Karl Wells
There’s nothing quite like a good cup of coffee. I love that
wonderful deep, rich aroma from a freshly poured cup, the initial sip and
ensuing kick to the palette. Only one thing is better and that’s the tingling of
the senses you get when you walk into a really good coffee shop. It’s the scent
of freshly ground coffee behind the counter and in bags for sale on the
shelves. It’s the warm atmosphere, akin to a kitchen with a pot of homemade
soup on the back burner, the comfortable chairs, the calm, reassuring demeanor
of the people working the espresso machine or steaming milk. There aren’t many
places like that in our province but I can tell you about two…
Giovanni’s Café
71 Elizabeth Drive
Gander, NL
Most folk are surprised to find a coffee bar of Giovanni’s calibre in Gander. It is not the local “coffee and doughnut” type of place found in many smaller towns. Giovanni’s location is typical enough. The coffee bar is tucked in amongst a strip of nondescript stores in Gander’s old town square. Outside it’s not much to look at, plain fronted and austere. You wouldn’t really notice it except for a small sign overhead. In the summertime they place a couple of patio tables with umbrellas on the sidewalk, where you can people-watch while enjoying your latte.
Once inside you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a coffee shop in downtown St. John’s or even Toronto. Dark blue colors dominate the décor of Giovanni’s, from blue tabletops to blue coffee mugs. The walls are neutral in tone. Seating is available at six freestanding cafe tables (with chairs accented by stained wood bottoms) as well as at a counter fitted across Giovanni’s large pane glass window. The counter accommodates about four high stools.
When I visited, the service counter was at the back of the room where two employees were busily making coffees and sandwiches for the lunchtime crowd. A blackboard hung high on the back wall indicated that they not only provided grilled Panini sandwiches, wraps, and salads (mandarin, strawberry and spinach) for lunch but also items like eggs Benedict and bagels for breakfast. More goodies like biscotti, snap cookies and cheesecake could be found on - or under - the counter. Shelving to the side of the counter displayed bags of Giovanni’s own coffees and teas. I purchased a bag of their Kenyan coffee but they offered Columbian, Tanzanian and fairly traded Sumatran and Mexican coffees as well. A selection of herbal teas included one called Blueberry Seed. Giovanni’s also sold bottles of their own salad dressing, called Dave’s Sauce. It was going for about $8.00 a bottle and contained several ingredients, including sun dried tomato and Dijon mustard.
I ordered a cappuccino and a grilled chicken with peppers Panino sandwich. While waiting I took a seat at the window bar and read that day’s newspaper. Giovanni’s had a selection of newspapers and magazines available in a wall rack, something I and other customers appreciated.
My cappuccino was delicious. It came in a tall clear glass mug with lots of foamy milk on top. It was aromatic, rich, and smooth with just the right amount of bitterness. From my first sip I realized that these people knew what they were doing. It was a delight to be enjoying an expertly made cappuccino so far away from the “big” city; and I savoured every drop.
I also enjoyed my Panino sandwich that came with a choice of carrot sticks, pickles or potato chips. I chose the carrot sticks. The sandwich was warm, thick and subtly seasoned, although I did think the sweet peppers should have been grilled a little longer. The chicken breast was just right, tender and juicy.
My lunch at Giovanni’s Café cost about $14.00 and was worth every penny.
Coffee & Company
204 Water Street
Ph. 576-3606
Brad Burness has managed Coffee & Company on Water Street for several years and is part of the reason it has gained a solid reputation for good quality products and service. Brad has forgotten more about coffee - the varieties, how it’s made, its history, etcetera - than I will ever know. Most days you’ll find him, apron on, making coffee, greeting customers or using his elbow grease to meticulously clean the Coffee & Company Panini grill press that seems to be in use non-stop during every lunch hour.
Recently I stopped by for a cappuccino and a sandwich. As usual, it was quite busy as several customers lined up for hot chocolate, coffee, and chai. Other folk were seated at the smart looking pale wood table and chair sets that filled most of the coffee bar’s available space. An exception was the two oversized armchairs I found just to the left of the entrance as I walked in. On the day I visited a couple of youngish men were ensconced in the chairs while another sat close by engaged in a cell phone conversation. I noticed this only because I was looking forward to sitting in one of the armchairs. Another reason I noticed them was because eventually a woman, whose piercing laughter cut across the room, joined them. I recognized her wonderful laugh immediately. It was Mary Walsh’s. Mary, as with many things, has good taste in coffee bars.
Besides freshly brewed coffee and tea and a variety of sandwiches and desserts, Coffee and Company also sells Godiva chocolates. Many were on display in a beautiful glass case at the end of the service counter. The chocolates had labels such as marzipan truffle and praline cascade.
On the backside of a banquette in the middle of the room, shelves contained many appliances for sale. I saw Bodum French presses, tisane pots, mugs and fairly traded coffees from Mexico.
More shelving contained coffees from Tanzania, Kenya and Columbia. One was called Tanzanian pea berry. Behind the counter, many glass bottles contained various types of loose tea.
The Panini grill press did a stellar job on my ham and Swiss cheese Panino. It was soft, warm, and crunchy. The honey sweetness of the ham was balanced perfectly by the cheese and soupcon of Dijon mustard. It really hit the spot along with my large cappuccino that came in the biggest cup and saucer I’ve seen. It was a Friendly Giant size mustard coloured cup but apart from the coffee cooling a tad too quickly - because of the enormous surface area of the cup - it was a superb cup of coffee.
My Coffee & Company repast cost a very reasonable $10.86.
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odour to the nostrils.” The kind of “odour” he talked about can only come from recently grinded, freshly brewed coffee. Thank goodness there are at least a handful of businesses around, where, for a reasonable price, we can happily experience that “sweet offering.”