February 4th, 2010
Barista Cafe…”Fresh Beans…Healthy Greens”…Delaware Beaches…Lewes…
And you wonder, “Is there life before coffee? Are you kidding? There is no life before coffee, but, certainly there is life after coffee!!!”
There is nothing better than a good cup of coffee in the morning; and on a cold wintry afternoon, it warms your soul. That is what I am doing right now. Writing my post with a cup of coffee at my side. Believe me, I am no Barista, but I do prefer a full bodied cup of coffee.
There are coffee shops everywhere. It is a new culture. I used to just drive through and get my watery cup of coffee, here and there. But, it seems like in the past few years I have to park at a coffee shop and I better have my terms in check like “latte”, “macchiato”, “breve latte” “con panna” or “without panna”. You really want to know what you are doing because if you are a coffee drinker and you ask for a “chai latte” you are probably going to get tea.
What is a Barista? You see this word when you are ordering coffee at a coffee shop; the name of the person mixing the coffee, as well. If you are visiting a coffee shop in Italy you will probably encounter a uniformed bartender called a Barista. In Italy, a Barista is a trained mixologist, familiar with both alcohol and coffee based drinks. A mixologist specializes in creating new drink combinations and is knowledgeable about the composition of alcoholic drinks. It is usually treated as a respected specialist, just like a wine stewart or a somelier. A somelier is a wine expert; specialized in the restaurant side of the wine industry. A Barista is expected to have a working knowldege of all the different blends of gourmet coffees offered.
The premier professional coffee school in the world today is the American Barista & Coffee School (ABC’s). It started in 2004 and no other school has been able to match it, with 700 students from 47 states and 40 countries who have already graduated. This past August, ABC’s expanded to the international arena with an affiliate school in Beijing, China.
International and national competitions put the Barista to the ultimate test.
So, now I can tell you where I went yesterday.
A friend told me that she had heard that the new Barista Cafe in Lewes was pretty good. I have been meaning to stop by and in the late afternoon, I did.
Barista Cafe is located at the Mariners Plaza, 17644 Coastal Highway, Lewes, DE 19958. Tel. 302-703-2340. Website is www.LewesBaristaCafe.com. You can also find them on Facebook.
I met the owner, Laurie Bucka. She is not new to the food business and she opened Barista Cafe 6 months ago.
Barista Cafe is bigger than you think. I also thought I was going to encounter just a coffee shop, but what I found was a very welcoming coffee shop/restaurant offering, coffee, mochas, lattes, cappucinos, breakfast paninis and sandwiches, omelets, salads, wraps, paninis, specialty sandwiches, soups and some baked goods.
Laurie told me that at this time of the year they are open from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. As the season wakes up then they will have extended hours.
Something to have in mind is that Barista Cafe has free delivery and you can also place your order on line at the above mentioned website and pick it up or have it delivered.
Laurie also told me that almost everything is made in-house. One of her favorite salads is the Cranberry Walnut, which is a fresh spring mix topped with grilled chicken, craisins, glazed walnuts and goat cheese served with balsamic vinaigrette. There is also a Southwest Chicken Panini, which has grilled chicken, monterey jack, pico de gallo, fresh avocado and chipotle mayo. A breakfast panini that caught my eye was the Sussex County Scramble, which has eggs, white American, local scrapple and grape jelly.
I think this could be one of those places that locals and natives alike can come to use as a “meeting place”. It has comfortable seating and bar tables. There is also easy parking, which right now is not a big deal but at the height of the season is a welcoming sight.
I will probably see you there…soon. Talk to you later…
Note: Information regarding Barista and ABC’s was taken from www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-barista.htm, and http://coffeschool.org.
Tags: breakfast and lunch, coffee house, Delaware Beaches, Lewes, Restaurants, review, Reviews
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