By John Tidyman
Know why we love coffee houses? Because they love us right back. Put another way, we go to coffeehouses because no one else will have us. No commercial establishment operates quite like an independent, locally-owned coffee house. Talking with strangers is encouraged. There is no pressure to buy anything. Coffee is especially well made. Here’s a few to take note of in Greater Cleveland.
Every coffee house has a story, but none is quite like Jimmy's Café, in Cuyahoga Falls. Heather Appleby manages the place and when she talks about Jimmy Banhoose, who first opened the café in 2002, her voice takes on the timbre of a freshly-saved Christian. "Jimmy is a little bit of everything. He's kind and charismatic. He loves painting and people and bringing people together. He gave lots of us a home and a family. He turned it over to his best friend, Carla Jarvis, because he never wanted to own a business."
Heather said she can spot a first-timer because the new customer will walk in, stop, and stare. The walls are covered with murals, pictures, antique window frames, stained glass, and paintings of all sorts. The smart newcomer will order a mug of Jimmy's Special, brewed from a secret recipe.
Jimmy's can seat 75 and on Friday and Saturday nights, get there early; local musicians play nothing but original stuff between 8 and 10. No problem parking, by the way. Vistors can either park behind the building or across the street.
Food, as well as coffee, is served, and on Saturday mornings, it's a one-item menu for breakfast, Carla's Choice. It may be crème brulee French toast or big, Belgian waffles with fresh fruit, or maybe her famous California omelette, with tomatoes and avocado. Lunch and dinner are New Orleans-inspired: gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalya. Sandwiches include brisket, pulled pork and for vegetarians, an incredible spinach and artichoke. Bread pudding is a great dessert. All made here. All of it is fresh and prepared by a staff of six. Despite being closed Sunday and Monday, the staff also caters for special occasions.
You can prep for a stop at Talkies by first shopping at the West Side Market (Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat.) and then stow your bags under the table as you decide on coffee and which bowl of soup or sort of sandwich. Or you can save money by stopping first, having soup and sandwich and coffee and then going across the street to shop. Save money how? If you're filled, you won't buy as much. Trust me. But Talkies, now gracing the Ohio City neighborhood for almost a decade, is lots more than a brief stop for sustenance. The name of the place says it well, if not completely. Talkies pays homage to older movies and the movie posters on the walls reflect the affection. Staff members here can tell you lots about Marilyn Monroe and details on the original (and still the greatest) Rat Pack. Even better, Talkies shows the films, and has a library for your cinematic pleasures. Free wi-fi, but who cares? The place is filled with some of the neighborhood great conversationalists, and isn't that one of the major reasons for a coffee shop? Open 7 in the morning until 8 at night every day but Sunday, when hours are 8 to 8.
Where else can you go for a cup of hot, fresh, 100 percent Black Angus coffee and enjoy a Turkish band with belly dancers? (Customers were banging their mugs on the tables that night.) Add a computer for customers, free wi-fi and an interactive State of the Union address by George W. "Mission Accomplished" Bush. Here's a little inside skinny: the house roast is one of Carl Jones' best and Jones calls it Victory Blend. Management at this place renamed it Enclave Blend, a full-flavored brew with little acid and no aftertaste. In other words, good for whatever ails you. The coffees rotate on a daily basis. Some days Kenyan, some days Nicaraguan, etc. The virtues here are legion, but our favorite is the name of the previous tenant, Grandpa's Antiques and Sausage Store. Walls are filled with art from local artists, there is as calendar of events, posters of all sort, a video projector and stage. Stage? Folkies play there, blue grass, reggae and acoustic, too. Did we mention the rules? Well, they're readable, but in essence they say, 'be nice and buy coffee.' Still curious about Black Angus coffee? It's more inside skinny. On those rare occasions when Jones can't deliver Enclave Blend, they attach a screwball name to another blend. Just like there ain't no Santa Claus, there ain't no Black Angus. (But there really was a Turkish band with belly dancers.)
Is this small, tidy little coffee café a throwback to another time? A place where young, developing minds can meet to discuss the events of the day or the dumbest thing their parents ever did? While the crowd is a young one in the evening, the mixture of goths, motorheads and strays bodes well for a future that will be more diverse. Plus, listening to a young guitarist, sitting outside, is somehow reassuring. And the informal hacky-sack competition on the sidewalk seems a good use of sidewalk space. Inside there is room only for a dozen and a half customers and during the morning and afternoon, all manner come in. Some to blaze away on laptops, some to meet and talk, others to enjoy a properly roasted and brewed coffee along with a newspaper. Smoking was recently made a criminal offense, so between sips, the pleasures of nicotine are enjoyed outside. Service isn't particularly fast, but so what? Nice selection of pastries, too. Opens at 7 and closes at 10 (West Siders don't go out on school nights), and until 11 a few nights.
How could you not like Common Grounds? No, there isn't art on the dark walls and no, the bathrooms leave something to be desired, and no, the coffee isn't always as hot as you might like or expect. On the other hand, the place is open 'round the clock. It never seems to be crowded, but the place has its regulars. It has a great location, almost at the intersection of Rocky River Drive and Lorain Avenue in the Kamms Corner neighborhood. Best of all, according to a criminal defense attorney who stops in, "nobody bothers you." The place doesn't have a telephone and when asked the address, the barista said he didn't know. So Common Grounds isn't for the Starbucks crowd, but "In the wee small hours of the morning, when the whole wide world is fast asleep --Frank Sinatra), its dim beacon leads to a safe harbor.
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