The Observer, October 5, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 6
Phoenix Café provides great off-campus alternative
Saturday night is easily the best part of the week. After having the morning to sleep in and Friday night to recover from the week, Saturday nights are perfect for finding new ways to entertain yourselves. After a whirlwind trip out of town, cold pizza, and our victorious football game, this Saturday night was devoted to exploring Coventry with a few friends. Our adventure began with a search for some post-football energy and ended with hide-and-seek at 1:30 in the morning. Somewhere in between, we stumbled upon Phoenix Café in Coventry. Located where Caribou Coffee stood last year, Phoenix seeks to be an alternative to the on-campus coffee locations, and is conveniently placed for a post-dinner drink or study date.
The best part about Phoenix may well be the names of the menu items. Instead of the normal espressos, Phoenix features drinks such as the Devil's Brew or Ice Toddy. Their specialty beverages entertain with Speedballs, Stuporballs, and Milky Ways. For the ambitious Case students who dare to walk to Coventry in the short-lived sweltering heat, nothing sounds more delicious than an Iced Espresso Ambrosia. Of course, the problem with such interestingly named drinks is that there is always a risk in ordering. What really goes into a 16-ounce Blondie or a Speedball Shake? How do we know that the ingredients are even legal in the United States? Luckily, upon request, the cashiers provide menus with item descriptions for the coffee skeptics. Separate tea and coffee menus are available for those seeking wholesale purchase of their large selection.
Upon entering, Phoenix Café looked much the same as the old Caribou, but after sitting there awhile, sipping a Mocha Swirl with mint, the café took on a personality of its own. In the corner, hunched over a two-person table, sat a remarkable Crocodile Dundee look-alike engrossed in conversation. Right behind him, snuggled in an armchair, a student pored over his books under the warm light of a table lamp. In the back near the sugar and creamer, a pad of paper and a large box of crayons were available for patron enjoyment. The red and green walls gave the whole coffee shop a comforting, holiday-like feel, and from the windows above, passersby waved happily or curiously looked in on the patrons. The beauty of Phoenix Café is the urban coffeehouse atmosphere. The café is perfect for people-watching, both inside and outside, and is recycling-friendly.
On top of the curious menu and the intriguing ambiance, the fact is that Phoenix Café is simply delicious. Their baked goods, which are baked freshly on site every morning, and the creative collection of coffees and teas leave nothing left out. Their specialty drinks blend a unique combination of flavors, breaking the monotony of typical mochas and iced coffees, and the tea selection, including bubble tea, is simply spectacular. Although it still seems strange to find it in the old Caribou Coffee building, Phoenix Café is well on its way to being an excellent and integral part of the Coventry neighborhood, as well as a staple in the collegiate diet.
