Last Saturday, my best friend’s sister got married. The wedding was back toward the homestead, so in between the ceremony and reception James and I decided to spend some time in Oberlin.
Back in the day…
As a kid I was a member of the Oberlin Choristers, so I spent at least one evening a week in Oberlin at rehearsals. Not to mention, Oberlin was the closest safe, walkable neighborhood to my home growing up, so my best friend Kelley and I would often spend days there checking out the hippie-style shops like Bead Paradise, spending way to much money at Dave’s Army-Navy store, sipping coffee at the Java Zone and even just hanging out at the library. High school football games often concluded with a late-night dinner at Lorenzo’s pizzeria.
Pair that nostalgia with the welcoming, environmentally friendly, artsy and locally-minded residents and college students, and it’s no secret why Oberlin is near and dear to my heart.
The Feve
So… Saturday. After the wedding, we were starving. So we headed over to The Feve, an awesome, vegetarian-friendly bar and cafe-style restaurant. Although I really had a hankering for the avocado melt I spied on their Website, we arrived during brunch hours, which actually ended up being a great thing.
The Feve’s brunch menu changes weekly, with lots of creative sweet and savory options in addition to staples like pancakes, eggs and bacon. I had a broccoli and white cheddar omelet with roasted Yukon gold potatoes, a salad and freshly baked bread (I believe this cost $8.75), while James opted for a burger topped with crab meat and avocado, also served with salad and potatoes ($9.50 if I recall correctly).
The Feve
I made a mental note of the whole cloves of garlic scattered within my potatoes and decided to alter my home recipe once or twice in an effort to duplicate them. The portion sizes of our meal was perfect — we both just about cleared our plates but left satisfied, not stuffed. Total bill for brunch, plus a Great Lakes Oktoberfest for James (I, sadly, forgot my ID at home when I switched over to my “fancy purse,” and because I look like I’m 12 was unable to partake) was just about $23.
The shops
After the Feve, we went across the street to what used to be one of our favorite places, back when we lived in Amherst — Infinite Monkey comic and game shop. (It used to be called Matrix games, but thankfully is still the same shop with the same owners, just a new name.) This is a great little shop that sells board games, card games and role-playing games, along with tons of comics and graphic novels. The husband and wife owners are super cool, super nice and passionate about what they do.
With a new game for a friend’s upcoming bithday and the first Serenity comic in tow, we popped into one of the little shops filled with ceramics and homemade jewelry before I made James go to the Ben Franklin, a little hodgepodge store which I wanted to look around for old times’ sake.
Then we went next door to Gibson’s bakery, where we picked up some delicious homemade chocolates, including chocolate covered oreos and these crazy concoctions called root beer floats — dark chocolate filled with vanilla and chicory root cremes — that seriously tasted like root beer floats (plus chocolate).
Before getting back in the car, we stopped at Dave’s Army-Navy, which, call me crazy, is still one of the coolest stores in the area.
A minor disappointment
The only down side of the day, which was actually kind of a big F-you to my high school days, was the Java Zone. We stopped in to get some coffees, asked if they had pumpkin spice, and the barista made it a point to passive-aggressively mock us and be sure we knew we weren’t at Starbucks by saying that no, they don’t have pumpkin spice and probably wouldn’t for like three years.
Apparently not a fall flavor at the Java Zone, and their other 30 Torani flavored syrups are far superior to that crap. And then they were out of their flavored coffee. And then my coffee wasn’t even that good. Le sigh.
Saved for another day…
Were the weather more favorable, or had we more time, I’d have walked around the square a bit, maybe stopped at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, gone to Campbell House Antiques and Bead Paradise, ordered pizza at Lorenzo’s and definitely spent more time at The Feve. Though too short, I had a lovely visit to Oberlin, and I really can’t wait to go back.
Oberlin Community Day
This Saturday, October 3, you can find out why Oberlin is so damn cool at Oberlin Community Day. There’s going to be a Farmer’s Market from 9-1, a free showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at the historic Apollo Theatre, a picnic lunch and OCircus performance on the sqaure, an Oberlin bike tour and free ice cream. Here’s hoping the weather turns around for the festivities!
Image courtesy of The Feve’s Website.
Filed under: Cleveland Restaurants, Oberlin, Rockin the Suburbs Tagged: | Gibson's Bakery, Infinity Monkey Comics, The Feve
