Brewin’ Around is no average joe coffee shop
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Brewin’ Around, which celebrates its first anniversary in November, could be the model for a modern coffee shop.
Situated in a brand-new retail and residential development at Clement Street and First Avenue in Radford, Brewin’ Around features big windows, clean tables, comfy couches and cool art on the walls.
When we visited, customers on computers filled the tables, and big chalkboards announced the selection of coffees and drinks, which include beer.
The owner, John Long, was behind the counter wearing a friendly smile.
The coffee beans at Brewin’ Around are from Honduras Coffee Company in Stuart, which advertises the product as coming directly from farmers and being sustainably grown, with no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.
Drinks at the coffee shop are offered in the straightforward sizes of small, medium and large.
A medium coffee is only $1.70, a latte is $3.60, and a sweet favorite, the caramel macchiato, is $4.30.
While enjoying lunch, we noticed customers being served coffee in French presses.
The shop uses French presses after the morning rush is over in order to prevent brewed coffee from growing stale.
However, customers can request their coffee brewed this way in the morning, as well.
For breakfast, drinks can be accompanied by a bagel or croissant sandwich ($3.50) made with a choice of bacon, sausage, ham, and egg and cheese. A selection of pastries is also available.
The coffee variations one would expect to find are on the menu, as are smoothies ($3.50/small).
The peach-pear-apricot smoothie is not too sweet, and all three fruit flavors come through. Just don’t drink too fast or you might get a brain freeze.
Unlike many coffee shops, Brewin’ Around also has a nice selection of bottled beers.
That seemed odd at first, but in retrospect, we thought it was a nice touch because not everyone wants coffee in the evening.
For lunch, we ordered a smoked turkey bistro panini and a horseradish Reuben panini (both $7).
The bread was crisp and tasty, and both sandwiches were a generous size. The smoked turkey was nothing special, just typical deli-sliced turkey with Muenster cheese, bacon and bistro sauce.
The Reuben — pastrami, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese — was tangy and more enjoyable than the turkey.
Paninis are served with the choice of a bag of chips or pasta salad.
We highly recommen d the penne pasta salad with feta cheese, chopped olives, tomato, onion and green peppers tossed in a light dressing.
It is a delight. We finished lunch with a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie ($3) that was the perfect ending.
On another visit, we tried the mother earth panini ($7) and the carb-free, gluten-free veggie personal pizza ($7).
The mother earth consists of a wonderful grilled vegetable relish with hummus and Muenster cheese on crispy multi-grain bread. The carb-free pizza, also available topped with pepperoni, was jaw-droppingly delicious.
It was so good that we had to question the ingredients and the procedure because we were curious. As it turns out, the crust is made with egg and cheese.
Forget the coffee and paninis — go to Brewin’ Around to try the carb-free personal pizza.
It is something extra-special in this modern coffee shop.
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THE ROANOKE TIMES
