Editorial
Front Page - Friday, November 26, 2010
River City Roundabout
“Baby, it’s cold outside”
Erica Tuggle
Joe Friday’s Alaskan Café is a great place to have a warm drink on a cold day. The Alaskan themed location has breakfast and lunch food selections along with fresh-made pastries and desserts. To stay warm on the weekend, visit the Hunter Museum of American Art for their changing special exhibits or the permanent museum collection on First Free Sundays.
- Erica Tuggle
While I am looking forward to the holiday season, the cold temperatures that accompany it are not my favorite. One good thing about cold weather, I can think of right off-hand, is getting to enjoy the delicious hot drinks that this season brings like hot chocolate and peppermint mochas. This week, I found the perfect place to get a tasty hot drink, and an atmosphere that makes cold weather much more bearable.
Joe Friday’s Alaskan Coffee House is all about the wintertime. Their mascot is even a snow-covered bear. Once you take a step inside this Houston Street café, there is a cozy atmosphere that greets you immediately as if you were visiting a real Alaskan eatery. There are tables made out of polished wood and a fireplace burning away on both the first and the second floors. As you ascend the winding staircase to the second level, there is all manner of Alaskan mementos on the walls such as pictures of wolves, snow boots, snowshoes and more. Upstairs in this wooden lodge there are couches to recline on while you dine, and there’s a balcony for when the weather turns back warm. I was absolutely floored by the detail the owners have put into this place to make it feel so comforting and a one-of-a-kind experience.
Besides that, their food is delicious. They serve the breakfast essentials like eggs, bacon and a smoked salmon bagels all day, and at lunch they have a variety of toasted sandwiches, all made to be juicy and filling. I tried the chicken salad spinach wrap. The chicken chunks and grapes were larger than most chicken salads, and the spring mix wrapped into the cucumbers and cheese was soaked in a mouth watering balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Unfortunately, the day I visited was so cold that they ran out of soups early, but there are some stellar selections to be had in soup choice. Monday, there is the mushroom Brie bisque; Tuesday, the Yukon potato with cheddar and bacon; Wednesday, the Brunswick stew; Thursday, tomato artichoke bisque and Baja chicken enchilada; and Friday, you can sample the seafood bisque. They also offer specials on food each day of the week, from half priced lattes and baked goods to discounted breakfast.
Whatever you do, don’t forget about the drinks they offer. You could get “The Klondike” which is Ghirardelli white chocolate steamed with milk and a double shot of espresso. Or you could go with a hot Chai tea, a Middle Eastern spiced tea and steamed milk. My Chai came out in a cup about the length of both my hands put together, and this giant drink was so tasty, I didn’t leave a drop. Joe’s also serves Stone Cup coffee fresh brewed or for take home.
I am so pleased to have found this little wonder, and will be returning for some of that delicious sounding soup! The only problem for caffeine addicts is that Joe’s is only open till 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If you are looking for week-
end warmth, head over to the
nearby Hunter Museum of Amer-ican Art. Every first Sunday of the month, this museum offers free admission to all their exhibits from noon to 5 p.m. Sponsored by Volkswagen, this free day of enjoying fine art is a great family activity and offers something new for parents to share with their children, friends to reconnect with, or as a solitary activity amidst the quiet galleries.
The special exhibition during the first part of November was the Spectrum Gala and Auction. This yearly event offered a look at a mixed variety of art that was available for biding until Nov. 13.
My particular favorites in this collection was a quilted painting on alligator attacks that had happened in the last century, a painting that included a film reel within it and a beautiful green glass piece chiseled into a winged structure.
In addition to the permanent collection of the Hunter, there was an exhibit on the lives of Tennesseans through photographs and relics called “Tradition – Tennessee Lives and Legacies.” The neat thing about this exhibit was the raw look at the real lives of the older generation of this state.
The pictures featured the Tennesseans and their dying traditions like flint made marbles, beautiful painted animals whittled from peach pits and the effort to preserve heritage that is all but invisible in a growing world of technology. The faces of the individuals in the photographs are just as interesting as their stories, and this is an exhibit you will want to linger on.
The Hunter also offers crafting activities for children during First Free Sundays and for the December edition of First Free Sundays holiday crafts and activities will be part of the events.
Email Erica Tuggle at reporter@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
|
|