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.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Home Brew
And I don't mean beer. Although, while we're (sorta) on the subject, I want to mention some of the best beer I've ever tried is my father's home brew.
Now that we've got that out of the way, the subject of this post is actually about what kind of coffee I make at home.
I'm a fan of darker roasts. Not the Starbucks style, "Burnt until all you taste is carbon" dark, but dark as is "We've roasted these bad boys until they've surrendered all their flavor." Light roasts are a lil too subtle for me, and as a rule they aren't my favorite.
Not too long ago, I was drinking the 100% Columbian variety from Folger's Coffee House Series. It was dark, it was flavorful. I liked it. Then, one day, my girlfriend was at the store buying coffee for me, and called to say, "Hey, they have this dark roast stuff called Black Silk that's cheaper. Want that?"
And lordy, what a great suggestion it was. It's not only a darker roast than the Columbian, but it's got a much more bold flavor. It really reaches out and smacks me in the face from the first sip to the last, and man what a delicious smell...
In short, I'd go out and try some of this stuff. It's really worth a taste, if you like dark roasts.
Now that we've got that out of the way, the subject of this post is actually about what kind of coffee I make at home.
I'm a fan of darker roasts. Not the Starbucks style, "Burnt until all you taste is carbon" dark, but dark as is "We've roasted these bad boys until they've surrendered all their flavor." Light roasts are a lil too subtle for me, and as a rule they aren't my favorite.
Not too long ago, I was drinking the 100% Columbian variety from Folger's Coffee House Series. It was dark, it was flavorful. I liked it. Then, one day, my girlfriend was at the store buying coffee for me, and called to say, "Hey, they have this dark roast stuff called Black Silk that's cheaper. Want that?"
And lordy, what a great suggestion it was. It's not only a darker roast than the Columbian, but it's got a much more bold flavor. It really reaches out and smacks me in the face from the first sip to the last, and man what a delicious smell...
In short, I'd go out and try some of this stuff. It's really worth a taste, if you like dark roasts.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
McDonalds McCafe
Not long ago, I was heading into an early shift at the pizza place I deliver for. It was inconvenient for me to stop anywhere but...McDonalds.
Now, when I first heard that McDonalds was coming out with espresso products, I scoffed. This McCafe nonsense was going to be just another half-assed attempt to draw in Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts customers.
I discovered, while sipping on a hot mocha, that while it was definitely an attempt to get a cut of the coffee house market...it was NOT half assed. The mocha was easily as good as anything I'd gotten at Starbucks. At least, since Starbucks went automatic.
While the two and a half buck price tag is a lil higher than what I usually go to Micky D's for (I mean, c'mon...$1 double cheesebuger, $1 fry, and a dollar Sundae makes a GREAT lunch) it's infinitely cheaper, and faster, than getting the same product from Starbucks.
And for the record, I've also tried their lattes (and if you like their flavored iced coffees, you'll like the flavored lattes) so I know it's not just mocha syrup covering bad coffee. It's not GREAT coffee...but it's very solid, especially for the price.
Now, when I first heard that McDonalds was coming out with espresso products, I scoffed. This McCafe nonsense was going to be just another half-assed attempt to draw in Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts customers.
I discovered, while sipping on a hot mocha, that while it was definitely an attempt to get a cut of the coffee house market...it was NOT half assed. The mocha was easily as good as anything I'd gotten at Starbucks. At least, since Starbucks went automatic.
While the two and a half buck price tag is a lil higher than what I usually go to Micky D's for (I mean, c'mon...$1 double cheesebuger, $1 fry, and a dollar Sundae makes a GREAT lunch) it's infinitely cheaper, and faster, than getting the same product from Starbucks.
And for the record, I've also tried their lattes (and if you like their flavored iced coffees, you'll like the flavored lattes) so I know it's not just mocha syrup covering bad coffee. It's not GREAT coffee...but it's very solid, especially for the price.
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