Tag: coffee

Posted in News and Features

Spend a Day Series – Ideas for a Cozy Fall Day, Bookish Girlie Edition

Posted on by Amanda

Over the summer I started a new once-a-monthish series called Spend a Day. The thought behind the series was to give people ideas on how to spend a day in their local communities. I try to keep my ideas varied according to seasons, budgets, and interests.

The first Spend a Day Series was on things to do in the town of Rosebud, while my second was on Meramec Caverns, a local business that has opportunities for guests to spend the day, or longer, at its facility since there’s ziplining, caves to explore, a restaurant, and lodging onsite.

For the latest Spend a Day, I focused on how I enjoy spending the cozy days of fall, when the weather is cooler and perhaps there’s a bit of bluster in the wind or some raindrops. On days like that I love curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee.

Generic latte art and fall leaves. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

For this Spend a Day series, I chose activities to do in Washington, like visiting the local book stores The Novel Nook and Neighborhood Reads, or heading to the library for some quiet reading. Of course, I also suggest getting your fall beverage of choice. While I love all the coffee spots in WashMO, my fave autumn drink is a pumpkin spice latte and I have a couple spots I love to visit when ordering that drink.

I love them hot or iced, and, of course, I have my go-to places for each. When I want a hot PSL, for me, it doesn’t get any better than The Washington Coffee Shop’s recipe (I think they add caramel!) and for the times when I want that pumpkin spice iced, iced baby, it’s Exit 11. Call me bougie, but I love that the iced latte comes all decked out with whipped cream and a little dash of extra pumpkin spice flavoring crowning the top.

Get into the fall vibes with this short Reel I made about spending a cozy bookish day in WashMO.

Have a suggestion for a future Spend a Day series? Send your ideas to smalltownsocialitemo@gmail.com

Posted in News and Features

Try Organic Eats in a Colorful, Eclectic Atmosphere at The Wolf Cafe

Posted on by Amanda

I love supporting local businesses in my immediate community, but every once in a while I do venture outside of the Franklin County area. And, the most recent venturing out looked like celebrating my birthday. When it came time to pick where I wanted to eat, I weighed a lot of options, but decided on The Wolf Cafe in Ballwin, because the establishment offers loads of healthier food options, so that my celebratory meal didn’t set me back on some of my current fitness goals.

The Wolf Cafe serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch, plus a second concept that’s located in the basement that serves New Jersey style pizza and cocktails. We visited on a weekend for lunch and the establishment was pretty busy, a good sign in my book, not a complaint! The menu has a little something for everyone, with grass-fed burgers, vegan options, gluten-free choices, including gluten-free and vegan dessert options.

The Breakfast Club and ‘Stang Chicken with air-baked tots. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

For our meal, I chose the ‘Stang Chicken, a chicken sandwich that’s breaded and air-baked (there’s no fryers or microwaves at The Wolf Cafe). The sammie is topped with Gouda, bacon, BBQ sauce, chipotle mayo, pickled red onion, and served on a multigrain bun and opted for the air-baked tots as my side. Hubby ordered the Breakfast Club, which has a lot of the same components of a BLT, + two fried eggs and an avocado smear.

The cafe serves a variety of draft and bottled beers, which excited my hubby, and he got a draft Vienna lager. There’s also a selection of coffees, tea, and bottled drinks like lemonade, juice, water, and healthy prebiotic sodas, like Olipop, which is what I chose.

Peanut butter pie. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Since we were celebrating my birthday, I wanted a sweet to finish off the meal. The glass bakery case was filled with yummy looking things, like chocolate covered cookie dough balls, carrot cake, and peanut butter pie, to name a few items. I’m a complete chocolate lover, so I chose the peanut butter pie, which has a chocolate rice crispy crust, creamy, sweet peanut butter filling, and a dark chocolate topping. It was delicious, and slightly decadent, so I’m glad we split it.

The Socialite recommends The Wolf Cafe!

The details:
15480 Clayton Road, Ballwin
View the menu online
Find the cafe on Facebook
Follow on Instagram

Posted in News and Features

Get Caffeinated at Riverbend Coffee in St. Clair

Posted on by Amanda

Whether you live in or nearby St. Clair, or you’re just passing through, and you find, as I often do, that you’re jonesing for some caffeine, stop into Riverbend Coffee, located on Main Street. Although I’m partial to coffee, which is offered in traditional drip, as a latte hot or iced and cold brew at the shop, they also serve lotus drinks in a number of flavors and teas for those non-coffee drinkers.

I typically stick to ordering an iced latte (salted caramel + white chocolate), but when I like to switch up my flavors because of the season (white chocolate + peppermint in winter, obvi) or I’m just feeling adventurous, the shop has a great selection of syrups to choose from. And, if I want to watch my sugar intake, I can still have my little treat, because there’s also a number of sugar-free flavors available.

I’m a sucker for an iced latte, and I love that Riverbend has a lot of flavors to choose from. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Many of the food selections rotate, since most items are made fresh in house. The options range from pastries and smaller bites, like sweet or savory scones, yummy cakes like gooey butter or carrot cake, and the unique gravy-stuffed biscuits, which are not available all the time, but are delicious and served warm, filled with a rich, creamy sausage gravy. There’s also breakfast sandwiches, and lunch offerings like sandwiches, salads, and soups.

There’s plenty of seating inside and strong wifi if you want to get some work done after you enjoy your beverage or food. The seating is a mix of tables and soft seating. And, if you choose to take your item to go, take note of the interior decor while you wait for your order. The decor centers around nature and life near the water, with landscape photography throughout the space of the Meramec River.

The Socialite recommends Riverbend Coffee!

The details:
35 North Main Street, St. Clair
Find on Facebook
Follow on Instagram
Visit the website

Posted in News and Features

Find Coffee, Treats, and More at Strike Axe Coffee & Tasting Room in Rosebud

Posted on by Amanda

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I spent a Saturday exploring the cute town of Rosebud. The goal for the trip was to try a new coffee shop I’d seen on Facebook, do some antiquing, and grab a bite to eat.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing more details about all the spots we visited on that Saturday, but the focus of this post will be on my experience at the town’s coffee shop. A few months back, I’d heard some buzz online about Strike Axe Coffee & Tasting Room coming to Rosebud and since my love of coffee knows no bounds, I am always down to drive great distances to try out a new place.

In terms of ambiance, I love that Strike Axe is in a historical building that once housed the town’s bank.

The outside of Strike Axe Coffee & Tasting Room. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

The inside is quite cozy and features exposed brick on some of the walls, vintage furniture like a mustard hued couch, cozy chairs, a bank of old post office boxes, and a few tables. There’s also a vault inside, a carryover from the days when the building was a bank, that has been repurposed into a small room that houses apparel.

The inside of the coffee shop features vintage furniture, exposed brick, and a number of tables. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

We ordered iced lattes, size large, because go big or go home. And we split a cinnamon roll. There were other pastry selections, but if I’m going to indulge in something sweet for breakfast I love a cinnamon roll, and the one we had at Strike Axe was delightfully soft, with creamy icing, and it was served slightly warm.

In addition to the coffee and pastries, the establishment also has a refrigerated section where they sell take and bake meals like lasagna and meatloaf. And since the owners raise their own beef, the shop also carries a variety of cuts of locally raised beef, featuring everything from ground beef to steaks, roasts, and brisket. I wanted to purchase some meat, but I didn’t have a cooler and I knew it would be hours before I got home to my fridge.

It was really busy when we arrived, which is expected for mid-morning on a Saturday, so I didn’t get a chance to chat with the owner about the concept as well as their meat selections. Hopefully I can arrange some time to chat with them on my next visit, as well as purchase some meat to take home.

The Socialite recommends Strike Axe Coffee & Tasting Room!

The details:
215 Highway 50 , Rosebud
Find Strike Axe on Facebook