Storefront City Chicago

Archive for the tag “Dunkin’ Donuts”

11 Jan 2013

Kickstand Coffee & Tea

WHAT: Kickstand Coffee & Tea
WHERE: 824 W. Belmont Ave.

OUR RATING: Do It!

(kickstandcoffee.com)

(kickstandcoffee.com)

Started in 2010, Lakeview’s Kickstand Coffee & Tea is to nearby Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks as “The Shop around the Corner” is to “Fox Books” in the film You’ve Got Mail. (Yes, that reference DID just happen). Sure, you could settle down into either of these corporate coffee houses, OR, you could change things up a bit and try Kickstand on for size.

(kickstandcoffee.com)

(kickstandcoffee.com)

Kickstand can be simply described as a cozy hipster coffee shop. If you aren’t really into the hipster scene and don’t own a mac laptop (they offer free wifi), you might feel slightly out of place here, but just slightly. They’ve recently renovated so the place is a little less hipster, a little more…chic (dare we say)…but it’s nonetheless warm and inviting, with very friendly baristas.

(kickstandcoffee.com)

(kickstandcoffee.com)

The space is small and the tables large (and made of some interesting salvaged materials), encouraging strangers to share a table, and  perhaps even some conversation. The music tends to be on the louder side, so perhaps not your best bet if you’re planning to study.

(yelp.com)

(yelp.com)

Kickstand offers Metropolis Coffee, with your typical coffee selection (both hot and cold), including lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and hot chocolate. They have an alright tea selection (rather minimal for calling themselves a tea shop), with black, green, herbal, rooibos, oolong and white on order. Being simple folk, we’ve only ordered your basic coffee here, but have future plans on trying their mexican cocoa and their pu-aeh (fancy word for ginger) tea.

(yelp.com)

(yelp.com)

Kickstand also offers baked goods, and of course, lending to its hipster reputation, vegan options and vegan-gluten-free bars.

This is quite a cool spot for people watching also, as you can sit along the natural wood bar beside the window and gaze over the steaming wafts from your latte, pitying the poor souls rushing around beyond the pane.

So, if you are in the area and want to support the local economy and enjoy a relaxed and cozy atmosphere, Kickstand is the place to be. Drink Local! Drink Kickstand!

(yelp.com)

(yelp.com)

Posted in Drink It!, Eat It! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Dec 2012

Glazed and Infused Doughnuts

WHAT: Glazed and Infused (doughnuts)
WHERE: Lincoln Park Location (939 W. Armitage Ave)

OUR RATING: Do it!

Ever since those Dutch settlers introduced the United States to doughnuts in the distant past, America has had a love affair with the delectably fried treat. From Dunkin’ to Krispy Kreme, doughnuts have been a staple of the working American in need of a quick treat while on the way to work or on the road.

Glazed and Confused staff (courtesy of DNAinfo.com Chicago, Paul Biasco)

Glazed and Confused staff (courtesy of DNAinfo.com Chicago, Paul Biasco)

In keeping with this tradition, we stopped off at the pre-grand opening of the new Lincoln Park location of Glazed and Infused to pick up a free holiday treat. Glazed and Infused have four other stores: West Loop (813 W Fulton Market), Wicker Park (Francesca’s Forno – 1553 N Damen Ave), Streeterville (Rafaello Hotel – 201 E. Delaware Pl) and Little Italy (Davanti Enoteca – 1359 W. Taylor St).

It was fate for us to stumble upon this joint in our own backyard after having seen their location in the Rafaello Hotel on the night of “Sweet on Scotch,” and while also having sampled some of their mini doughnuts when visiting Topman/Topshop’s Pop Up Shop.

Glazed and Infused - Lincoln Park (courtesy of goglazed.com)

(Courtesy of goglazed.com)

This location of Glazed and Infused is conveniently located, being mere steps away from the turnstiles of the Armitage Brown/Purple Line. For the pre-grand opening, apparently, a swarm of commuters had descended upon the store (which has not officially opened yet and is still undergoing renovations) and had picked the place clean. Luckily, this gave us time to peruse an info card with all the possible flavor combinations on offer.

(courtesy of goglazed.com)

(courtesy of goglazed.com)

All items on the Glazed and Infused seasonal Winter menu are priced at $3 (except for the Vanilla Bean, at $2). Doughnuts include: Raised – vanilla bean glazed, candy cane twist, apple fritter; Cake – classic old fashioned, gingerbread old fashioned, carrot cake; Specialty – salted caramel crunch, chocolate chip cookie, egg nog-bourbon bismark; Premium – maple bacon long john, mint chocolate cake, crème brûlée. They’ve also got a few additional doughnuts on their regular menu.

When the truck carrying our long-awaited morning snack arrived, we were more than pleasantly surprised. The doughnuts were HUGE and not at all your traditional doughnut (thus totally worth the price point). These candy-cane shaped peppermint flavored gems, deliciously iced in red and white with just the right amount of space to hold on during your eating experience. In fact, we couldn’t finish the whole thing in one sitting, and managed to salvage it to go with afternoon tea later that day.

Candy Cane doughnuts (courtesy of Glazed and Infused)

Candy Cane doughnuts (courtesy of Glazed and Infused)

Our verdict on Glazed and Infused is simple: these are darn good doughnuts! Skip Dunkin’ and move aside Krispy Kreme, Chicago has a new guy on the block and we’re nuts for their doughnuts.

Posted in Eat It! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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