cafe

Dining Outside the Home: Café Belle Madeleine at Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada 

Dining Outside the Home: Café Belle Madeleine at Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada! This French patisserie is the icing on the cake. Follow the cobblestone walk through the double French doors and you’ll find a casual bistro where the pastries are seductive, the savory sandwiches are divine, and the rich gelato is refreshing. The Parisian woven chairs welcome tired souls in a crisp checkered palette. Come in and stay awhile. The specialty brewed coffees are intense with flavor; a nice balance to the cream-filled desserts. Grab a prosciutto pickle baguette or chicken breast pesto brioche for the perfect picnic lunch the next day. 

Dining Outside the Home: Mon Ami Gabi at Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dining Outside the Home: Mon Ami Gabi at Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada! Just inside the gilded ornamental arches of the Eiffel Tower sits the entrance to a classic French bistro with international waiters bustling to and fro. Choose a quiet corner table for two inside the café or al fresco dining outdoors to “see and be seen”. Open-air bistro tables offer a perfect vantage point for taking in the flurried activity of Las Vegas Boulevard. The extensive menu boasts classic French favorites like Quiche Lorraine, Steak Frites, and Croque Madame in addition to the Plats du Jour. Sit back for a two-hour meal, sip on espressos that can clean an engine, and take life easy the French way. 

Dining Outside the Home: Paris Baguette at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada 

Dining Outside the Home: Paris Baguette at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada! Surrounded by elegant architecture on the edge of St. Mark’s Square where charming costumed characters entertain the crowds with music, song, and dance is Paris Baguette, a café and bakery. Sweetened pastries overflowing with light cream, decadent chocolate, and honeyed fruit as well as gourmet sandwiches abundant enough to share make the perfect picnic lunch along cobbled streets. Be serenaded in this deliciously delightful romantic setting. 

Dining Outside the Home: Kalaheo Café and Coffee Company in Kalaheo, Kauai 

Dining Outside the Home: Kalaheo Café and Coffee Company in Kalaheo, Kauai. “Aloha. Please pick up a menu, choose a table where you wish to dine, and then come up to the counter to place your order. You’re in coffee country now”, chirped an energetic waitress in corked platform heels. From the ship-lapped walls to the peak of the cathedral ceiling, this upcountry café featured oodles of local art. And the aromas kick-started my taste buds for a hearty breakfast. The House Specialty boasted the “Bagel Benny” in a single or double serving. My heartstrings were pulling me toward the bakery items where the griddle wafted the essence of vanilla buttermilk pancakes. Add fresh fruit and two slices of meat. Yes, please!

Dining Outside the Home: Deli and Bread Connection in Lihue, Kauai 

Dining Outside the Home: Deli and Bread Connection in Lihue, Kauai. Like a shark attack on the ocean, the Lobster Roll is a mouthful. Chunks of sweet lobster tail, sautéed mushrooms, red onions, and bubbly Swiss cheese are melted together inside the freshly baked specialty bread. The onsite bakery not only features chunky soups and mile-high sandwiches, it is a favorite for oriental sweet breads and poi rolls. Follow your nose and get there early. Seating is limited and the daily batch of bakery breads quickly disappear. 

Dining Outside the Home: Skinny Mike’s Hawaiian Ice Cream in Lihue, Kauai 

Dining Outside the Home: Skinny Mike’s Hawaiian Ice Cream in Lihue, Kauai. “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” This bright and airy internet café makes you feel at home on the beach. Pull up a chair and stay awhile. Vegan ice cream; they’ve got it. Tropical banana splits; no problem. Wake-up shakes; yes, indeed! Fruit sorbets, frothy floats, shave ice, and fudge sundaes, too. The ice cream is locally made in Hawaii using top-notch fresh ingredients, supporting the island small businesses. That’s a big deal! How does it taste, you ask? I’ll get back to you later after I finish my dish of old-fashioned root beer ice cream. Mahalo. 

Dining Outside the Home: Olympic Café in Kapaa, Kauai 

Dining Outside the Home: Olympic Café in Kapaa, Kauai. Six miles up the coast, along a paved bike trail, sits a casual open-air second story restaurant with a view of the ocean on one side, and the center of activity on the other. It has become a favorite vantage point for people-watching while tropical drinks are chilling, popular music is playing, and generous portions are filling. Cushioned bamboo seating over wooden plank flooring is as inviting for beach lovers as it is for the feathered friends who occasionally drop by to nibble on floor crumbs recently fallen. 

Dining Outside the Home: Calico Café in Coldwater, Ohio

Dining Outside the Home: Calico Café in Coldwater, Ohio! One of my favorite places is the Calico Café in Coldwater, Ohio. You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted the sublime burst of flavors in Mary’s golden crumble mixed berry Calamity Cobbler! Eat it warm with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or savor its natural sweetness with a steaming cup of gourmet coffee. Yes, please!