late to drink coffee and I'm rarely down that way if I'm not working. C'est la vie.

So when I decided I would make weekend trips to various coffee shops and review them, Java's made the list right away. Sarah and I made the trip last Sunday.

Java's sits as an anchor on a newish strip mall. They do have a drive thru, and free wifi. They also offers several computers with internet access for you to work on, their claim to fame. You can print in color for $.50/page.

Aside from the computer work stations and some local photography for sale on the walls, Java's is very reminiscent of a Starbucks. Not in the important ways: The coffee was better, and the atmosphere less corporate, and the net access is free. But the layout and decor of the lobby, the look of the bar, and the items on the menu are nearly interchangable.

The service was excellent! The barrista was very friendly and involved in our order. Java's serves Crimson Cup coffee, fair trade and organic, which is quite tasty. They also serve smoothies, which Sarah assures me are quite yummy. Decaf available, but I didn't see anything specifically sugar free or otherwise health conscious.

While the space is just about big enough to host music or poetry events, I didn't see evidence of such goings on. Java's offers a few prepackaged foods, like cereal boxes and pastries, but nothing made on site. You see the beginnings of being a player in the community (the art on the walls, the business card rack full of local businesses) but as Sarah said, there is plenty of room to expand that angle.

Java's is not a bohemian, characteresque coffee shop but it doesn't have to be. If you need a place for a good cup of coffee and internet access, Java's is more than up to the task. Perfect for that cup of coffee on the way to work or on the way out for the evening, or if you need to use a computer/printer in a hurry.

If you're ever in Gahanna jonesing for some coffee, stop in or drive thru Java's Cyber Cafe!

Heavenly Cup Espresso

I got it into my head that I wanted to do coffee shop reviews sooner, rather than later. If I wanted this blog to get even a little traction, I had to provide value for the time invested...which means more than pimping Folger's Black Silk. So I decided it was time to strike out, and unearth some of the lesser known gems in the caffeinated world.

So I punched in my address on Google Maps. I told it to look for coffee shops nearby. I got back, quite a few Starbucks. A ridiculous amount. There was a sprinkling of Tim Hortons, a couple Dunkin Donuts, and more Starbucks. To paraphrase the Talking Heads, these were not the gems I was looking for.

So I kept going down the list. And I found this promising name: "Heavenly Cup Espresso." I clicked on it, found out it was in uptown Westerville (just up the road in my fair village).

The website was nice. Someone put a lot of effort into it, put a lot of information out there, and I appreciate when someone does that for me. I personally found the greeting page to be a little cheesey, a little too welcoming. I read it a few times and started to feel a lil intimidated about visiting the shop. But I did go, and I'm very glad I did.

If you're not familiar with uptown Westerville, you find Heavenly Cup Espresso by pulling off I-270 onto OH-3 North and keep driving. Soon the suburban sprawl slows to a 25 mph zone, and you're in a Rockwell downtown scene. Walls of two story buildings line both sides of the street, with shops selling antiques, flowers, and even insurance flashing their wares at you from pictures windows on the ground floor. In the middle of this oasis of Mom and apple pie, we find the espresso we came for.

You enter the shop through a door cut into the corner of the building, and before you even step in the building looks cool. It used to be a hotel, and now it's part Heavenly Cup, part art gallery, and part gunshop. The space Heavenly Cup calls home is small. After you get past how small the room is, you start to realize it's hip. Heavenly Cup is a neat mix of old timey charm (the walls, floor, counter etc all look like they would fit in with the original architect's plan) and cool modern vibe (menu done up in multi-colored chalk, tables and chairs mis-matched with tile mosaic tops, the walls covered in art on loan from the next door David Meyers gallery). If you've ever been to Burlington, VT or Manitou Springs, CO and enjoyed yourself, you'll feel right at home.

You'll also like this place if you enjoy baked goods. The front of the counter is covered in cookies, bagels, biscotti, muffins, cake, and cinnamon rolls that make you forget about the coffee...almost. Their website speaks highly of the pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing...Sarah and I tried one, and it was well worth the $1.50 we spent. If that cookie is any indicator of the overall quality of Heavenly Cup's bakery, then this is a perfect place to pop in for a light breakfast or afternoon snack.

I'd never heard of the blend of coffee Heavenly Cup serves (Kaladi Brothers Coffee of Alaska) but after trying it, I can call myself a tentative fan. I didn't go for a straight espresso drink, because after I saw the selection of Torani syrups my sweet tooth wouldn't let me. However, the coffee asserted itself through the flavor, and it takes a serious blend to make itself known over Torani flavoring. And yes, the shop DOES smell like coffee.

I tried a small "frosted shortbread" latte ($3.25 for 12oz) which had vanilla and cheesecake flavors; absolutely delicious. Sarah had the "pumpkin cheesecake" latte, and after a few sips she remarked, "I could totally drink this every day." And Sarah, for the record, can't stand coffee. $4.50 will get you the 20oz large, which is good to me when you consider the quality. They offered everything on the menu in decaf, as well as hot chocolate and cider options for the non-coffee fans. They also had a selection of sugar-free options when it came to Torani drinks for those of us keeping an eye on the sugar intake.

Like I said, the space is small...but they do offer free wifi, and have three 2-person tables where you can camp out and knock out your homework or coffee blog post. When we walked in there was a tutoring session going on in one corner, with a pair of ladies catching up in the opposite corner. Both groups looked as if they'd been settled for some time when we arrived. The lady friends decided to leave after more people arrived behind Sarah and I, a sign that I took to mean regular patrons are sensitive to sharing the limited atmosphere. Maybe not the place to drag the whole posse, but perfect for a date or meeting up with a friend or two.

If you're ever in the North of Columbus, I'd definitely make a stop in to Heavenly Cup Espresso, and enjoy yourself a tasty treat in a truly neat space!

OH-161 Dunkin Donuts

If you live on the North-North West side of Columbus, and you have a Dunkin Donuts jones, your best bet is probably the location on OH-161, not far from Cleveland Ave.

Not the best neighborhood, I'll grant you, but far from the worst. You can find a Friendlies nearby, as well as the Olive Garden. And really, I've driven into FAR worse areas just for a good cup of Dunkin, so chill out.

There's no drive thru here, and the lot is small. In fact, the store itself is pretty small. That's compounded by the fact it's a joint DD-Baskin Robins location, albeit an older one. There are a few tables, but this isn't the place to bring your book club or church group. Your date, maybe. If the tables aren't taken up by the older folks already.

So, assuming you can get parking and make your way inside (not always the easiest during a rush period, but not impossible either) what will you find? Some friendly staff, for starters. I've yet to meet anyone here I didn't like.

And the coffee...always tastes like Dunkin's. You know what I mean, if you come from the Northeast of the country especially. Some franchises just don't get it right. For whatever reason, the coffee is off sometimes at some locations. I haven't had that experience here at the 161 store. It's ALWAYS been good.

The donuts as well! And the bagels. Their baked goods get an A+ rating from me. I've been in at 11pm on a weeknight, I've been in 430pm on a weekday afternoon, I've been in 9am on Sunday. Always fresh tasting, always a full selection. I'm in awe.

The only downside (aside from a lack of drive thru) I could see is if you're from another part of the country and like the flatbread sandwiches and personal pizzas. They haven't hit the Columbus market yet, and the 161 store is no exception. So get yourself a bagel or muffin and be content, for those things kick ass and will be here soon.