We came, we saw, we feasted!

Mocha Mutt has a very kind friend who recently provided an excellent referral for a Triad Coffee Shop. Although coffee is not in the shop's name, it is definitely on the menu, and is the perfect accompaniment to the fantastic baked goods available - donuts, donut holes, bear claws, fritters, croissants, and other pastries. Mocha Mutt and Coffee Cat hit the road to Thomasville, North Carolina, and it was well worth the trip! Granny's Donuts and Sandwiches is a whirlwind of activity on both sides of the counter. Trays of donuts move quickly from the cooling trays to the hands of customers who stand in line for the delicacies. The line is sometimes long, but it is a noisy, joyful line of happy, friendly folks who know they are in for a sweet treat and a quick visit with friends, neighbors, and strangers who have a common goal - - a box of baked delights.

Like many other coffee shops, Granny's has free wi-fi and a great variety of iced and hot coffees, teas, and fruit-based drinks. After we "wolfed" down our donuts, we enjoyed hot tea and lattes and watching lots of customers come and go.

Lessons learned for coffee shop fans: break out of your normal routine and travel outside your hometown for a special treat, and when you find a local coffee shop with great drinks and food, tell your friends and neighbors about it so they can enjoy it, too!

Dogs Rule!

No doubt about it, the staff and volunteers of Red Dog Farm & Triad Stage sure do know how to throw a party! The 3rd annual "Dogs on the Catwalk" was a great show in a sold-out theater. Guests enjoyed food & drink donated by many area restaurants, had a chance to bid on hundreds of silent auction items, and, of course, saw an incredible fashion show of adopted and adoptable dogs. Thirty-one dogs and their owners dressed in coordinated costumes and wowed the audience with their creativity, antics, and overall adorable-ness.

TV personality Cindy Farmer and her dog, Bailey, got the party started, and local hero Susie, the inspiration for Susie's Law, closed out the "adopted" dog portion of the show. In between, dogs and their owners paid tribute to Carolina, Duke, the Oklahoma Sooners, Elmer's Glue, Olivia Newton-John, and the city of New Orleans. There was a "Lady in Red," a "Devil in a Blue Dress," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," Wizard of Oz, and even a tribute to the Little Shop of Horrors.

MochaMutt and CoffeeCat are astounded by the time, creativity, and love the owners and families put into planning for this event. For at least half of the dogs, their entire families were part of the show, kids included.

For those of you who know the blog, you know there are two things MochaMutt and CoffeeCat agree on - - coffee shops & animal rescue. And, sure enough, there is a connection here! Local coffee shops and many other locally owned businesses donated merchandise and gift cards for the silent auction. Thank you!! Funds raised on these items pay for veterinary care, food, supplies, and any thing else needed by the pets in Red Dog Farm's adoption network.

But that's not all - - after the show, a trip to a local coffee shop was in order. Too late for caffeine, but definitely not too late for an iced drink and a cookie bar! Thanks, guys, for working late on a Saturday night so we can get a little refreshment and enjoy sharing memories of the fashion show in a friendly coffee shop!

Mocha Mutt wants to know:

In honor of Spring (and so far it's been wonderful!), Mocha Mutt would like to try some special seasonal offerings of food and drink at local coffee shops. If you've detected any, please post your finds here, and Mocha Mutt will report back soon!

As promised, it was a hoot!

Coffee Cat & Mocha Mutt attended a book signing by local humor author Danny R. Roberts, and everything he says, not to mention everything he writes, is absolutely hysterically funny, including his dead-pan delivery of "I'm not funny."

It's been a long time since we have seen such merriment, fun, and fellowship on a Saturday afternoon.

This is exactly the sort of event that was made for a locally owned coffee shop. Rev's Coffee House in High Point was the gracious host for the event. There was plenty of space for Danny's fans and for Rev's regulars, as well as customers who just found the place. There were plenty of good eats and coffee, along with teas, sodas, and the essential bottled water. Thanks, Rev's, for the hospitality and thanks, Danny, for keeping the laughs coming!

Don't Try This at Home . . .

try this at a locally owned coffee shop! Where do I begin? I've been enjoying so many Triad Coffee Shops lately, but I still haven't been to every one of them. Whew, blogging is hard work, folks!

I enjoyed lunch at Tazza Cafe Bistro. Tazza has great, healthy sandwiches, breakfast, and desserts. You know that "oh, I need a nap" feeling you get after lunch? If you eat lunch at a coffee shop, you can either relax on their comfy couches until you feel restored (ahem, I said relax, not take off your shoes and start snoring!) or you can have fresh brewed coffee with your lunch to perk you right up.

I enjoyed the drive throughs at Krankies Airstream and Brew Nerds. Drive-through coffee shops are like a magnet for my car. It steers off the road toward the drive through lane, much to my delight! Drive through baristas are even friendlier than your everyday barista, if that's possible. These folks are always happy to see customers. Both Brew Nerds locations get a prize for most creative menus & artwork. CoffeeCat loves that they make being a nerd so cool - almost cooler than being a CoffeeCat!

Robust-ah!

I finally, finally, finally visited two High Point shops that Mocha Mutt sniffed out for the blogspot! Rev's and Robust-ah. Ahhhhh. Rev's specializes in European coffees and has some that you won't find anywhere else on the East Coast. It's also hopping with social activities. If you are looking for entertainment, new friends from around the globe, and great coffee, this is the place! Robust-ah's very knowledgeable and friendly barista impressed CoffeeCat beyond words! The comfy, gorgeous furniture is oh-so-tempting, and the treats are baked on-site. Can you believe it?

While you're in  High Point, go across the street from Rev's and have some coffee and treats at Manna Bakery. It's 100% Columbian - both the baked treats and the coffee.

Let's see, where else? Oh, yes. I've enjoyed a few quiet mornings writing in Krankies Wherehouse. By night, Krankies is a bee hive of local indie music, poetry, and art. By day, it's like a study hall for grown ups. It's full of people meeting to share ideas, work out business plans, and read the newspaper over coffee. All the conversation makes for great background noise to keep CoffeeCat awake and focused! And CoffeeCat managed to resist having an espresso brownie for breakfast.



True works of art at the CAC coffee bar



Oh, and don't forget the Community Arts Cafe, folks! It was featured in last Sunday's Winston-Salem Journal but . . . . no mention of the awesome coffee shop within! So, it will be our little secret. Check out the almost-daily performances - jazz, open mics, gatherings for artists of all types.

Whew! These are just a FEW of the great, locally owned Triad Coffee Shops. I'll be writing about more of them soon. If you have a suggestion for CoffeeCat's next coffee shop visit, please tell me about it! I'm always looking for more reasons to visit more coffee shops.

Good news, Bad news

Good news first: it's going to be coffee shop patio weather this weekend. Get out there and try a new coffee shop! Or stop by your old favorite as you walk the bow wow around the neighborhood.

Bad news: We lose an hour of sleep tonight. Be prepared! Pick up some freshly roasted coffee beans at your coffee shop for your Sunday dose. You'll need a cup at home before you even get to the coffee shop.

Even better: Plan a Lazy Day on Sunday. Need help? Watch your cat all day and do whatever the cat is doing. It couldn't be easier!

CoffeeCat has totally enjoyed our locally owned coffee shops in the past few weeks! I'm tempted to keep it all to myself, so the whole world won't discover my best coffee shop secrets. But I can't keep it to myself. I'll share everything I know about Triad Coffee Shops! Come back soon!

Ahhhh . . . .

CoffeeCat has gotten a good dose of Triad Coffee Shops in the past week or so and couldn't be happier! Coffee shop fans are sooooo lucky to live within 30 minutes of dozens of great places to get your caffeine fix.

Some fans get their coffee shop dose Monday through Friday, rushing into their neighborhood coffee shop for a cup to go. Some fans make great use of coffee shops as a meeting place for business conversations, a quick lunch meeting, or a meet-me-after-work-for-coffee spot. Whatever the need, there is usually a coffee shop that fits the bill! Even when you're driving down the road between errands, appointments, and work, you might see a drive-through coffee shop. Poof! It's like magic.

Then, there are the weekend coffee shop fans who find their favorite bands, artists, poets, and more at the coffee shop. It's a great atmosphere to enjoy music and the company of a friend. Even though many coffee shops also sell beer and wine, you won't really see folks going there to get drunk, as they do at the not-so-cool-nightlife-establishments we won't discuss here. We've been there, done that, folks, and now we enjoy our coffee shop luxuries. If anyone does have a little too much of an adult beverage, well, there's plenty of black coffee for them to chase it with.

CoffeeCat enjoys everything our locally owned coffee shops have to offer. The coffee, the sandwiches and sweet treats, the conversations with friends & new acquaintances, the patios with pooches, the comfy couches . . . oh, I could go on and on . . . . but I'll save it for another post. Right now, I'm going in search of another coffee shop treat!