June and I stood next to our parked cars and discussed "Plan B." Fortunately for us Teddy Heaven is on Main Road in Walmer (aka Coffee Shop Row) so we didn't have to look far to find another place for this week's crawl. We quickly decided on The Picket Fence Coffee Shop directly across the street at 169 Main Road in the Amble Inn Complex. June made a few phone calls and we hung a really tacky sign on the tree near our cars redirecting crawlers to the venue change. We then made our way across the the hectic Main Road traffic managing to anger only one motorist on a motorcycle...(I hope his day improved after this).
Lise Sponneck, owner of The Picket Fence, welcomed us warmly as we chose a table. There are a number of guest tables in the beautiful garden outside but the aroma coming from inside was irresistible, so inside it was. It happens that June and Fran recognized Lise from an association she had with their grown children some years back. It doesn't matter that PE has a population of over a million people, it seems that someone from the crawl always sees someone they know wherever we happen to be. Anyway, back to the crawl. In our conversation with Lise she said that she has owned The Picket Fence for 2 1/2 years and that it's in her blood. Many of her extended family members own coffee shops in PE...(I wonder where they have their family reunions...and, who brings the beverages?). I got the names of the shops and am sure to visit them all at some point.
The Picket Fence is open every day offering a variety of breakfast and lunch dishes. They also do a Sunday roast... well, that got me thinking ...hmmm....this Sunday is Mother's Day. It just so happens that they are having special Sunday roast for the occasion....I made a reservation for noon. So, to my children, Christopher, Jeff, and Liz, who are all in the States...Dad's got you covered!
Lise has chosen two brands of coffee for use in her shop. Barista Zoleka whips up regular Americanos, Lattes, and Cappuccinos using Masterton's Blend 81. For the decaffeinated versions of these she uses a Puro Fairtrade blend. Being a decaf drinker, my sister, Mary, will be excited to hear about that!
This week's crawlers, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Fran deBeer, and Stella and Beryl Dawson, all found their way to Thursday's "Plan B" shop. Beth and Fran stuck to their black coffees and everyone else ordered cappuccinos. It was unanimous that the combination of large cups, low price, and nice hot coffee earned The Picket Fence PE Coffee Crawl's "The Best Coffee Deal In Town" award. (The chocolate powder sprinkled on the cappuccinos is a great touch, too....chocolate gets a thumbs up from me every time!)
Adjacent to the coffee shop is the Amble Inn, an antique furniture store. After coffee, Fran and I "ambled in" to see what treasures we could find. I've been looking for a coffee table (no kidding) to replace the monstrosity now occupying way too much space in our family room here. Well, no luck with a table but I did find a great chair. I'm not much into antiques but this chair really caught my eye. So, Lou, I paid for it and you're picking it up on Saturday. As I said, kids, Dad's got you covered! Thanks!!!
Amble Inn had some wonderful things; the other shops in the complex are also worth checking out. So, stop by The Picket Fence, have breakfast, then make a day of it.
*A belated Happy Cinco de Mayo to Jeff. For some unknown reason this son of mine has always celebrated this Mexican holiday!?! Hope you found a good Mex restaurant in Atlanta, Jeff!
*A Happy Mother's Day wish to all of the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and mothers-to-be out there. Have a wonderful and relaxing day!!!
*Yes, Lise, I did remove the unsightly paper sign we posted on the tree across the street. No need to worry about an onslaught of people coming in and asking about your unorthodox advertising methods.
The Picket Fence turned out to truly be the Lucky 13 for the PE Coffee Crawl. Thank you to Lise and staff!
Until next week,
Ellen
 |
| This Week's Crawlers Beryl, Stella, Fran, Beth, June |
 |
| Meet the Barista Zoleka |
 |
| Meet the Owner Lise Sponneck |