Follow My Coffee: Going Green... and Purple

Recently, I've resolved to be more environmentally conscience. I've always tried to make green choices. I turn off the water while brushing my teeth, keep a reusable sipper bottle in my locker at work for constant refills of water, and I'm sure I own enough reusable tote bags to hold all the produce at a Farmer's Market. My Disney Store has even made better promises to Mother Earth as they no longer offer plastic bags and our Cast Members do their part to make sure recyclable materials make it to the correct bin. More than ever, I'm now encouraged to help the planet. I recently stopped using single use straws at restaurants, and eliminating plastic cutlery when I order take-out.
As we used our go-to source for exploring new coffee shops, Google, the husband found a small chain cafe that boasted about it's unique glass options for their drinks. Lidded light bulbs and mini milk bottles. That intrigued me right away. The downfall? Both of the nearby locations were in malls and it was a holiday weekend. I loathe the mall on the weekends but now it's an even busier holiday weekend. Ok, fine, I said. A few years ago, the Westfield Shopping Center, that was previously just known as the Topanga Mall, extended their land and built The Village. The Village is a cozy, trendy, outdoor mall with high priced boutiques and ample places to grab a bite. An adorable vintage style Red Car trolley takes a 5 minute trip between the two malls. The only thing that prevented me from checking out The Village prior to today was the rumored high parking prices. With today's visit, we came to find that for the summer, they were offering 2 hour complimentary parking. That's plenty of time for coffee, a walk, and right in the budget.
After having to trek across the endless second floor parking lot, we finally entered the upper level of the mall. Taking the escalator down, I noticed a sign: This area is 100% green air. Meaning they were a smoke free outdoor mall. As we walked to our destination, oodles of families gathered around the splash zones and play areas, couples canoodled at the windowless bar patios, and friendly dog owners took advantage of the welcoming pet friendly atmosphere. Kids played at the koi pond while parents sat in Adirondack chairs chatting with other adults. There was an abundance of art and sculptures. My favorite piece was the large scale version of a trolley laid out like a build your own model train that hung above the escalators where we had entered. Mini book exchanges carved into tree stumps dotted up and down the center of the plaza, with take a book, leave a book signs bringing a sense of community to the multiple seating areas.
We arrived at the Square Bar Cafe just a few feet from where we made our entrance. It was a tiny, stand alone building featuring floor to ceiling windows. Just outside the shop was a dog care station with clean up bags, help yourself dog treats, and the most charming fire hydrant water dish. Inside, the boba wallpaper exclaimed to me that this wasn't a regular Coffee Bean kind of coffee shop but a boba and smoothie shop. The menu was short and every drink had to start at 1000 calories. A warm cup of morning coffee would not be found here. All the drinks looked refreshing and novel but it appeared the light bulb glasses that lured us here were out of stock. The husband ordered the taro smoothie in a milk bottle. Taro is a root vegetable similar to a sweet potato in flavor and very popular in Asian cuisine and in dessert recipes. It has purple flecks within a white flesh, and brown skin. Eaten raw, it is toxic, but cooked, it and its leaves add a starchy texture to its dishes. As I placed my order for a house coffee, I was asked a very odd question. "Would you like to add the Salted Cheese Cream topping?" I'm sorry, the what? The informative girl told me it was a special topping they put on their drinks that was exactly as described. She said most people who get it, love it and come back specifically for it. Count me in, I told her. The coffee was served cold and the cream placed on top, creating a harmonious color palate in the reusable tumbler I chose. I really liked the heart shaped drink stopper it came with and the lid is designed with a little plug to hold it while you drink. I didn't know that was a feature I needed in my mugs until now. The coffee was deep in flavor, barely giving a hint of the hazelnut in it, and the cream topping was lightly salty with a Mascarpone texture and almost too sweet for my liking. If making a recommendation, I'd ask for half of the given serving size of that topping. Overall, I'm glad I tried something new there but that type of coffee would only be a once a month treat with some extra time on the treadmill.
We continued to saunter around the grounds in the gorgeous, cloud free weather. The architecture was diverse with mixed genres and materials. A brick building here, a Japanese wooden arched bridge there. Wrought iron railings lining Juliet balconies, tons of greenery including a succulent vertical wall garden, all modern and clean. I can imagine some live music making the summer evenings, with drink in hand, very enjoyable.
The Village is on the right path to being green, with fake grass in high traffic areas and drought tolerant plants fillings the landscape. Recycling bins placed next to the trash cans would be a great next step and an incentive for me to return and justify the $3 parking fee in the off season.