Mocha in a Fancy Glass at Cafe V-Dal

It's not every day where you walk into a cafe, order a mocha and it comes out in a fancy-shmancy glass. For some reason, this is like the equivalence of getting an upgrade without asking it. Even when I go into a bar and order a whiskey shot and it's placed before me a heavy, crystal shot glass, I can't help but grin like a maniac and think,

"Now this is gonna go down good."

Who knew that the holder of said mocha or whiskey could make either taste that much better? The shot glass was cold, adding an extra bite to the whiskey. The glass for my mocha was comfortably warm while I stirred it with the spoon and I could see the milk and the coffee swirl together in a pale kaleidoscope of tasty goodness. 

Now don't get the wrong idea here. Cafe V-Dal does not sell booze but their mochas, you simply have to try, Paired up with one of their oven-warm croissants and it's exactly what you need for a mid-day snack. Be sure to sit by the window too, in the afternoon because the sun simply pours in and you'll sit there, like a content cat. 

You may even start purring...

New Year, New Coffee Shop

There is always something to be said about trying new things. And as we near the end of the first month of the new year (I know, I know, I'm late), it's safe to say that trying new coffee shops is something we must all aspire to. You honestly never know what to expect. Oh, sure, you know you can expect coffee...maybe some muffins...maybe a few super-cute cupcakes decorated as a Minion or Cookie Monster.  And of course, the patrons on the laptops, tick-tacking away on their keyboards, ears plugged in, coffee cup at the elbow, immersed in their world while the real one goes on around them. But what can you notice when you don't, um, notice? Especially when you're in a new coffee shop. There's so much to look at! The drink menus, the trays of home-made biscotti, the cookies and that wonderful sound of grinding coffee beans and that's not even including the decor! Local artwork, little coffee-related knick-knacks like the JAVA blocks in the picture above - it's all in the atmosphere and it's important to absorb it as you sit near the window, sipping at the delicious nectar of the gods, the thing that we mortals refer to as: coffee.

So branch out from your local Starbucks and Dunkin and Wawa. Stop by a quaint little place in Limerick called Java Brewin'. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.