Monon Coffee Company

The best independent locally owned coffee shop in Indy - period.

So there's a reason my food blog is actually called Coco & Coffee... I love chocolate and I love coffee - chocolate and coffee together is even better. So it should come to no one's surprise I'm doing another entry on a locally owned coffee shop. I know that silly sign up there says it's the Best in Indy (2007) but really it should hold a special spot just for having some tasty coffee and cool interior designs. Monon Coffee Company (as said in the name) is in heart of Broad Ripple's trendy art and clothing boutiques. Right across from your drunk nights in the Red Room and after night cravings in Qdoba - sits spot you wouldn't have known was there if you only visit Broad Ripple in the evening (shame on you if that's all you've done!).

With 8 honor system coffee choices (yes it's a honor system so please pay), and some funky new coffee items on the menu it's sure to please any coffee junkie. Fortunately for me, Indianapolis weather has not been kind lately with the 103F degree weather with 53% humidity, I walked into Monon Coffee Company and ordered their Iced Mona Lisa. It was a delicious espresso based drink with a kick of real cinnamon and hints of nutmeg.

I don't know what it is about sea foam green/blue but the color makes any place look like royalty and what's palace like than a coffee shop?

Of course along with other cafes, including homemade rice crispies, brownies, danishes, and the like but let's be serious you're there for coffee! If you're ever in Broad Ripple during the daylight, check this place out. It's worth the visit and you're paying your $3 at a Starbucks anyway - it might as well be a local shop.

For more information on their latest adventures and newest location in downtown Indy checkout their website/blog! Monon Coffee

Porto's Cuban Bakery & Cafe

Porto's (from T - B)  Their large array of bakery and cafe goodies, pastries case, potato ball, cakes case)

Porto's origins come from humble beginnings, like all great restaurants, from a family ambitious to make the American Dream in the US. Rosa and Raul Porto emigrated to the US from Cuba in the 1960's with Rosa's superb baking skills and Raul's strong ethic. Although their original store was in Southern California they've expanded their tasty bakery and cafe enterprise to 3 different locations. 

Walking into Porto's (in Glendale location) is like walking into and watching a perfect assembly line at work. We went during lunch time on a Saturday but you wouldn't have known by the wait time. You order  your sandwich/Potato Ball/Cheese Roll/etc yumminess sit down and they bring your order for you. I highly recommend their signature Potato Ball, tamales, and their dulce de lech or iced cappuccino. We also ordered their meat pie although the crust was nice and flaky it did not come out hot which made the whole thing kind of oily. But let me talk more about their Potato Ball...  

  

When my friend who currently lives in LA first told me about Porto's was talking about potato balls I was literally saying in my head "What the $#%*? Potato balls?" I thought - potato rolls? fried potatoes? But unexpectedly I got a mashed potato ball where every bite melted into my mouth - and then a surprise of seasoned ground beef is in the middle (it's like a tootsie roll pop just waiting for the actual candy!). 

    

Want more incentives?? Most of their bakery goods are under $3.00 (i.e. Potato Ball $.90, Lemon Mousse Cake $2.95, Pineapple custard Cuban cake $2.50)

For more information on locations, full menu, and their story please visit their website at Porto's Bakery

The Pour House - Cambridge City, IN

Store Front

Denise and John have moved across the United States 48 times, yes I said 48 times (!),with their two daughters for the past 30 years. With John's work always needing to move around - they've finally settled down in Indiana. This is longest they've stayed put in one place and that was about 10 years back. Around 4 years ago Denise took her two favorite "past times" (meeting new people and antiques) and merged them together to form the Pour House. Think... Cracker Barrel but a lot more intimate with furniture you can sit on and buy.  Which actually happened; as we were talking about all the antique furniture around her store, a gentleman a couple weeks back liked the chairs he was sitting on so much he bought all 4 of them!

Neat Knick Knacks on sale, stuff your momma would've told you growing up.

Now that her daughters are fully grown, she has expressed some hardship over maintaining a business. She admitted it turned out to be a lot more work than she expected. Their tagline was "Antiques and Sweets" - where the original concept was to sell a couple of homemade pastries along with the antiques but The Pour House became quite popular in the small town of Cambridge City. One can imagine why Denise would think it's a tad difficult - however with that being said they are now a full cafe with WiFi (Yes it may seem strange I added that tid bit in there... You must be thinking, "Cheryl this is a cafe of course it has WiFi". On the contrary my friend, for a small town like Cambridge City, The Pour House maybe the only  place that has it). The Pour House now serves homemade soups, sandwiches, and fresh pastries/cakes daily. When asked where her culinary traits came from - Denise happily replied: "My mother's kitchen!". The red velvet cake, cherry turnovers, and even homemade fudge are all within the family recipes (even Denise's dad had a recipe to give: the fudge).

Some Sweets (L to R Amaretto & Maple Nut Fudge, Petite Turnovers, Orange Cream Fudge, Frozen Chai Frappé)

The dining area and "store"

p.s. Cambridge City is a town with less than 1,900 people but are a part of the Richmond/Wayne County "Antique Alley" comprising of over 900 dealers from Richmond to Knightstown (which really is only a couple miles apart from each other). Read more about it on the Wayne County Website

Until next time~ Happy Eating!