05 Nov, 2009
Exploring Barrhaven part 4: Caffeine and sanctuary
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Ottawa|Recipes and Food
This is my last post in the Barrhaven series. :)
Do you or do you not agree that when the kids are small it is especially important that we make the effort to hold on to every shred of sanity we have? One of the best ways of doing this is (a) getting out of the house and (b) socializing with other adults. If we can combine A and B, hey, even better. AND if coffee and a great meal is included, well, let’s just say I’m over the moon.
I recently learned about a great new place where this CAN ACTUALLY HAPPEN, even though I had to drive past many many fields of corn to get there. ;)
My latest piece for SavvyMom is about Two Monkeys Coffee & Tea House. I was especially excited to be writing this one for several reasons. (1) I really like to support local businesses. And they support local businesses too. (2) I really love the concept of a *nice* coffee shop that is family friendly – no dirty looks or accidentally running people down with the Chariot. (!) (3) The owners really care about the ambiance, the food, and customer satisfaction. They entered into this venture not as professional restaurant designers, they just saw a problem and approached it from a unique perspective … as parents!
The cooking and baking is truly prepared with care. And if coffee isn’t your thing you MUST try the loose tea. There is a really good selection and it’s served in a gizmo called a Brewt. (You can see what it looks like here.) The Brewt arrives at your table with hot water and loose tea already added. You get a timer, and when it goes off you just pop the Brewt on top of your mug and the tea comes out the bottom.
A final note: If the vegetable chowder happens to be on the menu, GRAB IT. It was SO GOOD. Just thinking about it is making me very hungry. Too bad they don’t deliver!
