Return to Butler's Coffee House, Patty's Cafe and Papa's Donuts

Yesterday, Bert and I had a free morning.

TC was at a sports event which required her to be at school super super early...

We thought it would be good to revisit Butler's and actually use my online coupon this time. During our last visit, I had a brainfart.  Also, this time, we would make sure to ask for actual glassware and not be given paper cups by default.

Bert's pourover (beans were from Cafe Moto, Indonesian) and my mocha with almond milk.

We had a nice chat with the owner, a young guy. I talked to him about perhaps offering larger sized glassware for cortados.  When I say larger, it is because his other glassware are shot glasses used only for the single and double espresso shots, which are too small for proper macchiatos and cortados.  He said not a lot of folks ask for these drinks but he would consider getting a few of the glasses for those drinks in case folks do ask for them (like us, ha ha).



My mocha was nice and smooth. I'm not sure what chocolate was used, but it was not dark chocolate and it wasn't not as rich as the versions we've had at Copa Vida and Hawthorn.

Meanwhile, the view from our window (we sat on that platform by the blue wall). I sent it to Cathy of mmm-yoso. She remarked that literally the other day, she took a full shot of the Deering Banjo factory building, which does offer tours! I just may check it out one day with Bert!

On a side note, here's what I normally think of when I hear the word banjo.  This is that song, "Dueling Banjos" made famous (or shall I say, "infamous" in the 1972 movie, "Deliverance" (notable for Ned Beatty's anal rape scene by demented hillbillies). In popular culture, the opening notes  of this song are usually used to mock backwoods/hillbilly/country folk.  Bert's dad used to play this song on his guitar. Bert has the 45 record of this song too, ha ha. It's actually an entertaining song.

The kid playing the banjo was supposed to be "inbred". In real life, he could not play banjo and the scene had to be filmed strategically so you couldn't tell that the left hand belonged to someone else who would play tthe complicated fretwork.

He also appeared in Tim Burton's 2003 film "Big Fish". Here's that scene featuring Billy Redden. He was actually sought out by Tim Burton to appear in this film, his second film after  "Deliverance" was released.


And since we're still on the subject of banjos,  did you know that Steve Martin is not only an esteemed actor and comedian, but an accomplished banjo player as well? I remember seeing clips of him back then and he would break out his banjo, play some amazing riffs and say, "Heeeeyyyy, this guy's good:, like in this clip where he appeared on "The Muppet Show":

He was incorporating his banjo playing skills in his stand up comedy since the early 70's.

Bluegrass is not a genre of music I would normally listen to but I do own this cd, "Strummin' with the Devil" (a play on the song title, "Runnin' with the Devil"), a compilation of Van Halen cover songs. As an added bonus, former Van Halen frontman, David Lee Roth appears on "Jamie's Cryin'"  and "Jump" with the John Jorgensen Bluegrass Band and he pulls it off pretty well.

So yeah, banjos.  Yee haw.  I seriously want to see this factory. It's the largest banjo manufacturer in the U.S.

Our morning wasn't over yet...Coffee first of course, not breakfast.

An online coupon would be utilized here as well.


Smooth ride eh? It was an old timer dude's car.

Fresh roses at every table (and even in the bathroom, Easter lilies, by the way).

I'm still nursing a horrid cough so lemon tea for me and regular coffee for Bert.

Our breakfast:

And now from Bert's POV.

This was mine, if you couldn't guess already. Sausage patties, hashbrowns (which had a nice and crisp crust), scrambled eggs and a side of toast.  Bert felt like French toast today with bacon and eggs over easy sides.


Our breakfast portion was just right. It was hearty but not overly so.  Clientele were locals. Our server was super nice. It wasn't too busy this early in the morning either.

In the same strip mall, and in a repeat of what TC and I did last September, we walked over to Papa's donuts at the north end. Since it was a weekend, I knew that the Bobby O donut would be available.

The four check marks represent the malasada flavors available today. Bert chose all but the mango. One of these days, I'll be lucky to try the lilikoi.

I totally dig the kukui nut necklace on the clipboard and the King Kamehameha statue on the counter.

The Bobby O story....

A small section of their available donuts...


Our trio of malasadas (I love that they are "small" and manageable), a chocolate old fashioned and the Bobby O (a haupia filled donut with dark chocolate glaze and chopped macadamia nuts).



A few bites were had and enjoyed.  I liked the haupia filled malasada. The coconut flavor was very light and not overly sweet.   The Bobby O was pretty damn good too. It's not even a full dollar! Much cheaper than a hipster donut joint.

Before we left, I asked the girl about the donut next to the Bobby O. She said it was one of her favorites and that the owner's wife makes this from her own recipe. It's a pineapple custard filled donut topped with pecans. As for the glaze, it is just regular glaze and not flavored but I imagine it would be even more amazing if the glaze was also pineapple or even mango flavored.

No cross section, but it was gone later at home!

Previous visit to Butler's:
january 2017

Previous visit to Patty's Cafe:
September 2016 during Fall break with TC

Previous visit to Papa's Donuts:
September 2016, also with TC

It wasn't even 9 am yet and we were already done for the day. I was still not feeling one hundred percent so staying home and resting up seemed like a good idea. Our morning together was quite nice. Bert hadn't been to this neighborhood before and is always up for exploring spots with me.