Dick's Restaurant

A Coffee Maven Review

On a drive from Port Hawkesbury on Cape Breton to Derby Line in Vermont and Quebec, we had a nice stay at a tidy lakeside inn just outside of Farmington, Maine. The place was lovely but we wanted more than the included continental breakfast. Coffee had been offered in styrofoam cups, so we set off on toward the northern border, with our eyes peeled for a diner.

Photo: Yelp

We found a newish, trendy-looking place when we arrived in the paper-mill town of Mexico, but on the door found that all-too common and sad obituary of small businesses: a handwritten note that simply said, "Sorry, closed."

We drove just a few blocks further when we spied Dick's Restaurant in the center of the town. From the outside, it had the look of a café that is more saloon than diner. We had walked out of such a place elsewhere in Maine on the first morning of our trip, and so at first I continued to drive. Then I remembered how few options we had seen so far (that is, zero), so we turned around and entered.

And we were very glad we did. I did not get a photo, but picture a rather large interior in several sections with a lot of pine paneling and wooden furniture and you will have a good idea. Picture a table full of older ladies talking quietly and a couple of tables of older men talking loudly, and you will have an even better idea. (I'm not sure why, but in our study of diners, we have found more than once that men of a certain age who are regulars will take separate tables and then talk across open air to each other. We call them "Old Man Kelliher" guys, not because that is their name, but because the two who haunt a diner in our town analyze each bit of the day's gossip in terms of what Old Man Kelliher would have said about it.

So yes, the place has atmosphere. And it has very friendly, efficient service and really good food. I had corned-beef hash just as crispity as it ought to be. My favorite librarian was considering several options, but had to choose the plate called Pam's Special -- after the owner -- because she very rarely finds things with her name out in the world. Xará!

As I commented elsewhere, very few places have excellent food and excellent coffee, and this does not quite qualify as an exception. But the coffee is definitely better than standard diner brew, and this Coffee Maven had two cups, no cream. I did find specialty coffee a bit later in the drive.

Fancy Pants

A Coffee Maven Review

During our long-awaited visit to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia (for our Bridgewaters Project), we explored lunch and dinner places, and found a pub we very much enjoyed, because of its friendly staff and its large deck overlooking the LaHave River.

But very much out of character -- and in contrast to my approach in St. John's immediately prior -- I did not seek coffee places. This is because we were in a bed & breakfast -- River Reflections -- with absolutely amazing breakfast food and quite respectable coffee.

It was not until our last morning -- faced with a long ride to Cape Breton -- that I sought an after-breakfast coffee. Translation for those who are innocent of my Coffee Maven ways: an after-coffee coffee. 

We had noticed Fancy Pants almost directly across the street from that pub, and I decided it would be our last stop on the way out of town.

I should stop here to introduce a finding -- more of a bald assertion -- based on my extensive field research over the past decade. It is summarized in the following Venn Diagram, which has been on my mind for many months, but which I finally got around to creating for you, Dear Reader.

As mentioned above, I stopped at Fancy Pants after a scrumptious breakfast, so I was not in a position formally to test my hunch that this might very well be one of those rare places that is both great for coffee and great for breakfast. I can verify the coffee directly - it was delicious, and the employees knew something about it. The breakfast I can infer only from the general atmosphere, the signage about local and organic ingredients, and a very important clue: indispensable cast-iron skillets on the stovetop.

So in our last few minutes in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Fancy Pants gave us yet another reason to return some day.

No 9

A Coffee Maven Review

First, a word from John:


We were absolutely enchanted by Lunenburg, Nova Scotia -- a place so charming that it is the only place in North America where an entire town is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Those who know the geography of coffee shops will understand that in a place this precious is likely to have some excellent coffee.

Among the many promising options No. 9 Coffee Bar got our attention, and after a carriage ride, a lunch at one of the top do-not-miss places in the country, a visit to a distillery (that was actually our first stop), and a considerable amount of walking, it was to No. 9 that we repaired for some iced coffee.

We were delighted, not only by the ethically-sourced and delicious coffee, but also by the wonderfully cetacean decor, in recognition of Lunenburg's whaling heritage. 

Rogue Coffee

A Coffee Maven Review

Coffee has made me a morning person ... and not the kind who cannot function before coffee: it is the opposite of that. At home, I get up first and make the coffee. As those who know me might imagine, it is a process.

When we travel, it is my job to find some alternative to hotel coffee, which is almost universally undrinkable. We call it "foraging" but it really is an internet-enhanced activity. During a recent stay at a lovely hotel by the harbor in St. John's -- where we liked the wine but did not sample the coffee -- our strollings about and my online research led to quite a few options.

Among three strong contenders, I had convinced myself that Rogue Coffee would be the best. I set out to what I thought was the correct location along a steep, narrow side street, but somehow I could not find it. I was almost ready to go to my second choice (yes, I had a ranked list in mind), but I could smell really good coffee, as if it were coming from one of the closed-up clothing stores nearby. I was confused as I worked my way back down the hill.

Glancing in an alley I had somehow missed, I noticed some party lights a hundred yards or so away. As I got closer, I realized that this was Rogue Coffee!

I learned something new about my favorite brewer -- I always associate the Chemex with Springfield, Massachusetts, but it was really born in New York City -- and had a nice chat with the owner. She is passionate about good coffee. I was able to take a couple of delicious cupfuls back to our hotel, and feel good about supporting the farmers in the process.

Downtown St. John's has a lot of decent coffee shops; I am pretty confident that I found the best one.

In a neighborhood full of food and beverage options, this is a gem!

Moose Muck Coffee House

A Coffee Maven Review

As we wended our way through rural Maine -- after a nice breakfast in Mexico -- we found a café with good coffee and a strong sense of humor near the convergence of streams and mountain roadways. (Note the oxbow lake in the southwest corner of the map above.)

Curb appeal is very important for independent cafés; I know some really good places that have closed because they did not pay attention to this. Moose Muck is the opposite -- this Coffee Maven was drawn right in!

The Moose Muck Coffee House makes playful use of its name, including a signature drink of coffee with a shot of espresso. The coffee is locally roasted and delicious, though the staff do not know much about its origins. Bonus: Equal Exchange chocolate is available. Oddly, the shop has no web site and its Facebook page has been shut down. That is odd for a café of this kind in 2018.

Completing the moose motif.