Category Archives: coffee

A Two-Day Drive for a Piece of Pie in Richland, Washington

1 Reply
Storm Coffee is set up in a beautifully restored Airstream trailer in Richland, Washington

Storm Coffee is set up in a beautifully restored Airstream trailer in Richland, Washington

This is a story that begins in Jasper, Alberta and ends a month and thousands of kilometres away in Richland, Washington. Ostensibly, the quest is a failure, but as is often the case, the accidental result is equally rewarding, if not more so, than if everything went according to plan.

The Jasper beginning is in laundromat/café SnowDome, which pulls a wicked espresso from a custom Slayer machine with walnut paddles, built in Seattle. Intrigued, I check the Slayer website, which features one of its machines in a beautifully restored 1964 Airstream trailer in Richland, part of the Tri-Cities area of southeast Washington.

I’m planning a long road trip that will pass through the area, so I pencil in a must-see visit to Strom Coffee. I’m also impressed by owner Kelly Nelson’s attention to detail, witness the house-made coffee syrups, organic dairy products from grass-fed cows, availability of cashew milk and refusal to drown their meticulous shots in milk or sugar. But when I arrive expectantly on the trailer doorstep, a sign announces they’re closed for the day (a reminder to check Twitter feeds more often). Say it ain’t so!

So I wander over to a nearby food truck, *The Street Grill, whose owner, Rebecca says of Strom, “He’s never closed.” And yet, he is.

The Street Grill makes great artisan burgers in Richland, Washington

The Street Grill makes great artisan burgers in Richland, Washington

With nothing better to do, I order one of her artisan burgers—hand fashioned from a Windy River Meat blend of brisket, short rib and chuck, with a little butter added to the mix, southern style, to add some flavour to the lean cuts. Perfectly grilled, with crispy onions aboard and stacked inside an excellent, custom bun that holds its shape, it reminds me of the lightly adorned burgers we used to make at home, only better.

Everything's better with a little butter, including this fresh-ground burger at The Street Grill

Everything’s better with a little butter, including this fresh-ground burger at The Street Grill

Almost as an afterthought, Rebecca asks if I’d like to try a sample of one of her almost tart-sized, thin pies. This is a blueberry-raspberry version, with a reduction sauce from a local winery’s Syrah port.

I rarely eat pie, but this looks so good, I try a bite. And then another. And another. Oh, my God, is this good! I drag over a new-found food friend, who wolfs down an entire mini pie in perhaps a minute. We agree, it’s probably the best pie we’ve had in maybe, FOREVER.

Cast your eyes on this blueberry-raspberry, port-reduction pie and jump in your car.

Cast your eyes on this blueberry-raspberry, port-reduction pie and then jump in your car. It’s that life-altering good

Rebecca then interrupts the reverie with the news that this might be a pie that’s only available to the winery, Barnard Griffin, and its patrons. Someone’s got to stop her.

The Street Grill
300 Knight Street (John Dam Plaza), Richland, Washington
Monday to Saturday 11 am-5 pm. Closed Sunday

Strom Coffee
300 Knight Street (John Dam Plaza), Richland, Washington
Monday to Thursday 6:30 am-3:30 pm, Friday 6:30 am-2 pm. Closed Sunday

A Pearl of a Waterton Lakes National Park Place

Leave a reply

 

The cinnamon buns at Pearl's Cafe come with a twist: a caramel, bacon topping

The cinnamon buns at Pearl’s Cafe come with a twist: a caramel, bacon topping

I make a beeline for Pearls Café, in Waterton, for one reason. They use beans from my favourite roaster, Cupper’s Coffee & Tea, in nearby Lethbridge. Indeed, my double-shot Americano has that distinctive, smoky Cupper’s flavour that I so admire, though of course it could be a wee bit stronger.

A fine Americano, featuring beans from Lethbridge's Cuppers Coffee & Tea

A fine Americano, featuring beans from Lethbridge’s Cuppers Coffee & Tea

But the coffee is just what gets me in the door. As I’m sipping my java, I watch a tray of cinnamon buns emerge from the oven. It includes a species I’m unfamiliar with, one decked out in caramel and bacon.

The culinary temptations don’t end here. The French toast choices include caramelized apples stuffed inside Texas toast. It’s called Apple Pie, thus rolling breakfast and dessert onto one sinful plate. At lunch, there’s a panini combining, get this, short ribs and sloppy Joe’s.

I swear, all I wanted was coffee.

Pearls Café
305 Windflower Avenue, Waterton, Alberta
Daily 7 am-9 pm
Pearls on Urbanspoon

Clean Clothes and Great Java at SnowDome Coffee Bar in Jasper, Alberta

Leave a reply
Wash your clothes while you savour a fabulous java at SnowDome Coffee Bar in Jasper, Alberta

Wash your clothes while you savour a fabulous java at SnowDome Coffee Bar in Jasper, Alberta

It’s such an obvious concept, I’m surprised more enterprising businesspeople haven’t thought of it. I’m talking about a laundromat combined with a coffee shop. You’ve got a captive market of folks waiting an hour or more to clean their clothes. Might as well sell them a cuppa and maybe something to nibble on.

But Coin Clean Laundry in the mountain resort town of Jasper, Alberta has taken things a step further. The java in their SnowDome Coffee Bar is so good, you can happily go there with no intention of putting a load in—the quiet hum of all those stainless machines just an interesting backdrop while you’re sipping in a comfy chair.

You know owners Shelley and Sam are serious about their coffee when they’re using a high-end, custom-made Slayer Espresso machine, with its walnut paddles. (Slayers are made in Seattle by a company headed by Jason Prefontaine, whose family owns the Calgary-based Fratello coffee business; no surprise, Fratello beans are used here.) The robust Americanos were so good, I could never stop at one.

Comfy chairs with a barista operating the exacting Slayer Espresso machine in the background

Comfy chairs with a barista operating the exacting Slayer Espresso machine in the background

SnowDome also bakes some fine fruit muffins and cookies (try the Warden). They do charge for Wifi and to use the in-house computers but, hey, they are dealing with the tourist crowds. If you need to clean your body, too, after a weeklong backpack, there’s  coin-operated showers in back.

SnowDome Coffee Bar
607 Patricia Street, Jasper, Alberta
Daily 7:45 am-8 pm
SnowDome Coffee Bar on Urbanspoon

Across the street from SnowDome, Jasper Liquor Store & Wine Cellar seems a misnomer. I mean, sure, owner D.J. Bowen’s got a couple of thousand wine labels on hand. But what hooks me is the 700 kinds of beer in a spacious, refrigerated room. It’s one of the best beer selections I’ve seen in Alberta.

Just a small sampling of the 700 types of beer available at Jasper Liquor Store and Wine Cellar

Just a small sampling of the 700 types of beer available at Jasper Liquor Store and Wine Cellar

I’m enthralled with so many compelling ales, lagers, IPAs, lambics and stouts that I’m shivering when I emerge. The biggest find is a hopped mead from Water Valley, Alberta’s Fallentimber Meadery, the honey smoothing the hoppier tones and producing a drink that’s delightfully different.

Jasper Liquor Store and Wine Cellar
606 Patricia Street, Jasper, Alberta

A Jolt of Coffee and Good Cheer in Astoria, Oregon

3 Replies
An all-American view out the window of Three Cups Coffee House in Astoria, Oregon

An all-American view out the window of Three Cups Coffee House in Astoria, Oregon

I’m not sure what gives me more of a wakeup jolt at Three Cups Coffee House, in Astoria, Oregon—the double-shot Americano fired straight into my veins or the cheery 7 am welcome as I walk in the door. It’s a friendly, airy place to sip a java in a comfy couch, pull a worn book off the shelf, smell the coffee roasting in the centre of the shop or grab a window seat and look way up to the long, long bridge and causeway that spans the mouth of the Columbia River and connects Washington and Oregon.

Continue reading →

Dilly Dallying in Delightful Dillon, Montana

1 Reply
The lovely, broad valley near Dillon, Montana

The lovely, broad valley near Dillon, Montana

Dillon, Montana is one of my favourite western U.S. towns,  a perfect stop after a day of driving south on the I-15 from the Canadian border. There’s the setting: a broad, verdant valley dotted with Angus cows, flanked by low mountains and bisected by the meandering, trout-rich Beaverhead River. There’s the fine historic buildings and the oddly named University of Montana Western, to complement the ranching/hunting side of things. And for outdoorspeople, there’s the enduring lure of the Patagonia outlet store (Bonus: no sales tax in Montana). The only problem with Dillon is getting back on the road to resume the journey.

On our latest visit, for example, there’s no exiting the Patagonia store in under an hour, especially with an inveterate shopper/bargain hunter or two in tow. Then it’s off to the Fiesta Mexicana bus (510 North Montana Street, daily 9 am-10 pm) for an excellent lunch of made-to-order, bountiful burritos, enchiladas and chiles rellenos, eaten along an inside bench sheltered from the raw spring wind.

The magic Fiesta Mexicana bus in a Dillon parking lot

Inside the magic Fiesta Mexicana bus in a Dillon parking lot

It’s great to see this family-run Mexican joint embraced by the local community and travellers alike. But the regulars aren’t very helpful when asked what to order:  “Everything.”

There's a monster burrito verde lurking beneath all that greenery at Fiesta Mexicana

There’s a monster burrito verde lurking beneath all that greenery at Fiesta Mexicana

To avoid falling into a mid-afternoon coma, we set out for Sweetwater Coffee (“Proudly serving kindness with a side of coffee”) for a fine java jolt, chased with a great chocolate icing cookie, in a cozy, artsy setting. The diverse food menu includes a most interesting choice: a breakfast French toast sandwich.

Sweetwater Coffee, with its artsy period furniture, is a great place to hang out with a java and snack

Sweetwater Coffee, with its artsy period furniture, is a great place to hang out with a java and cookie

Then it’s around the corner to the state liquor store where, to my dismay, they don’t carry beer (What the hell? In Utah, if you want anything stronger than the “three-two” beer, like the excellent line of Epic Brewing ales, you have to go to a state liquor store). The day is saved by a trip to a Town Pump gas station (633 North Montana Street), where the limited selection of microbrews includes my favourite Montana beer—the Scottish-style Cold Smoke ale from Kettle House Brewing.

It's hard to come by the great Cold Smoke ale outside Kettle House Brewing's Missoula hometown. When I saw it in a Dillon gas station, I grabbed a dozen 16-ounce cans

It’s hard to come by the great Cold Smoke ale outside Kettle House Brewing’s Missoula hometown. When I see it in a Dillon gas station, I grab a dozen 16-ounce cans

Only the threat of snow on the drive north through Montana finally snaps us out of our Dillon reverie. But there’s always next time through.

Diner Delving in Pocatello Idaho, For Pete’s Sake

1 Reply
Jumbo's has been serving Pocatello regulars for decades

Jumbo’s has been serving Pocatello regulars for decades

It starts with a search for Pocatello Pete’s, a great character diner our companion had visited years ago on a trip through southern Idaho. Or maybe it’s just a shard of memory from somewhere else, as our streetside queries draw only blank stares from longstanding residents. But our fruitless hunt leads us to Jim Johnston, a realtor, city councilor, former chaplain, fingers-in-all-the-local-pies guy, who can rattle off answers to any Pocatello question (population: 54,260, elevation: 4,450 feet, trails: 250, major industry: education). More importantly, he can tell us where the locals eat.

Thus at 7 the following morning, we roll into Jumbo’s Cafe to find half a dozen sturdy regulars already claiming the counter stools overlooking the kitchen. We grab a table, read the signs (“Complaint Department That Way 200 Miles) and peruse a menu featuring omelettes this family café has been serving for 40 years and something I’ve never seen or tasted: deep-fried scones. Of course, I perform my annual duty and order house-made biscuits and sausage gravy, accompanied by two perfectly cooked over-easy eggs.

As the name suggests, the portions are jumbo: plate-sized pancakes, a “senior’s” portion of French toast, bacon and eggs that would satisfy a teenager and a table-denting, three-egg omelette with hash browns and good homemade toast. And the prices for this quantity and quality of food are downright ridiculous, starting at $5.49 for three hotcakes that will do you for the day.

The servings are substantial at Jumbo's Cafe

The servings are substantial at Jumbo’s Cafe, and I’m not even showing the accompanying toast

I say, let’s go on these wild-goose chases more often.

Jumbo’s Cafe (it also goes by Jeri’s Jumbo’s Café)
3122 Pole Line Road, Pocatello, Idaho
Weekdays 6 am-3 pm, weekends 6 am-2 pm
Jeri's Jumbo's Cafe on Urbanspoon

As I’ve said before, I don’t often order meals at a coffee shop. But it’s late in the afternoon, with the caffeine levels well topped up, when we enter Red Hot Roasters, primarily to catch up on email and Internet searching. So we switch gears and go for a lovely bowl of tomato bisque soup and a refreshing plate of potato salad with spring greens and a sesame dressing.

Red Hot Roasters offers fine salads to go with its fresh-roasted coffee

Red Hot Roasters offers fine salads to go with its fresh-roasted coffee

Red Hot Roasters
737 East Clark Street, Pocatello
Weekdays 7:30 am-7 pm, Saturday 8 am-7 pm. Closed Sunday
Red Hot Roasters on Urbanspoon