Good morning, gorgeous…  Could a better wake-up be had than a black as tar cup of joe from the best brewer in town?

How about the nearly perfect Albuquerque morning, kicking back at the Grove Cafe, listening to The Shins play over the stereo, watching the movers and shakers of EDo get their deals of the day started…..  I'm in heaven.

Grove Cafe Coffee & Vox Posting

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So there it is…. the new Organic Oatmeal at Flying Star. 

Until about 2 months ago, oatmeal at the Flying Star was a modest affair, in a medium to large bowl, depending on the person working.  It was garnished with cinnamon and raisins and served with milk and brown sugar, and priced at $2.99.

Now, the Organic Oatmeal is garnished with cinnamon, served with a container of dried cranberries, walnuts, brown sugar (though the ratio of walnuts could be higher) and milk….. and it costs $4.59.

For me, this is not tragic.  For a college student, it could mean more trips to the Frontier.  (Although, now that I think of it, that breakfast burrito that was $2.69 in my college days is now pushing $4.50 after tax…)

Here is my one sentence review of the oatmeal – it tastes the same, but I like the addition of walnuts.  The portion size seems a little smaller but not egregiously so.

I will devote an entire post to what I call the "Flying Star Feud", but for now I'll just say the new oatmeal is perfectly fine and the cost is defensible.  Let the mudslinging begin, while I just sit at the counter and sip my coffee, refill after refill….

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Really, truly….  The last time you bought chicken or beef, do you trust it enough to know that it won't do strange things to your body?  Would you feed it to your young child?  Would you eat it raw?

PaulKeller

When it seems that every so often yet another meat producer decides that they'd rather not be sued and pulls their inferior or actually contaminated product off the shelves, consider the source of your protein if you have not already.

For several years now, I have been buying from Keller's Farm Stores and at this point I'm entrenched – I cannot go back to mass-grocery chain meats; Tyson is like shorthand for Trouble in my mind.

In Colorado Springs, the ranch where Keller's raises their livestock is located and once its butchered it winds up in their store and ultimately in my cart and on my plate.

Add to that a decent cheese selection, vitamins, and amazing array of gourmet foods from condiments to organic cream and it's a formula for a perfect shopping destination.

Just don't try to buy all of your produce – the selection is sparse but could get you through a pinch if you really needed something.

Just in time for the opening of the Robinson Park farmer's market season this Saturday, Carey Smoot of the Downtown Gourmet is celebrating her 1 year anniversary of supplying the area with "Whole Foods" quality cheeses at prices that won't empty your Whole Wallet.

The Downtown Gourmet announcement, from Carey: "Friday will be my one year anniversary!  I will be offering 10% off all cheese purchases that day! Also, Saturday is the first day of the Downtown Grower’s Market and I will have a Barbeque Demo in the parking lot.  Wait until you taste Black’s Thick & Sticky sauce!"

The first time I entered the store is like EVERY time I walk in – Carey is all smiles and just dying to have me taste whatever new cheese just arrived, from a marbled blue out of Wisconsin that kicks Maytag's ass for 2/3 the price, to everyone favorite sheep's milk Gouda.  Deelish.

Buy some package sweet & peppery bacon bites and a take home container of lentil salad while you're in there and dinner is a done deal.

At home and at work, I brew Moon's coffee beans.  Roasted to within an inch of that crucial dividing line between dark and oily and black and bitter, her beans quite simply rock my world.

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So, now there is a coffee shop in the "north of downtown" area that serves coffee only using these beans of excellence.  Naturally, I had to check it out.

My first pull of a double espresso made it into an unfortunate cup – one with a leak.  So, the Voltaire-reading barista redid my morning hit and served it up, black and frothy.  Unfortunately, her polish at the pull needs some… polish.  Tasty but not rich or deep like an espresso can be, I still appreciated the effort.

The pastries in the case come from Le Chantilly, a local favorite, and my twisted nut thing was flaky with only a little sugary frosting – definitely good.

The interior sported an oven, but getting the permits to cook on premises was going to take some time, so for now I just gazed and hoped for future bread offerings.

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Caffè Michelangelo
724 Mountain NW
7a-1:30p, Mon.-Fri.;
9a-12p, Sat.; Closed Sun.