Sunday, March 13, 2005

Cup-a-Joe, Please

My oldest son just called and woke me up. I was sleeping and dreaming so nicely, but now I'm awake, and he's coming over so we can go to Onion Creek together. My eyes are still bleary, and I can hardly wait for my steaming cup of organic coffee. The rich dark color and strong, deep aroma wake me up just smelling it. Add a little cream and raw sugar, and you have my perfect alarm clock. I'll be doing the java jive.

I never used to like coffee. My mother drank it so strong I could never develop a taste for it growing up. She used an old metal pot on the stove, not even a percolator pot, you just threw the grounds into the pot, added water and boiled it until it was strong enough to walk over and pour itself into your cup. Then after a couple of times of reheating, you could cut it up and serve it with a spoon. So, I was in my 30s before I began drinking coffee at all, and then only sporadically.

Then when I was in New Zealand, my Canadian friend, Tamara, introduced me to Starbucks breakfast blend, made in a plunge pot (French Press). She taught me that you don't skimp on the amount of coffee you use. Because the more you use, the smoother and richer the coffee tastes because it doesn't leach out so much acid. Well, now I'm hooked. I prefer not to drink Starbucks because I like to frequent small, local cafes with friendly, less hectic atmospheres.

In addition to Onion Creek, I love to go to Empire Cafe on Westheimer and Elmen street in the lower Kirby antique district. The have shirts that say "Corporate Coffee Sucks," and they brew a fine cup-a-Joe. They also serve up great breakfast fare. Their baked version of hash browns is the best high-carb accompaniment to a meal that I know of. You can get omelets all day with whatever you want in them, and they always have a good fruit salad. Their lunches are great too. The other day I had pan seared, wild salmon with baby asparagus and fettucine alfredo, for $8.

Well, now I'm hungry, so I'll dash over to Onion Creek for my organic fix and an egg and cheese croissant. Have a nice day and may you always have a good cup-a-joe.

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