Haunting LGRC

Thanks everyone, for your green smoothie suggestions! I'll be test driving a mixture or two very soon.

~:::~

I'm camping at Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company at least once a week, and I'd like to show you around this special place.

Since joining the ranks of the 'fun-employed', I've split my time between house projects and part-time job searching (actively seeking freelance writing opportunities!).

My productivity sky-rockets in the hustle and bustle of a local coffeehouse; I have a Starbucks and Peet's Coffee within walking distance, but unfortunately I'm not of a fan of the atmosphere or coffee at these chains. So I make the 30-minute drive south to my hometown.

I arrive around 9am and claim a table. The art of musical chairs is practiced well here; if you don't like what's available just keep your eyes open and move when someone else leaves. Most of the time I bring my breakfast- a container of oatmeal or yogurt- this saves me some money and calories, and the staff doesn't mind. Once I'm settled and plugged in (outlets everywhere and free wireless internet), I grab a coffee from the counter and get down to business.

It's the kind of coffeeshop that people haunt. Regular groups meet here all week long; a line of townies, dressed in biking gear and holding a dog's leash in one hand and a coffee in the other, are a permanent fixture on the sidewalk out front.

Inside there are three rooms- the first serves regular drip coffee and breakfast options like waffles, muffins, bagels, and even oatmeal. A giant coffee roaster sits in the back corner; I've never seen anything like this anywhere else.

The room in the middle holds the espresso bar and the largest grouping of tables. This is my favorite room, I usually sit in here by the window. When I feel like treating myself, I'll order a nonfat hazelnut latte or a cafe borggia in place of my regular coffee. Yum!

The last room houses Los Gatos Gourmet, a fantastic purveyor of local wines, cheeses, coffee beans roasted in house, or some homemade soup or sandwich.

Lunch here is a special treat; they have the best sandwiches around. Like this one, the McKinneylicious: smoked turkey and brie, salami, housemade aioli, and mixed greens on an Acme baguette.

They have a list of great options as well as a daily special, but my very favorite is the simple peanut butter and jam. It may seem silly for an adult to buy a pb&j, but they make it so well. It's like ordering the marinara pizza: so simple that you can't hide anything. Served on Acme pain de mie (which you cannot purchase, I've tried. They only make it in humongous loaves for businesses like this), which I order toasted with strawberry and blueberry jams.

This is the kind of coffee shop that you can settle in and really get work done- if you can resist too much socializing. It's warm and bustling, and fairly likely that you'll run into someone you know if you are a local. Or unwittingly witness a business deal or two being brokered; this is the middle of Silicon Valley after all.

I'm certainly no mover or shaker, but sitting here I can rub elbows with some of those Valley fat cats on one side and others who are fun-employed like me. LGRC has a warm, welcoming feeling that I've never felt in my neighborhood Starbucks. For me it's worth the drive, even if I can walk to the other places.

Do you have a neighborhood coffeehouse you like to haunt?

~:::~