Now that I have discovered it, whenever I think about doing some work (so...every day) I think about coming here. It has the best vibe of all the coffee joints I've been to in this town. The prices are fair, and the selection is superb. There are always places to improve, but let's start with the good stuff, shall we?
First, the decor of this place provides the perfect coffee shop vibe. A long rectangular space with a floor-to-ceiling, brick, two-sided, fireplace to make two eating sections, with an eclectic mix of used lounge furniture huddled around the warm gas flames of the very convincing, fully-enclosed, faux log fire. The floors are a black-stained cement in which someone took the great care to apply the right acids with the right techniques to get that cool marbling effect.
The walls are mostly brick (where there are walls) but the main focal wall is a lovely "amber" yellow color, burnt yellow, dark golden yellow. I'm terrible at describing this because all I care about is that it is YELLOW! People are typically afraid of yellow and some scientific research has given it some stigma. They say people fight more often in yellow rooms than in any other color room. Here's just one of many places I found that. I tend to disagree. Who doesn't love the color of the sun - the star that gives us life? And colors, by the way. I apologize. I can really get carried away with all things yellow.
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| This is the wall of Tea I will reference later..but here's the yellow wall! Oh, and the brick walls, the computer desks, and I think you can even see the floor-to-ceiling windows! |
As an aside: when did we define that coffee shops must be dark holes for mysteriously creative people to brood in? Starbucks has helped the U.S. to veer from that trend, but still I find far too often that coffee shops are dark, musty, little holes in the wall instead of a bright and light place for work-from-home professionals to get something done. So I'm not a struggling painter. So I'm not J.R.R. Tolkien or J.K. Rowling. I still deserve a cool workspace.
The third feature of a perfect work space is WORK SPACE. This shop boasts the most accessible desk and seating options I've found in a cafe in all my many years of sitting in cafes - trust me people, I was in college for a decade. Really. No joke.
The ceiling is the typical industrial, exposed HVAC look which is just bleh at this point. Let's get something new, world... Please? Its not even energy efficient. These people are heating the apartments above because there is no insulation or any kind of barrier between us and the second floor's living room. However, it couples nicely with the country "family room" kind of feel to the brick walls, and the fireplace with grandma's old furniture huddled around it.
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| That beautifully cool fireplace. Don't you love the built-in bookcase? Also, WINDOWS! |
Okay, okay, okay. I'll get to the food now. While this is a coffee shop, what should not be passed up is an opportunity to try the tea. This coffee shop boasts some of the finest teas I've ever tasted. I'm an herbalist at heart and rarely veer from my decaffeinated life, but when I do, I want flavors like these. The tea here is put up on a pedestal and celebrated right when you walk in. Remember that picture above with the bookcase of urns and the yellow wall behind? The teas are kept right here for your perusal.
They are presented to you in lovely teapots, pre-steeped so that the tea is immediately available for your consumption. The used herbs and flowers are left with you in one of those cute little metal half-n-half pitchers you get with your after dinner coffee at a fine dining establishment.
Honestly, while it is a coffee shop, I don't come here for the coffee. The espresso leaves something to be desired. It is very strong, but the beans are harsh and a bit cheap in flavor. There is no depth to the taste, just an acidic burnt taste to them. If you prefer your coffee to be like this, buy Folgers for home and come here regularly. I have to give Stomping Grounds kudos for their absolutely supreme espresso drinks, but that's another post.
However, the staff here are wonderfully courteous, kind, and fun-loving. My barista hand-delivered my latte today (they always hand-deliver all items that are 'for here'). When he came by he told me why the design in my latte foam was so scary looking. He said, "When I poured the coffee, to me it looked like a jack-o-lantern so I attempted to fill it in. In doing so, I ended up making it scary. I'm sorry if it terrifies you!"
Needless to say, I laughed hysterically and commented that a jack-o-lantern should be scary so he was only doing the latte justice. Despite the lovely, perfectly frothed, milk foam, this latte needs sugar and quite a bit of it. This is a clear indication for me that the espresso is not as it should be. A true latte should be smooth, rich, and full-bodied. I should not need sugar because milk is sweet enough. When I need sugar, something's wrong.
A final note: I tried breakfast here a few days ago. It is very simply food - probably a classier, cleaner version of the types of breakfasts you'd get on a fast-food line. I had a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel. There was also a breakfast burrito. It was delicious and definitely made in-house, but some yogurts and fresh fruit, breakfast quiches, and other such small plate delicacies would send this over the top. Lunch is an uncomplicated yet delightfully fresh menu. I ordered the chicken caesar wrap.
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| I started eating and then realized I should take a picture first. |
It was delicious, my only comment is that it needed way more chicken to be a chicken caesar wrap. This way its more like a caesar salad with bits of chicken wrap.
I almost forgot! The small list of cons:
1. Its on the west side near West Towne Pub. This is great for anyone who lives over here, but I don't! Its a good drive to get there from my house and for anyone who works at the university who is hoping to steal away an hour or two at a lovely coffee shop for lunch.
2. The coffee needs an upgrade, but I do love that they celebrate tea as they do.
3. Parking can be a nightmare. Thank goodness it has not been an issue for me but these buildings are just jam-packed full of apartments so there are always cars parked here which share parking lots with the local businesses. This is a pretty bad set-up for the businesses as it does not encourage people who live farther away than a reasonable walking distance to use the services. It definitely should drive down business.
4. Prices are reasonable, but considering Arcadia's prices, they could be slightly lower. However, Arcadia roasts their coffee in-house which saves a considerable amount of overhead and middlemen costs. But that's another post. Oh and its found here.
5. I can't seem to load their webpage. What's going on Cafe Milo?
If you want to smile when you walk in and still be smiling when you leave, go to Cafe Milo.
That's it folks!
-Allie
Cafe Milo
4800 Mortensen Rd #101, Ames, IA 50014
(515) 268-3166
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