Brauhaus Kaffee

All photos by smalltowngirl

I love this coffee shop. 

Still new (open for less than a month, I believe), Brauhaus Kaffee is the newest addition to quaint, downtown Farmington's collection of stores and restaurants. 

The owners, who are residents of Fredericktown, Missouri, have spent the last two years renovating the space.

I'm not sure how old downtown's buildings are, but my guess is that they're from the early 1900s. The sidewalk outside is red brick, and two tables with two chairs each, sit just outside the cafe's front doors. 

The cafe's two floor-to-ceiling picture windows let sunshine stream in, and offer a view of the side of the court house, around which downtown Farmington was built.

Gleaming, subtly distressed hardwood floors are offset by black granite-topped tables and contemporary black leather sofa and armchairs. 

Prints of German artwork hang on the red, exposed brick, and a piano sits in the back. 

Beside the piano sits an empty guitar stand - empty because someone in the cafe has inevitably picked up the instrument to pluck out acoustic melodies each time I've been in the cafe.

I like to think that by way of my Sunday afternoon latte ritual, I'm helping keep Pat, the owner's spirits high. Today we chatted about their scones being hand made from scratch each morning, and about the anticipation over the arrival of their new stove, which will accomodate homeades soups in addition to their already homemade baked goods.

Today, craving something sweet, I ordered a mocha. The taste was just as great as the presentation:

The clientelle is as diverse as one could hope for in a community as relatively homogeneous as Farmington, Missouri is. 

Today, for instance, there were three q-tips (white haired folks), a woman who looked to be my age with a mod, black haircut and a large tatoo on her foot, and another late-20s/early-30s writer-type with a laptop. I couldn't help the excitement, overhearing him voice his enthusiasm about a local, independent magazine.

I hope that Brauhaus Kaffee surives. I take that back, I hope that it thrives, and I have faith that it will. Warm fuzzies will take over my belly when downtowns come fully to life again, and I think Farmington's well on it's way, thanks to places like this one.

Wineries, Coffee Shops, Art Galleries...a Castle?!

What's become of my bumbling little country bumpkin of a home state, Missouri? 

I hardly recognize my downtown square, which is now lined with a cafe, a New York style pizza place, a fairly nice bar and restaurant, and a music store.

And don't get me started on the national bicycle race coming thr

ough town. We never had that kind of thing when I was a kid.

What? Is one of the nation's last living independent music stores really in St. Louis? Darned right, it is. And I'm proud to say I've been buying music there since I was 16.

You know what else Missouri has? It has wineries. Like, no joke, a LOT of wineries. Wineries with good wine, beautiful views, live music on the weekends, art galleries, and B&Bs. 

Finally, and then I'm getting back to updating my events listing for April (look beneath this blog)...We have yoga. I took my first small town yoga class tonight, and it was good. 

If none of the above perks you up to the Show-Me State, check this out...Joplin, Missouri has a castle:

Photo from 4statehome.com

Despite my grouchy, short-fused, angsty poop of a mood over the last few days over missing New York, I've gotta hand it to Missouri - it's changed a lot in the 10+ years since I last lived here.

Lemons or Lemonade: A Blog in two Parts

Part One:

I'm grouchy today. 

Missouri is so nice, and people here are so nice. It's all so...NICE. 

Where's the grit? Where's the texture? Where's the edge? 

Oh, that's right. It's Missouri. It's not gritty or textured or edgy. It's nice.

Photo by smalltowngirl

Thank God for blogging, FB, and Twitter...And thanks to my NY friends who are following my blogs, photos, and tweets, caring about this journey I'm taking now, back in Missouri after so many years away.

I had hoped that social media would help me feel close to some of what (and who) I love about New York, and though some days I'm not sure it's working, other days it's the thread that keeps me connected, and by extension, keeps me sane.

So thank you, if you're following, emailing, and commenting.  And if you're following but not commenting, it would be so good to hear from you. 

NY=1; MO=0

***

Part Two:

For all the missing New York I'm doing now, I missed small town MO very much over the last 10+ years, too. Sometimes I longed for the quiet, humble, nice Midwest

While I can't walk down the street to grab the Times from a bodega or newstand in my small town, I can read it online from the coffee shop, where the barista visits with me for ten minutes at a time, and I can buy a large latte for less than a small coffee in  NYC.

And while French Press coffee and omelets with hungover 20- and 30-somes isn't quite the same as drip coffee in the pot at home, it's really kind of nice to wake up sober, to family and a little white dog.

So I'm trying here - I really am - to seek out the best Missouri has to offer. 

I want to love life here, or anywhere that I am, for that matter. I want to be one of those people who can find beauty and happiness anywhere.

I've started a community calendar here. I hope that this can become a space for locals to seek out hip, healthy, and interesting events in the area. 

I'm independent, so I can publish any event (unlike other, corporate events calendars I've found in MO). If you have events you'd like published, tweet me, Facebook me, email, or leave a comment.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a few good local things I've discovered this afternoon:

The Tour of Missouri 2009

Go! St. Louis

Trailnet: Promoting Active Living

The Soulard Art Market

Cupcakes (a.k.a. Bet You Wish You Were at My House)

Photos and Cupcakes by Smalltowngirl

Happy Thursday night!

I'll bet you wish you were at my house right about now...

These cupcakes are chocolate and peanut butter with homemade milk chocolate icing, topped with Reese's Peanut Butter Chips.

(They're really as good as they look.)

***

I spent my morning in downtown Farmington, Missouri. What a delight to walk down brick sidewalks from a music store to a restaurant; an overflowing florist's store to a warm and cozy bookstore. 

The Downtown Farmington Parntership/Alliance (I forget it's formal name) has done a really nice job bringing life back to downtown.

Much to my excitement, Farmington has a new and quite legitimate cafe! Brauhaus, our new coffee shop and lunch spot, has a story to tell, and I hope to tell it soon. 

The owner enthusiastically told me today about its name, the photos on the wall, and the two years she and her family spent renovating the historic building the cafe calls home. I'm planning to visit her again soon, this time with notebook and camera in tow so that I can blog about it.

Until then, where quaint downtowns and kitchens big enough to prepare 3 dozen cupcakes are concerned, MO = 1; NY = 0