Going out on the town must include coffee. And not just any cup of joe. My coffee must have its own personality. It should be served to me in a high-quality mug. And I should be allowed to enjoy it until the wee hours of the morning.
Unfortunately, Eugene has not provided me with this coffee experience. This town has a serious lack of independently owned cute coffeehouses where I can soak in a unique atmosphere, relax with friends and enjoy one-of-a-kind delicacies. Most Eugene coffeehouses have bland walls and lighting, menus posted on the wall above the counter, beverages that come in paper cups and/or a 9 p.m. closing time. No wonder students spend weekend nights getting wasted at house parties.
There is one coffeehouse in Portland that should be the model for all java dens, and that is The Pied Cow Coffeehouse. Pied Cow (as regulars call it) has class that can smack any chain coffee company in the face.
The first winning aspect of Pied Cow is the dream-like ambiance. You walk into the antique house to see two dimly lit adjunct rooms with a candle on each table and a ceiling made of billowing fabric. The coffeehouse has abstract paintings and wallpaper, stained-glass windows and a decorative staircase full of plants and Buddha statues. When you’re in a place that looks fun, you’ll have fun.
Pied Cow’s menu goes cleverly beyond coffee. You can always get a double shot of espresso with a scoop of whipped cream, served in a ceramic cup and saucer, but you can also get a dense layered dessert of peanut butter and chocolate fudge served in a teacup.
The food’s purpose is to enrich social gatherings. The appetizers, such as bread and cheese plates, beg to be shared. Crepes come to the table literally flaming, which is quite a spectacle. And once you discover a fabulous dish only offered at Pied Cow, you keep coming back for more (mine happens to be a tall glass filled with iced coffee, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and a mountain of whipped cream).
Pied Cow also wins points for their warm weather specialty — one-night rentals of Arabian water pipes (or “hookahs”) to be used for smoking pleasure in the adjoining garden. For the uninitiated, hookahs are tall towers (often constructed of metal or brass) with attached hoses for people to smoke from. The top contains a small chamber that can be filled with flavored tobacco, which is what Pied Cow offers. I’m not a huge smoking advocate in general, but nothing can beat passing the hose around a giggling circle of friends on a hot summer night, especially when the tobacco is a refreshing mint flavor and is followed by a sip of soothing, ginger peach tea.
And the staff of Pied Cow are successful because they appear to be part of the interior design. Waiters and waitresses arrive at your table sporting everything from pink hair to leather pants to a heart painted around one eye for Valentine’s Day, and they enjoy being part of the coffeehouse’s personality. They are upbeat (even until closing time at 2 a.m.), treat you like a guest and have no problem listening to your laments about life.
Every medium- to large-sized town should have a coffeehouse like Pied Cow. One that can be the last stop of the night because it won’t close before you feel like going home. One where you will never be bored of the menu, the atmosphere or the people.
So to all you business majors out there (and anyone with a streak of entrepreneurship), someone needs to do me and the city of Eugene a favor. Buy the next old house you see for sale, hire an interior decorator with a bohemian style, get a few creative culinary experts and recruit a set of fun, funky waiters. Then watch the students flock.