December 31st, 2011
I woke up so early and rushed out to see if I could get a glimpse of a sunrise on the last day of the year. Too cloudy; oh well.
I decided then that a visit to the downtown Rehoboth Beach bakeries would be the thing to do. Come New Year’s Day full of 2012 resolutions that will go out the window the moment you see what the bakeries will have; sticky buns, danish, muffins, cupcakes, donuts, breads….wash it down with a cup of coffee; I like it bold, not regular.
The Bake Shoppe is located at 222 Rehoboth Avenue. Tel. 302-226-0176. It will open at 6:30 a.m. This bakery has been in Rehoboth Beach for so many years. They are known for their traditional Polish Babkas. The pictures do not lie; check them out and start drooling.
Babkas
The next bakery I visited was Pasqualini’s Bakery located at 375 Atlantic Ave. Tels. 302-227-2111, 302-227-1086. Website? www.pasqualinis.com.
They will be opening on New Year’s Day from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Please note that all baked goods will be 1/2 off. They will be closing until March.
Cake Break is one of the much loved bakeries in Downtown Rehoboth Beach. It is located at 7 South First St. Tel. 302-260-9264. Website? www.cakebreakrehoboth.com. You can find Cake Break on Facebook and Twitter. They will be opening New Year’s Day at 8 a.m.
Cake Break is a nut free facility. If you have a nut allergy then you will have no worries. They offer gluten free and vegan cupcakes, as well.
Thanks for the coffee Debbie!!
My last stop was The Point. This is a Coffee House and Bake Shoppe, located at “the point” where route 1 meets 1 A. It is 722 Rehoboth Ave. Extended. Tel. 302-260-9734. The Point will be opening on New Year’s Day at 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Coming in my eyes took off to the case with all the baked goods…..The Point bakes everything in-house and most of the coffees are also roasted in-house. Plenty of seating to relax.
They offer all the sweet stuff like sticky buns, cinnamon buns, made to order waffles, biscotti, croissants, artisan breads and birthday and holiday cakes, as well.
Espresso, capuccino, frappes, smoothies and more. Local King’s Ice Cream. Free-Wi-Fi and parking. Order to go or stay awhile.
My latte was delicious and thanks Tom for a very nice treat; a biscotti.
Just enjoying my latte when a gorgeous quiche came out of the kitchen. For lunch they offer salads, sandwiches and soup, as well.
To the gentleman from New Jersey that I talked his ear off….it was nice meeting you.
And to all of you?….Happy New Year….Much health and prosperity and time to enjoy it all!!!
March 25th, 2010
Once again, I will have to repeat that some say passion is your key to success and others say that if you love what you do then you will never work a day in your life.
It was late in the afternoon, and you know how pretty it was. I felt like I wanted a cup of coffee. Since I was near Lewes I ventured into Notting Hill, which is a coffee roastery. But it is more than a coffee shoppe, read on…
Nobody was in the shoppe when I came in and it was around 4:15 p.m. They were closing at 5 p.m.
In a few of my past posts I have mentioned the winning dispositions of some business owners. You know from the moment they look at you that they are friendly; a smile says it all. And, that is just what happened when I met Amy Felker who is the owner and roaster of Notting Hill. I only met her briefly but that is all it took.
She has been known to say “Most people don’t like what they do, but I love what I do”. That is her passion!
Notting Hill is located in the center of Lewes, Delaware, right on 124 Second Street. Tel. toll free 888-99-Latte or 302-645-0733. Website is www.nottinghillcoffee.com. E-mail address is amy@nottinghillcoffee.com.
Notting Hill started with a partnership but since 2003 she has been the sole owner and roaster.
She roasts herself every single bean. You know, coffee roasting is a chemical process by which flavor components are either created, balanced, or altered in a way that augments the flavor, acidity, aftertaste and body of the coffee.
A lot of Amy’s flavors and all of her blends are owned by her; they are unique and you will not find them anywhere else.
So, after Amy roasts her beans then they are bagged. All bags are stamped by her and her staff. Notting Hill distributes wholesale, as well. Amy can make thousands of different beverages at the shop and more than 135 different types of coffee are on the shelf. She really runs the day to day operation of the shoppe.
Depending on the year, she can sell 25,000-40,000 lbs. of coffee.
Coffee has been enjoyed for hundreds of years. Business and coffee go hand in hand. It is a favorite around the world and has been for a long time regardless of how or where it is served.
That tiny bean is responsible for the employment of thousands of people.
Notting Hill is a very warm and cozy coffee shop. But there are so many other delectables sold here. You should know that just like the coffees, all baked goods and soups and sandwiches are baked or cooked in the shoppe.
The shoppe opens at 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. During the summer season there will be extended hours.
Some customers come for specific baked goods like the Blueberry Puffing Muffin, which is like a blueberry muffin inside a pastry. Just check the picture yourself.
Another favorite is the Ooey Gooey which is a long twisted cinnamon pastry with cinnamon and sugar. I did not see one, but I can see it being similar to a Spanish churro, if you have ever had one, except this one is twisted.
You can find cookies, muffins, scones; everything that goes well with coffee. But, coffee is not the only beverage served here; there are smoothies and blended iced teas, as well.
There is a great assortment for the tea drinker. Loose teas to be bought to take home or just to be enjoyed sitting in one of the tables inside the shoppe, while you read one of the newspapers available for the customers.
On the Board you will find an Espresso Menu, as well as a Menu consisting of the daily offerings. Another small board will announce the Organic Java of the Day. And a third board will be a Cocoa Menu with all kinds of cocoa drinks, even sugar free ones.
The whole time I was there, Linda, who also works at Notting Hill was busy getting ready to close for the day, but customers started to come in and she graciously took care of them.
As I was sitting sipping my coffe I started to remember the Puerto Rican coffee that was always so well known, and all the coffee plantations around the island, now Paradores or Inns. Some of the coffees from Puerto Rico are Cafe Yaucono, Cafe Crema, Cafe Rico, Cafe Pilon, Yauco Selecto and Cafe Alto Grande. Puerto Rican coffee is rich and full-bodied.
A few things worth mentioning are: Some of the coffees available at Notting Hill are bird friendly, Smithsonian certified and Rainforest Alliance certified.
You should really visit the website above mentioned. You can place orders, check what they have besides coffee and most of all get a sense of what Amy is all about.
If you are visiting our Delaware Beaches check this shoppe out. Their new omelette in a muffin will be making its debut soon.
As Notting Hill gets into the month of April they are so excited since April 30th will be their 20th anniversary. Congratulations!!
That’s all for tonight…See you and talk to you later….
February 4th, 2010
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.
July 27th, 2009
I have been going to McCabe’s for many years. It is such a nice gourmet store. I wanted to get some pate, and they always have a good selection. Their pates are from a company called Three Little Pigs. I had to check them out closely because, my husband has celiac disease and has to follow a gluten free diet. I could not buy the truffles pate but I bought the Campagne and the Au Poivre and they were both delicious.
Their store is nice and cozy and you may eat indoors or outside, weather permitting. You find customers just coming for lunch or ordering take out. Or, just coming to have a cup of coffee and a croissant or other baked goods. I know that in the winter they have great soups too. They also have a freezer, so they have great goodies to take home for a later time. One of those treats is their Queso (Mexican Cheese Dip) and I happen to have that recipe because years ago when I was part of a group that put together a school cookbook, they graciously donated their recipe and I will be posting it on my next blog.
This market has great salads, carry a pretty good selection of gourmet foods, olive oils, pastas, etc.
Another reason to know this market is that you may order ready to go gourmet gift baskets or customize your own. You can find some great cookbooks and magazines all catering to foods. Their prices are comparable to a lot of the gourmet shops in all the beaches in the area. It is easy to get to since it is at the end of South Bethany, on Coastal Highway, the last strip mall, with plenty of parking too.
I hope you like it, and let me know what you think.
Until then, Gloria
2 Comments