I hesitate to tell people about Anthony’s–it’s crowded enough. But it’s a treasure. Anthony’s is the kind of coffee joint every town should have. Eddie and Kerry (not sure I spelled that right) run a great place–super friendly, full of interesting people, and knee deep in local color. Plus they have the best coffee I’ve ever had–Eddie roasts it himself. The roaster used to be right in the store, but Eddie moved it to a separate building when the place got too crowded. Diane and I buy dozens of bags of Anthony’s coffee every year, both for ourselves and to give to deserving friends. Of course it’s like giving them crack–the first bag is free.
I never slam Starbucks. We’ve got a lot to thank them for. They raised the bar for coffee all around the US–you can now get a great cup of coffee or a pretty decent cappuchino in Wisconsin. But it’s hard for a giant corporation to have a soul, and their coffee gives even my cast iron stomach the jitters. Diane can’t drink it at all–instant heartburn. Anthony’s coffee is different. Smooth and rich, a nice bite, but no heartburn. And one look in the doorway of Anthony’s is all you need to understand–the place has so much soul they haven’t even unpacked most of it.
Anthony’s also has local pastries, great bagels, and serves a full breakfast. I’m not wild about their eggs benedict–the hollandaise is some kind of a mix. But they’ve got lots of other choices and it’s all pretty good. Don’t get hashbrowns unless you like those little pre-formed bottom-feeding patty thingies. But the country fries are just fine. Good ice cream too. Kerry (Ed’s wife) cooks amazing cakes, but she doesn’t do it as often as she used to. It’s just as well, I always felt really weird eating pineapple coconut bundt cake for breakfast. But I never wanted to take a chance that it would be all gone by the afternoon.