04/01/06

Rita Transplants column

If you're like me, part of your morning ablutions include drinking that first cup of coffee.

Normally, I brew my own pot and sit and read the paper. Other days, I rush about getting clothes ready and feeding the dogs.

On those days, I decide to treat myself to an outside cup of Joe, with perhaps a muffin or Danish.

When I arrived here months ago, one of the bastions of ever-developing America was distinctly absent from Englewood's thoroughfares: Starbuck's. I wondered, where was it? There had to be a Starbuck's somewhere, because they are everywhere.

In Northern Virginia, one would have thought these over-priced brew shops had saturated the landscape, but they kept popping up.

I had seen it all when, stepping into my local grocery store, I smelled the distinctive, potent aroma of seemingly burnt java: there was a Starbuck's in the grocery store. Never mind that there was a Starbuck's directly across the street; they heeded the ever-present need for a caffeine fix and plopped a kiosk next to the check-out lanes.

But who needs a Starbuck's when you can stroll into one of the many charming coffee shops around Englewood?

My personal favorite is Serenity Coffee Shop in the Eason Plaza shopping center at 2411 S. McCall Road. It has a welcoming atmosphere, complete with café tables and chairs, and a love seat, with a chess board on the coffee table so you can mull over that next move while you sip one of the three choices of brew offered by the owner, Patricia.

Serenity offers biscotti and freshly baked goods made by the culinary arts class at Lemon Bay High School. You may choose lemon or chocolate chip cranberry biscotti, or coffee crumb cake. The culinary class also supplies special seasonal treats, such as holiday cookies and fudge.

Each day, different varieties of coffee are freshly brewed, including Jamaican, Sumatran and Tanzanian, but they stay away from the "flavored" coffees as a rule.

In an effort to promote local business, Patricia decorates her shop with coffee mugs made by local artists, ideal for gift-giving. In fact, she makes wonderful baskets complete with coffee-related items and paraphernalia. Drop in to Serenity Mondays through Saturdays from seven in the morning until six in the evening. On Fridays, though, they are open until 9 p.m.

When they're open late on Fridays, not only do you get a fresh cup of java, you get entertainment!

Serenity is now hosting a Comedy Club, with entertainers from Sarasota. The comedians are professionals, as well as newcomers to the field of standup. What a great way to end the work week or even a week off, and this is the only venue in this area to offer live comedic entertainment.

Give Serenity a call if you have questions at (941) 475-2813. Next week, we'll visit a couple other coffee joints.

And, yes, there is actually a Starbuck's at the Target in Port Charlotte. So if you must have a grande, half-caf, half-decaf, mocha, light, soy, one-shot, vanilla latte, by all means, go for it.

Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather, and have a great Floriday!

http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/040106/ew11.htm?date=040106&story=ew11.htm