World Cup 2010 hits the International District this summer. You know. Soccer. You might have heard of it, about 6.5 billion people kinda, sorta care about it and commonly refer to it as football. Spokane has also taken note, and plans are afoot to get something going in the International District (a name that strikes me as a misnomer) for the tournament. Check the aforementioned link to join the Facebook group and follow up on it.
My thought? I hope actual fans of the game will show up, not people who are trying to be hipper than thou because they a) follow soccer as a counterculture fashion statement and b) hang in the International District. You know, kind of like how Seattle has embraced it:
I mean, of COURSE Seattle would be into soccer. It's almost too perfect. It's the hybrid car with the Obama bumper sticker of pro sports, a distillation of exactly what people from Des Moines to Des Moines think is so noxious about Seattleites with their fleece jackets and their recumbent bikes and their lattes and their solar-powered condos and their adopted minority babies and their gay-marriage advocacy and... Despite having no political affiliation or even reverberation, soccer fits comfortably into any generic anti-liberal screed you'd care to level.
Also, go Spain!
Golden Hills sees bronze. Specifically for Ben's Brown, which took a bronze in the World Beer Cup's "American Dark Lager" category. That still is my least favorite Golden Hills, but whatever...
Exactly why we were at a Starbucks is better left unsaid, but there we were, and, as seen in advertisements anywhere there's a Starbucks -- everywhere -- so was the "admit it, you want one" poster for their Dark Cherry Mocha.
I, for one, didn't really want one. Yet I was intrigued, basically because the tag line seems a bit vague. Are we supposed to admitting we want one even though we know it's not going to taste particularly good? Or is it a Spanish Inquisition type deal, where we hear something enough times that we think we want one? My money is on the latter.
In that respect I suppose I did fall for the marketing, seeing I went with the Dark Cherry Mocha over a tea, though I will maintain it was a sacrifice for bringing you, the reader, the truth behind Starbucks new Frankencoffee. In fact, I feel that I took a big enough step just admitting I went to Starbucks.
And let's be honest here. This coffee is not good. Not even remotely. As Top That (we come up with awesome names!) put it, it tastes like tartar sauce. That's sort of an insult to tartar sauce, I suppose, but it's not a bad comparison.
Alternate ways of looking at it is that kinda just feels like a mix of chemicals. In fact, that's likely all it is. I doubt there's anything truly natural in here.
You know the spiel: Go with DOMA or Thomas Hammer or whatever else that actually tastes good. Starbucks is just kind of sad. The only positive thing I have to say about Dark Cherry Mocha is that it gives you a light buzz.
I'm pretty sure we have mentioned Little Garden Cafe before, but I can't for the life of me figure out where. Maybe it was on Twitter, who knows?
Regardless!
Little Garden Cafe is located in Audubon, which is quite a nice area if you can close your eyes while driving through the less than awesome looking parts of Northwest Blvd. I mean, seriously, close your eyes; it's not like you'll be hitting any pedestrians as there aren't any. When you start hearing screams, you know you'll be close to Audubon Park, and you can safely open your eyes.
As for the cafe, it's a little oasis in the neighborhood, and I'd pick it over nearby Downriver Grill any day of the week. (Though not any time, as it closes at 4pm.) It has a nice casual laidback vibe, with vibrant colored interiors and comfortable outdoor furniture inside. Sadly there are, at the time of writing, only two tables outside.
I haven't actually tried their coffee yet, but their lemonade cheesecake smoothie is a not-so-guilty pleasure that's definitely worth sampling. Better still are their bagel sandwiches, topped with omelet, cheese, tomatoes, bacon and more. The sauce served on the sandwich holds a high standard.
Make sure to also try out their baked goods. Their blueberry muffins are pretty damn excellent.
In fact, Little Garden Cafe is excellent and should be checked out, like, right now.
