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Since relocating to Brooklyn, it has been a passion to discover new businesses and startups that are created by founders of color, and I saw several posts in my Instagram feed about Brooklyn Tea, and positive feedback and decided to spend a Saturday afternoon there. From the warm amicable greeting from the owners to the vibrant and eclectic melanated patrons, the coffee shop was bustling with vibrant life and soul. I was whisked away to faraway lands as my olfactory senses were inundated with peculiar herbs and flower blends on the vast wall covered with tea samples — my taste buds and curiosity were engaged with a tea sampling and mini-lecture on the origin of the tea of the day. My creative juices were flowing as the Japanese Sumi Ink flowed from my Niko-G Nib on a single note card which inscribed “Biggie” over and over again. The random passer-bys that sparked meaningful conversation as we enjoyed the energy in that space. I left feeling energized by the possibilities this tea spot will have in our community. I’m excited to see the growth and expansion that is inevitable for a place like this.

Magic Beans Coffee Roasters – Menu with Prices – 501 W 6th St, Lexington

I have Magic Beans shipped to me regularly in Alexandria, VA. I used to get beans from a couple of places in my area that also sell fresh-roasted, single-origin beans – and which I thought were pretty great – until I tried Magic Beans. Now I don’t want to drink any other coffee ever. Magic Beans isn’t just better than cheap diner coffee and corporate mega-chain coffee. Its better than anything you’ve ever had anywhere. Its worth mail-ordering, and actually even with shipping its cheaper than some places I’ve bought from in person. I promise you, no matter how great you think your current favorite coffee place is, until you’ve had Magic Beans, you don’t even really know what coffee is supposed to taste like. And yes, I’m also talking to those of you who already buy fancy, single-origin, coffee from hipster places that only do pour-overs, etc. Dump out the coffee you’re drinking right now and go order some Magic Beans.

Carnelian Coffee – Menu with Prices – 6923 SE Foster Rd, Portland

This is the place in South East to get a great coffee. Luke and Katie are great to talk to and the coffee that they roast is amazing. The bean is also super reasonably priced (and better tasting) compared to many other local roasters offering such great single origin coffees. Now on a side note, If you love beautiful rocks, there are some great ones here and they would love to talk to you about them and discuss finding more. They also have opened up space in the building for more seating and getting work done. Do yourself a favor and stop in.

Luminary Distilling – Menu with Prices – 8270 Peach St #300, Erie

If you’re looking for a drink this is by far Erie’s best place to go. Luminary distills it’s own vodka and wheat whisky. It also makes its own apple and peach moonshines, and limoncello. You can go in for a sampling or try an assortment of specialty drinks. On my visit I tried a traditional Moscow Mule as well as an Italian Mule made with its limoncello. Both were outstanding! My guest we with a Cranberry Mule and a Mocchatini. They we’re out of this world. The drinks are all craft made. There are no ore-mixes here. Even the ginger beer is locally brewed. Though they don’t sell food, they let you bring it in. And Brooklyn Pizza delivers (which we tried) rather quickly. In all, a great experience and I look forward to going back again.

Black Swan Espresso – Specialty Coffee and Tea – Menu with Prices – 93 Halsey St, Newark

Black Swan Expresso is a welcome addition to the city of Newark! It’s located right on Hasley street, so you get a lovely window view of the city but conveniently located within only a 5 to 10 minute walk to Rutgers Campus. The shop is small. It’s literally a whole in the wall, but probably the prettiest whole in the wall I’ve seen! Seriously! Black Swan is cozy, charming, and modern all at once, with brick walls and local art hanging on the walls. The shop is small but there is a decent amount of seating. A few small tables along the wall, counter seating, and stools by the window… perfect to grade papers or read a book on a Saturday morning. Black Swan is known for their expresso (hence the title) and they live up to their name by delivering a strong savory brew. They also rotate choices of single origin pour over coffee. I had the Brazilian just recently and it was fantastic. Drip coffee and cold brew is also available as well as an assortment of tea. They have a number of baked goods… donuts, croissants, cookies!!! I typically avoid sugar but I splurged in a giant walnut chocolate chip cookie here and it was so worth the calories! Yummy in my tummy… and paired with a Guatemalan pour over hot coffee … perfection! Staff/baristas are professional, warm, and welcoming. They know their trade well and are happy to answer any questions you might have. My only complaint is the price for the pour over single origin coffee is a bit high for the small size. Regardless, I think this a great addition to Newark.

Pescaderia En Mesa | Pesaderia de Guaymas – Menu with Prices – 811 W University Dr #102, Mesa

This is a relatively new fish market. It is of Mexican origin. I have been watching this location for the last 1.5 months since I saw the sign when driving by on University Drive, wondering when they will open. Well, they are open now. My wife, of Vietnamese origin, and I decided to see what was up. We went in on 01/14/2017. It is a small fish market. The staff was friendly. It was a man and woman. They had some various fresh seafood and fish (octopus, snails/caracol, shrimp, and others). A lot of it looked fresh. It even impressed my wife, who knows fresh fish and seafood, coming from Vietnam. She almost wanted to purchase some of their jumbo shrimp, but decided not to. We have too much seafood at home to eat through, and now space in our fridge. We will be coming back, and this time to buy some of the shrimp if they are good. It will save us the trip to Rocky Point in Mexico. We wish this business well. We definitely want them to thrive and be successful. One of the attendants gave me their card, and told me that if we desired some kind of seafood that was not displayed, to contact them. They may have it in storage, or they can order it for us. I will consider it. Perhaps, they will eventually have more choices. Otherwise, it will be difficult competing with the Asian markets on Dobson Road, and also on Broadway Road, with their huge seafood departments. I wish them well. That shopping strip they are in never has seemed to quite recover since the Fry’s Supermarket there closed. That location needs more successes.

Hamada Ya Bakery – Menu with Prices – 665 Paularino Ave, Costa Mesa

Love this quaint and authentic Japanese bakery near the cash registers of Mitsuwa Marketplace! The prices are very reasonable and compare to prices I’ve seen in Japan. The older women who run the shop are always sweet and the bakery even accepts card! They have quality pastries ranging from sweet (but never too sweet) to savory, as well as bread for everyday use. The Green Tea Cornet is absolute perfection. It’s basically a cream-filled croissant with the perfect custard-to-bread ratio. The matcha custard has a bold and rich tea flavor but isn’t overly sweet, so you don’t feel guilty about eating one (or three like me…). You can tell that they use a high quality matcha powder because of its vibrant green color; any matcha that is dull or almost brownish in color is of lesser quality. The cornet itself is flaky and brittle on the outside and light and airy on the inside. The matcha powder on top adds a slightly bitter kick to balance out the sweet custard. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water… I’ve also tried their Cream Puffs, Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish, and Chocolate Croissant. I have yet to try their savory items but next time I’ll order the Curry Donut! They also have sliced Japanese white bread, which is thicker, softer, and more pillowy than overprocessed American white bread. It’s perfect with honey drizzled over it for breakfast and takes me back to my breakfasts in Tokyo. Also, I came here after 8 PM on a Friday night and they were still open until Mitsuwa’s closing time at 9 PM, despite what Yelp’s hours say!

Made coffee – Menu with Prices – 107 W Amerige Ave, Fullerton

This is one of my favorite study spots. The owner and workers are all very friendly, and I always receive top quality coffee, specialty drinks, and pastries! Single Origin Pour Over ———————– Usually I order Cappuccinos, but they do the pour over so well here! I forgot what beans I picked, but to be honest, I have not had a bad pour over from here. If you love quality black coffee, I recommend getting yourself one! Coffee Cake ———— The pastries seem to look and taste similar to the ones at Intentional Coffee, and I mean this in a good way! The owner told me that they receive the pastries from a bakery, and they sure are tasty! This Coffee Cake has just the right amount of sweetness to pair with the Pour Over. Deliciousness that is perfect for a pick-me-up! ————- This coffee shop hasn’t been around for very long, but I highly recommend coming here if you have not already! A note for those who plan to come here to study: {PROS} – Good Wi-Fi (I personally never had a problem with connection or speed.) {CONS} – Limited Outlets – Except for the big table in the middle, not very comfortable seating – Bathroom is in another building next door, but access key is provided. Although it may seem like a lot of Cons vs. Pros, I mainly come here for the products, the service, and the ambience, so I do not mind tolerating these Cons!

Pho Tre Bien Cafe – Menu with Prices – 12302 Montana Ave #502, El Paso

So i really wanted to give this place 4 stars at least but i both me and my husband agree that the banh mi and the small bowl of pho that comes with the pho and banh mi combo are just not as good. I am however super impressed by their options and based it off a cafe theme with their nice spread of desserts and coffee. I tried their japanese cheesecake to go a while ago and although tasty, it was a bit too dry and thrist inducing for my liking. They also have this nice brunch option of skillets and this is where they offered half a bahn mi and a mini pho bowl option. It can only have the special viet ham banh mi for this option which i can understand why. It wasnt my favorite choice of meats. I was at least able to get the brisket option for my mini pho bowl but there wasnt much meat neither compared to the 5$ mini bowl options at the other locations. My husband stuck to his beef banh mi as usual. He did not like how the bread was prepared here. It was too toasted to the point of stabbing himself on his lips from the bread. Perhaps they needa make sure they dont use bread thats too dried out already. Well they also offer military discounts on Monday at least so maybe if we would be in the area that day, we may go back.

The Meadows – Menu with Prices – 4636 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg

Went here at 930 pm on a Friday night. I was in the ice cream shop and my friends were at the top of the hill paying for mini golf. My friend texted and said card reader was down to pay in ice cream shop for golf. I went to the counter at 9:35 pm and said can I pay for mini golf and a drink. The girl said no we stop accepting payment for mini golf at 930 pm. I said my friends are paying at the top of the hill and told me to pay while I was here cause the car reader doesnâ??t work up there. She said no they wonâ??t be able to play itâ??s after 930. I said they did pay they told me and now I have to sit out because I was here using the bathroom. She said my manager doesnâ??t allow it after 930. I walked out and went to meet my friends and the young lady was on the phone with the ice cream shop. They told her we could play but will have to stop at 10 pm no matter how far we are. If you go to a restaurant they serve you even if you walk in 5 minutes before they close. This is so wrong that we couldnâ??t play. There was only 4 of us. Will never come here again.

Kafe Louverture – Menu with Prices – 392 Halsey St, Brooklyn

Absolutely one of my favorite places in Brooklyn. Everyone in this coffee shop is always friendly and the food is always fresh! The couple who owns the place are always in there and make sure their customers are taken care of! I’m not Haitian or West Indian but I’ve been told they are the best patties in Brooklyn! Whenever I’m sick I get ginger/lemon tea and the chicken bullion soup (which always sells out) and it’s so soothing! Go coffee they have several non dairy options (almond, oat and macadamia nut milk) which I love! Everything is amazing…but come early because they always sell out of patties and soup! If I ever moved from Bed Stuy this would be the place I miss the most.

Sushi Tatsu – Menu with Prices – 1185 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn

Sushi Tatsu and Japanese Thai cuisine are actually the same restaurant. When you sat down you are given two menus–one for Japanese food and one for Thai food. They offer pretty typical Americanized Japanese food. We ordered two bento boxes. They were decent in taste but big portions. Probably won’t go again for any special occasion but maybe if I don’t wanna cook for the night.

a La CupCakes! Menu with Prices 24 Sardis Rd Suite D, Asheville

Testing out cupcakes for my little guys upcoming First Birthday so we visited A La Cupcakes and another famous bakery around town. We chose mini cupcakes to get a sampling and Oh My Word they are amazing! I got the samoa, and my guys got mint fudge and lemon. I ate my little one in two bites – which made me so sad because I could have eaten 3 more. We chose here for the birthday because one of my guys has issues with dairy and their vegan options have so much variety. They didn’t have vegan options in the case. So two special order vegan cupcakes for him. This bakery wins, hands down (at least in our family circle) for better cupcakes than the other bakery in town. I was going to order a bunch of mini cupcakes, but seeing as how I was able to eat mine in two bites and wanted more, I’m going to order a dozen minis then finish with the larger cupcakes. Give the guests the option to “taste” or “immerse” in a cupcake. UPDATE: The birthday party was a hit and everyone loved the cupcakes! I was not a huge fan of cupcakes before, but now I am. It’s going to be hard to stay away from this little shop, especially the samoa cupcakes.