The only drawback of a photographic memory is that there are few details that people tend to forget. I am always very good with birthdays. That’s actually not always good. One of my former best friends celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago. I did not even send an email because we parted ways in very bitter terms and we currently do not speak to each other. For the record, I was not the one who distanced himself.
Ironically enough, I recently came across the song shown below, Como Hemos Cambiado by the Spaniard group Presuntos Implicados. This song (very beautiful indeed) talks about friendships and how people can change through time, and how people can forget about the importance of keeping their friends close. A lot of our common friends used to associate both myself and my former friend with this song.
Through time, I’ve always been the one to bend the old rule “fool me once, shame on you — fool me twice, shame on me“. Whenever I had disagreements with my friends, I almost always used to be the one always calling the other party. After almost two decades, I am now at the point where I am not always the one trying to mend the broken relationship. But truth be told, I’ll always have a place in my heart for this former friend of mine. So here is to former friendships… and to rekindled ones!
I was feeling a bit nostalgic tonight (for several reasons… dear friends in town whose life has been changing in the past few months, spending time with other friends with whom I had lost touch due to a past heartbreak, and trying to finish a lot of work and projects) so instead of spending my Friday night relaxing and taking it easy, I am home and working. But I also was looking at some tidbits of 70s and 80s TV shows. Here are a few of my favorites (note the fantastic music of each one of these TV shows intro’s).
I usually hesitate to post music reviews since I am not really a music junkie. I love different styles and have quite a broad variety of music. Nevertheless, I don’t think I’m an expert. But I do know what I like. I would say that the Scottish band Cocteau Twins was a much welcome addition to my collection. While I first heard one of their tunes when I was ‘oh so totally in love’, I ended up gelling so well with their music that it doesn’t bring any bad memories.
The tune I’m including here is perhaps best known as one of the songs in the soundtrack for the movie “Cruel Intentions” with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Selma Blair, Reese Whitherspoon and Ryan Philippe. The soundtrack credits only mention Elizabeth Fraser and Craig Armstrong but the sound is very much along the lines of CT.
A funny tidbit many of you may or may not know… Liz was famous for singing in some form of “gibberish”(but meant in a good way!)… and the Cocteau Twins capitalized on that unique characteristic of their lead singer. If you like this type of chill-out music, you may find Slowdive, Monster Movie, Weathertunes, and Enya quite appealing.
UPDATE.- I made a mistake. The title of the posting didn’t coincide with the actual video I uploaded (which is indeed “This Love”)… it’s been fixed.
Located on Granville Island, the Dockside Restaurant is one of the nicest places you can find for dinner (or drinks). Directly located beside the waterfront (hence the name), you can look over Science World, Yaletown and False Creek all without having to leave your seat. The Dockside Restaurant is part of the Granville Island Hotel.
The food is really good and the service is super attentive. I had stuffed the Chevre and Apricot free range chicken breast, which was unbelievably tasty. I saw a few other items with meat, fish but no full vegetarian option. My dinner did have cheese (a tiny bit) but I survived because the food was so good. The pricing is fairly upscale from the last time I remember ($24-$30 for main courses) and they completely got rid of their pastas but their menu is fairly good, so no reason to complain. Worth visiting if you have a special occasion.
I find it fascinating that a perfect example of the transformation of industrial land into urban/residential use is located so close to my house. The Mount Pleasant area used to be quite industrial. There are a few industrial buildings remaining (one of them used to be a candy factory and then became a brewery?!). At any rate, the building where The Whip is located I am guessing used to be another factory. It has that ‘industrial flavor’ to it. The building is fully red (for starters, that’s kind of odd — but I digress). And yes, the decor has lots of art (presumably local artists). This neighborhood tends to house lots of funky artists, I must say.
Given its location (6th and Main, but on the 200 block of 6th Avenue), I wasn’t really expecting a restaurant. Funny how it works, according to several reviews that I have read online, it is an art gallery too. I fully thought it was a bar (a sports bar, for that matter) the first time I walked by. But now I think that this is a hipster place. I had a long conversation with H about the concept of hipster… non-conformist but all-conforming in their own non-conformity. Complicated enough? Think of scruffy beards, shaggy hair, wicked t-shirts, baggy jeans, aloofness and “I don’t really care what you think of me but you should think I am super cool” kind of attitude. That’s what transpired around us when we went to The Whip.
I found other Vancouver bloggers’ reviews of the Whip and apparently this place used to be different. I didn’t know The Whip before so I have no counterfactual. I found the pecan pie was really good and their beer was definitely drinkable. The waitress wanted perhaps to give an image of aloofness, but I managed to make her crack a smile (she was beautiful by the way).
However, as H would say, the atmosphere is hipster, the menu is not. The menu actually looks and reads a bit too upscale (a lot of martinis for $7.50 apiece, a few dinner items). Actually I found the pecan pie portions very small compared to when I go to an actual dessert place but it was a nice touch. I had never had pie with beer, and it turned out ok.
From the reviews I have read, this is the favorite gathering place of a group of Vancouver bloggers. I am not sure I might be crashing their party any time soon considering that I am a total non-techie and non-geek, so my blogging is at its very early stages. But it’s nice to know that if I want to meet a group of Vancouver bloggers, I can always walk down to the Whip when they have their gatherings.
For those of us who are fascinated with geographical concentration, Fassil and The Red Sea Cafe offer an interesting phenomenon. The Ethiopian community seems to gravitate around these two restaurants, located basically within one block of each other. I had already eaten at The Red Sea Cafe (amazing food) and since H was interested in trying some Ethiopian we decided to go to Fassil. Located in the 700 block of East Broadway (near Fraser), it is a little spot that you could easily overlook if you don’t have the address with you.
The food was amazing and the atmosphere was really nice, clean, comforting. Contrary to the Red Sea Cafe (which has a more subdued atmosphere with darker lighting), Fassil offers much more light and it makes a big difference when you are able to appreciate (visually) the dishes you are being offered. We ordered two meat dishes (wot) and a vegetarian combo and that was more than enough food for two people. Their injera is fluffy and perhaps a tiny bit less sour than The Red Sea Cafe’s (whose owner dropped by Fassil the same night we were dining there!) but I like it that way. Their wots are not as spicy (but then again, we asked them to prepare them mild)
Since both places have their own specials and their own dishes, I would not want to rank one above the other, so I would recommend that you go for dinner to both of them (one each night, of course!) and decide for yourselves. The place is fully licensed and offers many vegetarian dishes. They take all credit cards, debit and cash… quite convenient!
For those of us who are deep house lovers, this event is a “must attend”. Miguel Migs is one of the best house DJs of our generation. He is well known for his numerous deep-house tunes. Among my favorites – Secrets.
I found the promotional video for his upcoming gig at The Commodore (downtown Vancouver). He will be joined by awesome singer Lisa Shaw and fellow DJ Marques Wyatt. The even will take place on Easter Weekend (note that the event takes place on Saturday April 7th, 2007 rather than Sunday – I thoroughly believed it was Sunday!) . The promotional video for this event shows last year’s party to the tune of Andy Caldwell’s “Don’t You Love Me” in the Ronan’s Disco Vocal mix (listen to a sample here). The video is shown below.
I found the website for the organizers, Blue Print Events. Tickets are $ 35 Canadian on Ticketmaster. I am tempted to go (VERY tempted, that is), even if only because I don’t think I’ll have another chance to see Miguel Migs, Lisa Shaw and Marques Wyatt in the same event. If you are in the area, I would encourage you to go (and full disclosure – I do not receive any money for promoting this event, I just found out through the great grapevine and thought I’d share it with my readers).
I had considered the possibility of starting a new line of reviews (work-places, those little cafes where we can sit down, relax, have a cup of tea or coffee and do work on our laptops). While there is a website that summarizes all the coffee shops in town with wireless access (Vancouver WiFi Mug), the purpose of my reviews was to provide an idea of where one could work.
So the first one is a coffee shop that I fell in love recently when out with S for a cup of tea. Located at 3728 Clark Drive (corner of Clark Drive and Kingsway), the Cedar Cottage Coffee House is a small coffee shop that serves some of the best tea and munchies I have had in a few years. Fully equipped with wireless, reading materials (please don’t take the books or magazines!) and big windows, this little cafe is the definition of organic and friendly.
The staff is really nice and they will spoil you to no end. At least, S and I had a really good time when we were there for coffee. I haven’t really worked there for a long period of time so I can’t really assess that element, but it looks like a good place to work on the weekends (since I come into the office most weekdays).
Ok, so I am a sushi lover. And I am a lover of all-you-can-eat sushi. Furthermore, I love the South Granville area (four of my very best friends happen to live all within a block of each other in this neighborhood). However, I am always wary of sushi places. I think everyone needs to have his/her own favorites, and I am now quite clear that there are some that will definitely not make my cut. Shabusen is one of them.
Don’t get me wrong — many people simply love Shabusen. For numerous Vancouverites, their definition of all-you-can-eat-sushi is heading to this place located at the corner of 14th Avenue and Granville Street. I will admit I’m one of the skeptics. For the quality of food I ate the last two times I went there (one of them with L and the other with B), I really would’ve gone elsewhere (Tanpopo, for example). It didn’t help that their prices are relatively higher than any other places I have been to.
That being said, I am willing to give Shabusen another try – perhaps in a few months. For now, I’m going to steer clear. And some of my closest friends (Copper Lioness for example) agree with me that Shabusen is overrated. I still need to find a good sushi place in Vancouver that I’ll be happy with (other than the 18 pieces and miso-soup cheap eateries on Cambie and Broadway!).
Vancouver has lots of really good places for all sorts of ethnic food. When I lived in the South Granville area, I was completely shocked that I had a restaurant that served Creole food very close by. My friend T was the one who introduced me to Ouisi Bistro, a cute restaurant located on Granville I think between 14th and 16th Avenues (can’t recall the exact location but you can use the link I provided to locate it with Google Maps).
Since I have a love for all things French (including the language), I thought it would be nice to spice up my life by having dinner at Ouisi. Their Creole cuisine is excellent (I would particularly recommend it for dinner — I wasn’t completely sold on their brunch menu). Creole (cajun) food is characterized by hot, spicy flavors. The jambalaya here is to die for (only rivaled by two other places as far as I am concerned – Cactus Club and The Fringe Cafe). I have also tried their sea-food chowder, amazing.
The prices for large plates aren’t definitely higher (in the $ 20-25 price) but the portions are generous. You also have the option of smaller plates, which are enough for dinner and cheaper ($12-15). Moreover, the atmosphere is excellent, and the waiters really know how to narrow down your menu options so that you actually enjoy whatever you want. Definitely worth a visit.
Cafe Barney is the epitome of reliability. D, I, A, H and I went for burgers and fries recently since we do know that we can find excellent fries and burgers at this place. Cafe Barney always deliver. I happen to know one of the staff members since a few years ago because I used to live in the neighborhood (now known as South Granville, though I think the technical term would be Fairview Slopes).
The strip between Broadway and 16th Avenue on Granville has usually been touted as one of the nicest shopping districts. However, you can also find reliable good food in this area. If you want to go for pricey (albeit excellent food), you can do Star Anise or West, or you can do cheap eats (Cafe Crepe, Cafe Barney) or somewhere in between (The Red Room).
Now, the fact that the burgers aren’t expensive doesn’t mean that Cafe Barney is some sort of cheap joint. On the contrary. The ambiance is great and the service is top-notch. Their burger and fries are to die for. Their pasta (penne with chorizo) is definitely not bad, although I would say that Cafe Barney has more of a reputation for their burgers.
I have had brunch here before and it is consistently reliable. Definitely one of the best places if you want to eat fries, scrambled eggs, chorizo, and of course… burgers! They seem to have a good variety of beer (I am clueless here as I don’t drink beer). Their wine selection seems good albeit perhaps a bit pricey (their martinis seem a bit expensive too). But the rest of the food is quite affordable.
I would strongly endorse Cafe Barney for a night out 🙂 Beware that the music can be a little loud and the atmosphere is relaxed. I read elsewhere some critiques to the servers, but I can’t agree. Any time I have been here the service has been really good. I am sorry to hear that other people have had bad experiences, but I’ve been to Cafe Barney enough times to actually say that it’s been consistently good.
Admittedly, whenever I go out for dinner I usually ask for dessert at the same place. I could have done this last time that I was downtown (Dining Out for Life), but instead H and I decided to walk around and ended up at a dessert place called “True Confections”. This place gets packed because it is truly designed as a dessert/coffee/tea gathering venue.
I had a trifle for the first time in my life, and wow was it ever tasty! The prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly, although honestly speaking, you can really overdose on sugar. I don’t like comparing among dessert places because really, their function is the same (provide you with a nice comfortable cozy spot where to share some time with friends over dessert). So, I’ll just praise “True Confections”. The location we went to was Denman and I think Barclay, but you can just the same go to Broadway and Alma and their desserts are just as good. Not overly expensive and definitely cozy.
Going along with recent reviews of brunch places along the Main Street neighbourhood, I have neglected to publish a review of the Happy Bats Cinema movie rental store. I am all for ‘organic’, local business. Therefore, while I recognize the value of Rogers Video or Blockbusters, I’ll probably want to rent a movie from my corner movie rental store.
Happy Bats Cinema is not only my corner movie rental store, it is a top-notch, unconventional place where the owners are real experts on the movies. They have foreign, cult, British, Japanese, horror movies, documentaries and if you really really need them, they also have the traditional flicks that we all need to see from time to time. They have the latest season of Alias too 😉
Located at 198 East 15th Avenue, Happy Bats Cinema is your choice for inexpensive, local, organic, specialized service if you want to rent a movie that really suits your interest. Very personalized service and rather friendly staff. Worth checking.
While this could be categorized as “cheap eats” (the food is really inexpensive), I think I’d like to call The Nice Cafe one of the two best brunch places I’ve been to recently (Rhizome and Crave being the other two). Surprisingly enough, all these three are located within 5-10 minutes walking distance, around Main Street.
H and I had talked about trying The Nice Cafe since a couple of weeks ago so we finally made it. The only down side – the wait in line can be substantial (20-30 minutes) if you arrive during peak time. But, there are several upsides.
First, the service is absolutely fantastic. Even though their place is packed and people keep ordering food, the staff will always have a smile in their faces and wish you “Good Day”.
Second, the food is really good (did I mention inexpensive too?) – I had ‘burger steak with eggs, hashbrown and toast’ (burger steak AKA ground meat patty), and it was enough to fill me until 7 pm.
Third, the location is almost unbeatable. Hidden on East 8th Avenue and almost Main Street, The Nice Cafe is technically “off the road”. However, you can still do a lot of shopping, art gallery viewing and walking around Main Street and you won’t be bored. And if you need a mall, there’s always Kingsgate Mall.
At the end of our meal, the lady who apparently owns the place came and talked to us and gave us pointers as to when to arrive next time (peak time 10am to 2 pm). Since my brain doesn’t start functioning until after 10.30am, I doubt I can get there any earlier.
I would strongly recommend The Nice Cafe for anyone who would like to come visit East Vancouver (Main Street) if they live in Kitsilano/Point Grey/Fairview Slopes. To those friends of mine who muster the strength and face a long commute to come join me for brunch around my neck of the woods, thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. You know who you are 🙂
While this song has nothing to do with my romantic life, I absolutely loved the music and the way in which Gwen Stefani sings. Funny how it works, there is a Wikipedia entry discussing the tune. I have rarely seen this on Wikipedia. At any rate, the video is below, hope you like it.
Lisa Stansfield is, in my humble opinion, a contemporary icon. She is the doyenne of disco-influenced soul and rhythm/blues music. In this piece, she does a cover of another singer, Chris Braide (really good too). Completely different again from other songs I have posted before… this is just to show the range of tunes I am into… I have to admit that I prefer this version but I also like Chris Braide a lot… Judge for yourself.
In a very recent conversation with H, we discussed our respective music interests. I think that while my taste is quite varied, my repertoire is not as vast as his. That being said, in complete contrast to other tunes I have looked for, Sola Sistim by Underworld is the type of experimental, new-age song that people could very well associate me with.
While “experimental music” doesn’t seem to be a phrase that many of my friends would have in mind when talking about my music, I can completely see myself writing at a downtown coffee shop at 11 pm (I am a creature of the night) while listening to this tune. I managed to find a video with the song as a background (still have yet to find the actual album!).
Update – I read some reviews and apparently this is downtempo, chill-out. Wow, I really need to amp up my terminology!
Right Said Fred was best known for “I’m Too Sexy”, a song often associated with catwalks and beautiful models. However, they also had a rather sweet tune that I have loved ever since I first listened to it. Since I’m stuck in the 90’s for a short while, here is the tune. Judge for yourself.
For those of you who are 80’s music lovers (and who love to dance to really contagious music), below you will find the video to the opening sequence to the movie “Cool as Ice” starring Vanilla Ice. Touted as the first white (Caucasian) rapper (and perhaps this was true, I’ve never actually checked pop culture history books), Vanilla Ice had a few tunes that stuck in a lot of people’s minds. This video features Naomi Campbell (pre-maid hitting behavior) singing with Vanilla Ice. Rhythmic and contagious, this tune makes me want to dance every time I listen to it. Hopefully it will have the same effect on you 🙂
Moreover, I found that Lonnie Gordon had done a song in the same soundtrack, so I tracked it down to … a YouTube segment of a Vanilla Ice movie (“Cool as Ice”). Whomever uploaded the video wasn’t very happy with the female lead! Lonnie Gordon has achieved much success, and is a wonderful singer. This type of music is sort of high-energy, rhythm and blues, mixed with a bit of house. Check it out.
For the past few years, I have made a point of going out for dinner on a special night: Dining Out for Life. This event takes place this year on Thursday, March 29th, 2007. Participating restaurants will donate 25% of your food bill to A Loving Spoonful and Friends for Life, two charities in the Lower Mainland that support local people living with HIV/AIDS. If you live in the Greater Vancouver Regional District area, I would strongly encourage you to participate in the event. Any contribution (small as it might be) counts.
This is what today looked like in pictures 🙂 To your right, the Rose Garden at UBC, overlooking the Burrard Inlet and the North Shore. You can now understand why people want to live in Vancouver despite the super expensive and over-priced rental units here!
Those of us who love Indian food and happen to be all the time on the go really appreciate having a place where you can go, consistently find good food, very filling and at a reasonable price. I have been a customer of Curry Point for perhaps a decade (not 100% sure on this one, but I am sure that I’ve eaten here at least since 2000).
The original Curry Point I knew is located in the basement of the University Village (often called the ‘Food Court’, although there are so many new restaurants in the village that I think they’ll need to actually name that area so that people can recognize it!). The owners must have been super successful because they recently opened another branch, located on Broadway between Cambie and Ash.
I have been to both locations. The downside of the UBC location is that it is ALWAYS packed. The line to order food sometimes blocks other establishments, which I find quite annoying. It’s almost impossible to find seating if you want to eat on site at lunch time. The downside of the Cambie location is that it is small and can make you feel a bit claustrophobic. The upside of both establishments is that the food is consistently good.
Their butter chicken, curry chicken, curry lamb and potatoes and onions are must-haves. Lunch can be around $ 7.00 if you order a combo with two meat items, pop and naan bread. The only things you need to keep in mind are: First, when you eat lunch at Curry Point, you have to forget about dinner. I have had lunch at 11.30am and still feel the need to continue processing food by midnight of the same day. Second, if you eat at Curry Point UBC, arrive early (or late) so that you can actually seat. The food is excellent! And they have plenty of vegetarian options.
Strategically located on Burrard near Broadway, the Papaya Hut is a true gem of good Thai food. The place is small. Very small, although I am sure it is certainly bigger than some establishments in the downtown Vancouver area. The food is amazing and the service is quick and corteous.
A combination # 1 will be hovering around $ 11.00 (plus tax and tip) and you get to enjoy satay, salad, good quality rice and one menu item. I ordered the yellow curry, and quickly discovered that Thai food can be extremely hot even for my palate! My complaint is not with the actual quality of the food, but with the spice in it. Salads are not supposed to be hot. This salad was. So was the dip for my chicken Satay and I don’t even want to mention the yellow curry.
I got to the point where it was clearly inedible. I had to take my food to go and come home and mix it with coconut milk. So, if you happen to order at the Papaya Hut (they have delivery within reasonable distances) or eat in, I would recommend to make sure that your food can be eaten (mine was too hot).
Still, lots of people have praised it and I enjoyed the food (while I could eat it). I have seen that they have lunch for $ 5.95. Now, that’s what I call good food at a reasonable price!
Note to my readers: Please be informed that the next few restaurant reviews will discuss fast-food, cheap-eats. Not fast food in the way of McD or BK, or KFC, but local haunts with small places that provide sustenance in order to go on with our daily activities. I’ve decided to name these posts “Eatery review”, and the label for this type of post will be “cheap eats”.
If you agree with the assumption that everyone in Vancouver is an immigrant (regardless of whether you left another Canadian province or arrived from a foreign country), you will have to agree that we all have to make long distance phone calls. At one point, I had to call Spain, the United States and Mexico.
In order to keep in touch with my family, I signed on to an e-mail account more than 11 years ago. I started using online messaging systems (aka Microsoft MSN, or Yahoo! Messenger) a few years later, still with the purpose of keeping in touch with my family and more recently, my friends. For a while there, I even wondered why my family would keep calling me over the phone (from the US, Mexico or Spain) if we could communicate over the Internet. Truth be told, after a few years, I have realized that I enjoy phone conversations much better.
Well, the fact that I live in a different country to that of many of my friends and family has made me a reliable customer of phone cards. Many (not sure if all of them) use Voice-Over-IP technology to connect long distance. I do have Skype and I am aware that there is Skype-Phone now, but for some reason (perhaps the fact that I am slightly technology-challenged) I still prefer to either have a phone plan or use phone cards.
This sort of random self-assessment is very much the result of a realization … I am getting old!!! My nieces had cell phones before I did. They have MSN accounts since they were 13 years old. I still don’t own an iPod and I’ll confess that, up until I actually sat down and played with a digital camera, I was totally puzzled as to how I was supposed to download the pictures from my camera (don’t worry, I now know that all I have to do is plug a USB cable to my laptop!).
It is surprising that I am so adept (and eager to adopt) new technologies in my own field of research, I am totally incompetent in others. I love Geographical Information Systems, GIS and I am quite happy to use systems modeling software such as Analytica, Stella or Extend. I feel confident using new qualitative or quantitative research software (Atlas.ti, or STATA) but I am still reluctant to adopt Skype.
I often wonder why I make these choices. From an economic standpoint, it probably doesn’t make any sense that I do not use Skype, given the frequency of my long distance phone calls. But I believe that adopting new behavioral patterns is also dependent on comfort levels and particular consumer preferences.
Do we get the same degree of satisfaction/pleasure from talking with our loved ones online (on MSN or the more recent three-dimensional alternate world Second Life) or over the phone? I would have to go with the phone.
Taking this reflection one step further, that’s perhaps one of the reasons why I thoroughly enjoy going out for brunch with my good friends (like I did with H just recently to Rhizome). I could have chatted with him over email or even on the phone. But we do enjoy going out (we are both brunch lovers and really appreciate good food — what do they call it? we are foodies). I doubt we’d have the same good experience if we did most of our “hanging out” online.
I keep a really busy social schedule because I enjoy my friends company, something I don’t think an online world would give me. L and I often go work at a cute coffee shop on Main Street. I could work at home or the office, but I enjoy her presence, in real life. My Sunday nights are usually movie nights with J. I could just as easily pop a movie in my laptop but I enjoy the post-movie discussion. There is a lot to be said for enjoying the physical presence of loved ones. And technology can’t really replace it, no matter what. Even over the phone, you can feel your loved ones closer to you than using webcam, I think.
Well, we finally made it! I wanted to go to Rhizome ever since I read a review on the Vancouver Courier (I think that was the case) about a cafe with a penchant to empower disenfranchised people and building community. Besides, I wanted to see if their chilaquiles were just as good as my Mom’s. So HZ and I went there this morning… we had to walk around and wait for about 30 minutes in the rain! This is Vancouver! Darn it… On that note, we walked to East 8th Avenue and discovered “The Nice Cafe”, where apparently they do have brunch (and boy do they have customers!)… I was looking for SoMa but they don’t seem to have moved yet to their new location. So I guess I’ll check “The Nice Cafe” sometime next week and see how their brunch fares. The prices (from what we could see) were fairly reasonable.
At any rate, the service was excellent, I think it was one of the co-owners who brought us our food. She was keen that I ordered chilaquiles the right way (I hate cheese, so I tend to cook them without cheese). So I accepted and ordered “chilaquiles, but easy on the cheese”. H did enjoy the real chilaquiles with lots of cheese (I think he is still bewildered that I hate cheese).
The food is excellent, the decor is absolutely cozy and you can’t really beat the food choices. They have vegetarian, vegan and for those of us who admit to being meat eaters, they have organic options. I can’t imagine my breakfast without sausage, for example. But Rhizome carries organic sausage so that’s awesome.
I didn’t have coffee but I had a variety of Cola drink that is neither of the two major competitors. I had to go and find the name, and it fits perfectly with Rhizome’s theme. My drink was Blue Sky Cola. After brunch we had a short conversation with the co-owner and congratulated her for actually living up to our expectations! I’d seriously recommend Rhizome not only because they have a social responsibility slant to their activities, but also because their food is great. And the prices are really reasonable.
I read somewhere that you can actually stay at Rhizome and do work on your laptop but I’d find that hard. They have an excellent selection of salsa music and my own instinct would be to start dancing. I am still tempted to check it out as a “work on my laptop” kinda place.
