151. Java Hutt – October 30, 2015 – Ferndale, MI

Devil’s Night in the D – what was I doing? Out on hijinks, causing mischief? In the club in my ’80s costume, whooping it up? Nah. I was journaling at Java Hutt, then having a cozy drink and meal with a friend at The Emory. Because that’s where I’m at in my life – cozy over crazy more and more lately. I did throw a Halloween party at my house the weekend before. But I definitely have found that, at 31, my priorities have shifted a bit. It is kind of weird when you look up and realize that going out every weekend has kind of lost its luster – like, when did that happen? When did I become an adult? Anyway, enough with the introspection – though the increase in introspection does seem to correlate with my increased interest in coffee shops.

Real talk: I’d always walked by Java Hutt prior to visiting it and been like, meh. It’s nothing special to look at. And I only went there on this Friday because The Red Hook Coffee Shop/Pinwheel Bakery had already closed. That is a place you want to go for ambiance. But you know what? Java Hutt ended up being quite lovely. The female barista who was working there on the night I went was very friendly, in a way that baristas at more sophisticated or hipster-ish places aren’t always. She and a few customers who were there seemed to know each other as well, suggesting repeat business. And it’s not like it’s a hovel because it doesn’t have reclaimed-wood booths and vintage tchotchkes everywhere, per the in-vogue coffee-shop style. It’s clean and well-lit and cozy, and it has a great tea selection. I had a mutan white tea latte (I am stuck on the tea lattes lately). Plus, according to its site, Java Hutt offers organic, fair-trade coffee! And they have food, too – fresh sandwiches and salads and homemade baked goods.

So don’t discount Java Hutt like I initially did – give it a try!

165 W. 9 Mile Rd.

Ferndale, MI 48220

www.javahuttferndale.com

144. Urge Juice – September 27, 2015 – Northville, MI

Photo of Urge Juice’s offerings from its website, http://www.urgejuice.com. Honestly, my juice was so delicious that I gulped it down before I even remembered to take a photo of it!

I’m massively behind on this blog, to a shameful proportion. Confession: I used to do much of this writing during the downtime at my previous two office jobs, which had a lot of lulls to take advantage of. This July, I got a new job, working for a company I respect and with a huge workload attached to my role – but not much time for slacking aka gloriously writing of my exploits around the Tri-County area. So until my other blog, A Cookable Feast, takes off – or possibly this one? – and my dreams of being a food blogger-entrepreneur are realized (still a far-off pursuit, but someday!), my creative pursuits need to be smushed into my life wherever they can. I just need to get better at the smushing. Anywho, I’m going to stuff my sorries in a sack (Seinfeld reference!) and carry on with the task at hand: writing about the gloriously delicious offerings of Urge Juice. The company has a location in downtown Northville, which I visited on a gorgeously warm Sunday earlier this fall. There is also a Berkley location, and, I found out from visiting their website, they also sell their juices at both the Royal Oak and Birmingham farmers’ markets.

The juice is $10, so at first you’re kind of like, “Whatttttt? Ten dollars for juice? DubTF? But then you learn, it’s cold-pressed raw organic juice chock-full of amazing vitamins, and it’s in this huge glass bottle, and it’s tasty as all get-out. The one I tried, Let the Beet Drop, was incredible, and it was simply a mixture of juice from beets, carrots, apples, and lemons. Who knew that beet juice could be so tantalizing?

137 E. Main St.

Northville, MI 48167

(also a Berkley location)

www.urgejuice.com