Inspiring Breath of Fresh Air

Thousand Oaks, California.  Sunny skies, rolling green hills, Stepford Wives style houses, with streets lined with... well, thousands of Oak trees.  That's where the name came from, after all.  In this conservative Ventura County suburb, among one of the many seemingly endless strip malls, awaits a new kind of coffee shop.  Traditionally, Thousand Oaks has been geared toward the older generations, with most shops and restaurants closing around 9 in the evening.  No real nightlife.  Even the Denny's my friends and I used to spend our twilight hours at, closed down years ago.
With a refreshing and modern style, clean lines, lots of space and seating, Five07 Coffee Bar and Eatery gives the youth of Thousand Oaks a spot to collab.  As I chatted with the helpful barista behind the counter, he told me that Five07 (pronounced five oh seven), according to the owners, had a special meaning: "There are five steps to creating something of importance".  The creation of this company, the products they bring in, and the daily creative process that goes on within, all fall under the five steps, which are written right up on the information board so everyone can share in their sentiment.  The five steps are Inspiration, Build up, Resistance, Overcoming, Collaboration.  As they do this seven days a week, that's how the moniker came to be.  And it works!  I instantly was inspired as I glanced around at art on the walls by local artists, business cards next to framed works from a different artist, and the list of upcoming live music events going into the next month.  Open 7:30am to midnight everyday, offering an 'open mic', night every other Saturday of the month, fresh food with local ingredients, a large coffee and tea selection, a community feel, and cordial staff, this is the all day, late into the night, creative environment that Thousand Oaks needs.  They had a soft opening in January and a full grand opening in February.  I already see myself coming back, maybe as soon as this Saturday for live Jazz.
I was naturally drawn to two items on the bold colored board, the lavender mocha latte and the matcha latte.  But I was there on blog business so I ordered The Boy & The Bear for a nice pour over coffee from Los Angeles.  My friend that was with me ordered the lavender mocha latte and let me try it as well as split The Confucius panini and the lavender honey toast.  After a few minutes our coffees were ready and were followed by the food.  I added just a little half and half to my pour over and that was all it needed.  It was sweet all on its own and very light.  As for my friends latte, Wow!  It was rich but smooth and oh so delicious with fresh lavender buds for garnish.  Might have my Saturday order already planned out now.  The panini was vegetarian with a slightly spicy homemade aioli.  As I chatted my friends ear off, the sandwich got cold but it didn't affect the flavor.  The lavender toast had such a beautiful presentation for such a simple dish.  That's not butter, that's goat cheese.  We both loved everything we ordered.
Seeing as we had taken up our table for such a lengthy time catching up, I suggested we go get a glass of wine before calling it a night.  She chose Stonehaus in Westlake Village.  If the name sounds familiar to my regular readers, it's because I did a coffee blog there a while back.  This time was just a glass of Rosé and a white Pinot Noir from Oregon under the quickly setting sun.  The weather was cool and we seemed to have the whole place to ourselves.  The opposite of the last time I had been there.
-Find the previous Stonehaus blog linked below.
Nice Place, Wrong Day
With the close of the day, I'm very happy that I have found a new place to share with you.  I'm looking forward to returning to Five07, not just for the coffee, but I love to support local businesses and artists, and here I can do both.

Stonehaus current wine menu

Welcome to The Crossroads

Coffee was at home today.  Well, in the home I’m visiting during my stay in Washington.  Not far from ‘home’ is a substantial indoor/outdoor mall known as The Crossroads, in Bellevue.  Dotted across the vast outer parking area, you will find commercial staples like Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Cost Plus World Market.  Right next to the King County Public Library is the Japanese equivalent to a 99 Cent store; Daiso, which I could drop a full paycheck at.  My friends and I had lunch inside the central hub of the international public market. With multiple restaurants to choose from, cuisine from all over the world is just steps away.  Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, even an old fashion 50’s American diner. More stores intertwine amongst the eateries including Uncle’s Games, who lets you borrow board games and play on tables alongside a giant chess board just outside the shop.

In the back corner of the market is another of my favorite places to get in my extra steps and try to keep a lock on my wallet; Half Price Books.  Packed with floor to ceiling discounted new books in every topic you can think of. Not just that, toys, board games, writing journals, vinyl records, CDs, vintage collectible antique books, sheet music, use video games, and comics are part of the huge collection at this location.  Half Priced Books is a small chain and I’ve yet to find any in California. Unfortunately, I brought a small suitcase for this trip so I didn’t pick up any new reads or fancy journals.

Attached to the bookstore was a Starbucks.  If you’re a regular follower of this blog, you would know that I walked right passed that dump and headed home for a good cup of Joe.  We brewed up a pot of Roasted in Seattle: Rainy Day Roast. A local coffee that I get every time I find myself in Washington. It’s a calm, smooth roast without any extra unnecessary flavors or bitterness.  If I can get local coffees or beers wherever I travel to, I will. Independent and local is almost always better than the big box businesses.

Oh, I wanted so many of these beautiful journals.

A rounder of clearance classics.

They had the Foo Fighters album I wanted but I was strong.  You're welcome coffee fund.

Huge, colorful Manga selection.

What?! I paid way more than that for the collection I got my step dad!

Small Town Chai

Just east of Seattle, Washington, is the small suburb of Kirkland.  Kissing up against the calm waters of Lake Washington is the friendly downtown Kirkland community.  Blink and you will miss it.  Independent stores, pubs, and restaurants line the one way streets that lead you to the park on the waterfront.  Friday night brings happy hours.  The later than usual sunset keeps families playing together on the park paths.  Couples settle on benches under the large gazebo, pointing out the cute dogs to each other.
On a well landscaped corner in this little village sits Zoka Coffee.  A small chain here in Washington, they have their own blends and roasts available for sale.  At the front of the shop, a woman was taking a break from painting on a black canvas.  The tea selection includes some of my favorite teas.  As I couldn't decide between the tempting chai flavors or wanting to try one of their own blends, the cheery girl taking our orders suggested adding a shot of espresso to the chai; a dirty chai.  For myself, lavender chai with espresso.  My two friends had vanilla lattes, one hot and one over ice.  My chai had a very light lavender flavor among the creamy coffee without overwhelming me with spice.  A perfect dirty chai.  We sat and people watched with our drinks.  After, we checked out the Irish pub a few doors down.  I chose a local beer and we listened to a solo guitarist strum out acoustic covers of The Beatles and Pink Floyd songs.  A short, late afternoon trek that left me relaxed and content.

Cheers

When it comes to this blog, anything coffee or tea goes.  I had a regular old French roast cup at my mom's house today in return for bringing her a bright bouquet of massive sunflowers, soft pink daisies, and other springtime blossoms to show her love for this Mother's Day.  Spending time with my mom is all she ever asks for when this holiday comes around, so that's what I did.  It was a nice visit but I had previous plans so I jetted off.  Once I was home alone for the evening, I remembered something I had in the liquor cabinet.  Calling it a liquor cabinet sounds so 1970's.  In reality, it's a small Ikea bookcase with a door on one side.  The open shelving side holds pint and red wine glasses.  Behind the door is where we hide the booze from getting spoiled by light and keep the good crystal champagne flutes out of dangerous cat tail territory.  The cabinet contains bar staples along the lines of vodka, an almost empty bottle of rum ("Why is the rum always gone"), a house warming gifted tequila, and a bottle of Merlot that should have been drunk months back.  Front and center in the same space is a gift I received at my surprise birthday party last summer.  A frosted bottle of Patron XO Cafe.  It has a rich coffee taste with the sharp sting of tequila.  Perfect in a White Russian, but the way I like it best is in a shot glass with a little half and half or good ol' coffee creamer.  Smooth taste followed by that warm you all over sensation.  Honestly, I don't see this replacing that morning cup of Joe but it could go nicely with a mimosa at boozy brunch party.  Maybe I've found a theme for next Mother's Day.

More Than Waffles

(Yes, it has been a while.  But I'm hoping to return to regular blogging again soon.)

This beautiful spring morning found The Boss and I running errands with time for a quick breakfast at a place we both had been before.  More Than Waffles finds itself to be described as Ol' Granny Gourmet.  The decor and classic breakfast house fare scream shabby chic grandma.  Those terrible fabric drapes and sticky wooden chairs fill the dining room.  A "powder room" tin sign hangs in front of the bathrooms.  Sweet pink and white, fresh flowers upon every table.  The gourmet side comes from the one of a kind dishes made with real ingredients instead of sugar laden frozen or processed foods.  Huge Belgium waffles with toppings like peaches, peanut butter, and Nutella are the restaurants early morning best picks.  The afternoon would entice the light salad eater to the heavy pasta lover.  Be sure to try the homemade jam and salsa.
The Boss and I sat with our coffees and discussed the magic of her 41 years with her husband, historical fiction novels, and my need to pick up my blog again.  I picked this place for The Boss and I based solely on their house coffee.  Served with a vanilla almond flavor, More Than Waffles offers its diners something more than just plain diner coffee.  The nutty taste is apparent right away with a small follow up of spice.  Their lattes and cappuccinos are equally delicious.  With ample, friendly staff, a good majority of Los Angeles is already aware this place exists and would highly recommend it to anyone who asks.

A Jolly Fall Day

I know I’m not in the right season, I’m sorry, but the coffee is still delicious all the same.

October is synonymous with one major flavor, pumpkin.  I actually enjoy pumpkin in general.  I wouldn’t mind seeing more pumpkin flavored items throughout the year.  

October is also one of my favorite times of the year to go to The Happiest Place on Earth.  Crowds are down and the weather is cooling off.  In recent years, Disney has brought the festive gourd taste into some of their treats and have added pumpkin coffee.  

With Disney’s partnership with Starbucks and multiple locations on site, I don’t recall seeing pumpkin coffee on their menus.  Lucky for me, my favorite restaurant was offering 3 Halloween snacks and a pumpkin spice latte.  Available in two sizes and either hot or cold.

It was still kind of warm as the sun started to go down.  My friend and I opted for iced drinks.  The Jolly Holiday Cafe made the pumpkin spice latte and we sat on the veranda under a stain glass penguin window and people watched.  

Some pumpkin infused drinks can be overwhelming, thick, or gritty.  My drink was none of these.  A subtle taste of cool pumpkin and light coffee.  

Happy Anniversary!

Hooray coffee fans! It has been one year since I started this blog.  123 blog posts means hopefully some of you have been able to enjoy or avoid some of the coffees and teas I've shared with you along the way.  I love to blog but sometimes life gets in the way but I hope to be posting more soon.  I have so much to share still!
Today's coffee was made at home.  Smart and Final has their own brand of coffee called Ambiance with several traditional coffee flavors.  All their coffees are made with Arabica beans and so far, I've had the Kona and the hazelnut.  Because it is the store brand, it runs about $2 less per bag than any of the other coffee brands the store carries.  Between you and me, that's the reason I bought it in the first place.
It's good.  Nothing outstanding about it but with the right sweetened creamer and a magazine while in your pajamas, it's pretty dang relaxing.  As I said to the Little One when I first tried it, "It's good but it's not McDonald's good".
In my cup was the last of the Kona and the freshly opened start of a hazelnut bag.  Hazelnut creamer and I was all set.  There was pajamas but no magazine.  I had my coffee around my arm exercises and ice packs.  Treatment for the Tennis and Golfer's elbow I recently found out I had in both arms.  After I did these things, I took my second cup of coffee to the couch and defrosted with it.
Thank you all for following my coffee and enjoying it with me. Here's to another fun Year!