Yes, Verne the whale, Scrimshaw's mascot...
Not Verne Troyer...or maybe he IS named after Dr. Evil's Mini-Me.
Our original choice was Hawthorn in North Park for our weekend morning coffee outing. However, I'm really glad we ended up at Scrimshaw instead. Thank you crappy traffic jam on the 805 which prompted traffic hating me to ask Bert to exit on Market Street and do surface streets instead. We grabbed breakfast at a Vietnamese sandwich place (I'm not even sure I want to post on that because it really wasn't that great) in City Heights...Since we were closer to Scrimshaw then Hawthorn, well there you go.
The crowds above made me want to crawl under a rock. There were two tables outside so I quickly went outside to secure "our" spot while Bert ordered our drinks.
The main reason we were here, other than proximity was THIS.
I'm a sucker for limited edition drinks or unique drinks that set a coffee shop apart from others.
Bert had his mind set on a mocha (he really likes Hawthorn's version but Scrimshaw's is pretty good as well)...
Chocolate chip & almond scone with his mocha and my "Suga Lips"...
The mocha was smooth and rich and served with a couple of animal crackers (with one mangled wut!).
My drink, crafted by one of the female baristas, tasted just as good as it looked. I normally don't drink cappuccinos because of the amount of milk, but I have to say this was one of the best I've tried in recent years. Strawberry milk was utilized, giving the latte art a lovely pink hue. It was served in a beautiful vintage cup with a few conversation hearts.
Presentation does make a difference folks, but of course, the taste is still important and this did not disappoint.
Good to the last drop.
Bert chatted earlier with Jam, the barista who created the drink. He said she seemed really happy that we ordered the drink. With the placard at the counter, you would think more people would order it (at $3.75, that's not too bad either). I brought in our cups before we left and thanked her for the drinks. She told me that she bought the vintage cups at thrift stores herself.
Imperial Grounds was our next stop. There happened to be an event happening that day, The Curators and Creators Marketplace, featuring several vendors (flowers, crafts, clothing, jewelry and baked goodes) inside the coffee shop and Ms. Vintage, the boutique next door. Both are owned by husband/wife couple Steve and Michelle.
Apple fritter plus macchiato for Bert & the Sweetie for me. This is a repeat Valentine's drink from last year.
Real cups as requested. Bert's macchiato was enjoyed. Smooth and with almond milk. I forgot to get my milk subbed (uh oh). This was a white mocha with housemade pink whip topped with gold sprinkles and a Peep heart. The apple fritter was from the Donut Factory, a donut shop in North Park (I posted on it back in 2013, when I had their apple burrito). I liked that the fritter wasn't the ginormous size; Bert would have preferred it warm, but I liked it the way it was. I was already getting sugared out.
We were invited to check out the Galentine's Party next door where nearly everything was PINK! They even had a waffle on a stick bar complete with toppings and fresh fruit. There were stirring sticks with rock sugar and watermelon juice at their beverage station. We mainly looked around and didn't eat or drink anything since we weren't sure if this was a private or public event.
Michelle, the boutique owner asked if we got a "swag bag" and then gave us one. We did see them on a table, but didn't take anything. Turns out there were only fifty. It was nice of her to offer us one.
Awww, how cute. Sugar cookies in the shape of lips, candy hearts, a floral embroidered mirror, granola snack topping, and a pink twisty lollipop. I don't even want to eat these; they look so nice. I did need a new compact mirror too!
Last year's Valentine's drink at Imperial Grounds:
June 2017 (posted late, ha ha)
Previous visit to Scrimshaw:
January 2018
Of course, I couldn't resist adding this video due to this post's theme...The song "Lips like Sugar" by Echo & the Bunnymen, one of my favorite post punk bands. This song came out the summer after I graduated high school...Memories!
The original version is much much better than the anemic version by Coldplay (insert facepalm here).
and a more recent rendition from 2009 on Jimmy Kimmel. I have to say they're still sounding pretty damn good; that keyboard player is definitely not an original member though.
There's also the reggaefied cover by Seal which was featured in "50 First Dates", but no...please no. Let this song only be crooned by Ian McCullough!
No comments:
Post a Comment