Cafe Berlin

Well for those of you who don't know, along with trying new foods and New establishments I also enjoy music. My wife is a grand singer/songwriter and I play various types of drums and percussion. We enjoy traveling with a friend of ours; Matthew Clark(who is the hand model in the post about burritos). We especially enjoy playing in peoples homes. We call this event a house concert. We get to share meals and stories with people who care more about people and others lives than what is on the top 40s chart.

We recently set out on a 6 hour road trip to Columbia Missouri. We left on a friday around noon and returned by 6pm Saturday. It was quit a quick trip, but worth every moment. We enjoy listening to books on cd when we venture for long durations of time such as these. I find that listening to these books on cd gives me a break from music and oddly, I am more alert when driving. I think it is because I am such a music fan I check out sometimes and get into the music when no one is engaging me. On this particular trip we listened to Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods", of course read by the author. It's really the only way to listen to a book. we had a blast visiting our friends and playing for them and their friends. Though the trip was quick the time was well spent with our friends Eric Papp and Bethany Lindaman. These are great people with a love for music and food, but even more Love for Christ.

Every time I trek new terrain I put forth a valiant effort to dine somewhere where I have never tasted the culinary flavor. So being that Columbia was a college town I knew there had to be some great independent cafes or bistros. And since we were visiting college friends I knew they would not let me down. We asked our friends what a good place would be to savour the local flavor and they suggested Cafe Berlin.

http://www.myspace.com/cafeberlin

This place was great!! The patrons were quite an eclectic group of folk. There were school teachers, college students, business men, and hippies alike. Cafe Berlin has something for everyone. The names of the dishes are half the experience of dining there. They had names like "the starving artist" and "anonymous tacos". They even make a breakfast burrito out of a pancake.

Brilliant!!!

They also used a lot of organic, all natural and/or local products, which of course, my wife loved!! They also have a collection of various coffee mugs and plates that people have lost a love for, but Cafe Berlin redeems them for use for their patrons.

Some friends got pancakes with apples, sausage, and red onions on them. Now this combination is unlikely and probably under appreciated. It is however a fantastic surprise to those that dare to try it. The saltiness of the sausage counters the sweetness of the syrup and apples. The onion when sauteed breaks down and a sweetness comes out that goes well with the dish. It was great.

On this Saturday morning I tried the Carey Burrito. Not sure where the name refers to, but it was surely not a disappointment. It a flour tortilla shell wrapped around scrambled eggs, feta, roasted potatoes, apples and cilantro. It was served with a side of tzatziki. Tzatziki is a greek herbed yogurt sauce commonly found in a gyro. The Carey burrito was amazing! It was fresh and the clean taste of the cilantro complimented all the components of the dish. The sauce was a nice cool addition. I especially liked the tzatziki on a bite with mostly potatoes. My beverage of choice to wash the burrito down was an espresso drink dawning the name "Dirty Hippie" which is a chai latte with espresso. Hmmmmmm... unlikely again, but not disappointing.

If you ever find yourself in Columbia, Mo you should make it a point to dine at Cafe Berlin.

Great food. Great Service. Fantastic establishment.

Reconciliation with everything on it

I had lunch today with a fairly new friend. He's a great guy who has chosen to live in the inner city and fight for reconciliation in this city and in the lives of troubled teens. I simply wanted to get to know this guy a bit better and as a foodie I always think that there is no better way than to break bead with another. When attempting to decide our culinary destination I asked if he had any particular craving and He mentioned Roxie's Grocery, I obliged, and we set out. He had told me that it kind of a secret and to me that translates into a great hole-in-the-wall place that never disappoints.

Roxie's is definitely a place thats holds true to this assumption. When we walked into the establishment The lighting was very dimly lit and there wasn't much organization. Some of the coolers didn't work and the others didn't work that well. Items for sale behind the counter had been in the same spot for months or possibly years. It was a classic old tyme grocery. I loved it. We got the Roxie special which is a burger, seasoned fries, and a "pop". The crinkle cut fries were cooked a bit too much, but hey, that happens to the best of them. The drink was Strawberry Fanta or "red drank" to some. The burger however was fantastic. we ordered them with everything (which is lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, ketchup, mustard, and mayo). It was seasoned quite well with plenty of pepper in the mix. Some would find this to be a bit much, but for me it was right on spot. The bun was toasted with butter on the griddle which always adds the perfect amount of crunch to the sandwich. The burger was big and hearty. It was incredible to say the least and the price the same; right under 11.50 for both of us. you can't beat that anywhere in town.

The thing that kind of took me by surprise was the fellow patrons/loiterers at Roxie's. We were the only ones of caucasian ethnicity and I assumed that we may get a few looks from our fellow dinners. But everyone was extremely nice they greeted us and told where to find the waste basket and napkins. The thing that really blew me away happened when our napkins flew down the sidewalk. A guy who was sitting in a chair got up and retrieved us fresh napkins and said "though you want some clean ones". I was slightly blown away.

How many people would do that for anyone of any color in a Wendy's in east memphis?

I believe that it is small things like this along with things like moving back into urban neighborhoods that will bring reconciliation to racially divided city like Memphis.