Sunday, March 12, 2006

Bittersweet Bistro


Ahhhhhhh Spokane. I won’t go on about the food wonders in Spokane, but you can find out about this day and the city from this blog entry. So this place was an unexpected find and an even more pleastant treat. If you refer to the previous entry you will see why I was up there in the first place. It was a Saturday morning so I got my standard mocha latte and decided on an Italian crepe. Well, words can only serve to temp a person, never adequately describe, when it comes to food. It was most certainly the best crepe I’ve had on this side of the ocean. It was a standard crepe with fresh prosciutto, capers, sundried tomatoes (almost like a tapanade), fresh herbs, and melted fontina cheese over the top. Mmmmmm, I could eat one……or two right now. In any case, upon some inquiry it turns out the head of the bakery had studied in frnace, hence the amazing crepes. Besides being a coffee joint, this dine-in place also houses a bakery, which makes its baked goods about as tasty and as fresh as you can get. Check out Jennifer’s review too by clicking here.

The mocha latte was great over all, good foam quality milk. I could have used a little more espresso taste in the drink, but it was tasty going down. 4.1 beans

Home Page Internet Café


I really needed an internet connection, and this place had free wi-fi so I checked it out. Now, I know this is a coffee review website, but I was in one of my rare tea modes (tea is a whole other world). So, the tea was very good and the attention to detail was hi. So, this usually being a good inidicator I would recommend this as a place to put on our list to try if you’re ever passing through Bozeman.

The Leaf & Bean

While in Bozeman I had the opportunity to try out a couple of the local places. While stopping at the local AAA I noticed this place from across the parking lot. I ventured in and was greeted my 2 smiling faces behind the counter. Since it was around lunch time, I ordered my usual mocha latte and some food. Now, it’s been a while since we were in Montana and I visited this place, so the memory is a little foggy on specifics, but I do remember having a good impression of this place. It was medium-sized with some comfy chairs, regular bistro style chairs and tables. There was local art on the walls and the place had a lot of natural wood that allowed it to fit in with the sophisticated rustic look that is most of Bozeman. One thing to note (that I’ve never before seen in a coffee establishment) is their chidren’s room. A room set aside with little books, toys, and such that children would dig. All of this and free wi-fi created a space for their varied clientel I noticed that day; the mom escaping the house with her baby for the afternoon, the college student studying for that looming paper, and the business types hovered in conversation over a working lunch. All in all a great place, visit it and drink some coffee while you’re there.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

City Brew


A nice little coffee shop in Billings that is located next to its sister store, City Vineyard, which happens to be a wine store. So, after riding around town looking for a music store, I happened upon this place and wandered in; it wasn’t too busy for a weekday afternoon. I ordered my usual mocha and a chocolate croissant. Now there are two locations for city brew in billings, this one was modestly decorated with a counter and bar stools looking out the window, a few comfy chairs, and the normal bistro style tables and chairs. The people behind the counter seemed friendly when they spoke and seemed to at least half care about the drink they were creating. One big plus is that they have free internet, which for a traveling person is a godsend. A side a note, after finishing my coffee I wandered next door to see their wine selection, and it was my lucky day, their had just a begun their monthly wine tasting, twas good times and interesting people.

The drink was adequate, no whipped cream was added. The chocolate was average in the espresso it was paired with, but overall a decent drink.
3.5 beans