Happy Birthday, Clementine Coffee

Ok, so at my household, there is a nasty, down-and-dirty, mud-slinging coffee shop rivalry going on. You see, my roomate Caleb (hi Caleb!) prefers to get his coffee at a boring coffee shop in Hyde Park, where people order their coffee, sit down, and shut the hell up. Caleb enjoys the deafening silence so he can complete his crossword puzzle in peace. I, on the other hand, am a Quacks patron all the way. Bring on the crazies! All the better to eavesdrop! Plus, Quacks clearly possesses the superior bakery between these two coffee shops....the second of which shall remain nameless. (Don't worry, it's too dull to even mention.)

Anyway, if I lived on the east side, I believe I would patronize Clementine, a darling little coffee shop celebrating its 3rd birthday this weekend. Here is how the establishment earned its name:

"Pope Clementine the VIII, in the early 1600's, initially banned coffee due to the decrease in wine sales and had also had claimed coffee as the "devil's drink"-partially due to its popularity within the Muslim world. He ordered the beans to be burned (and this is where some historians embellish a bit) and was immediately attracted to their aroma. He ordered to try the beans, liked it, and thought he could out-wit " the devil" by baptizing it as a Christian beverage. And that's how Muslims, Italian merchants and a Pope, helped spread coffee's popularity to the Western World, in a nutshell."

Now, I don't know if that's even a tiny bit true. But I don't care: I love the story!

To celebrate, they are having quite the band lineup this Friday. I already knew I dug The Laughing, but while doing some research for this post, I discovered a couple more I'd like to see. Such as Loxsly. And The Great Nostalgic. (Great band name, by the way).

Chris Cusack (owner at?) Clementine told me there will be some drink specials too....of the alcoholic variety. Because if there's anything we over-caffeinated types need, seriously, it's a drink.