We were at dinner a while ago — doesn't matter where, doesn't matter when — and Sarah ordered a cup of coffee, post-meal.

The restaurant is a gem. A hot, exciting, headliney gem. Folks love it.

But the coffee?

Ugh.

"It's like hotel coffee," she said.

Ooof.

We got to thinking: has it become normal for us to expect the finest of restaurant meals followed by sub-par coffee?

Do we lower our standards on restaurant coffee? Want a good cup? There are plenty of places in town. And they're all coffeeshops.

Coffee can be instructively gorgeous as part of a meal; several friends have reminded us of that, none more than Spencer Perez.

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Do restaurants cut corners? Is restaurant coffee part of your meal ... or an afterthought?

Do you enjoy — and trust — a good cup of coffee after a restaurant meal?

A while ago, our Food as a Verb family responded.

"Our answer is yes," one reader said. "We do when we get our noon meal out. Today we had an espresso after a nice meal at a place that is one of our regular after church meal places. It's not in your part of town but you may want to check it out."

Where?

"It's Aji Peruvian in the Ooltewah area. ... the restaurant has been there since 2011 and I think run by the same family the entire time. The woman who runs it has told us that she developed her own recipe for a vegetarian 'meat.'

"What I had today was called 'Tacu Tacu Vegetariano.' But follow whatever meal you get there with their Cubano coffee and flan and you'll leave satisfied."

Another reader:

"I'm an older person who has a low tolerance for caffeine, so generally any coffee I order after a meal has to be decaf, which isn't always available. (For example, Calliope offers an Arabic coffee that I'd love to try, but I want to sleep at night!).

"I lived in France for many years, where an espresso after a meal is a given (and usually inexpensive, even in high-end places).

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"So if I've had a lovely meal that I want to last a little longer, I'll ask for a decaf espresso, but often that's not available or disappointing (don't get me started on the often insipid drip decaf offered).

"To to answer your question, I'd like to order a little coffee at almost every meal but I almost never do in Chattanooga."

Wow. That line alone ...

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Another reader:

"Coffee at restaurants," she began in her email, "that is how I end my meals if I go out with people who order dessert because I just have this thing that I do NOT LIKE dessert after a meal at a restaurant. 

"Since I was a kid never liked to end a meal that way.  Dessert at home, for sure.  Dessert just because, for sure. 

"It is a RARE day that I want dessert after a meal when at a restaurant. So pretty much anytime I go to dinner with my parents I order coffee while they have dessert.

"There is always the occasional after dinner drink if a place carries fernet but that is rare to find in the South.  And most likely if I go to lunch with my parents ... my dad and I order coffee.  He ALWAYS is going to order coffee after his meal.  We do it most every time.  But if I get lunch ... on my own I never order coffee.  It is associations I guess more than anything.  It kinda shocks me they serve it.  And my dad always asks for it to go and they always have to go cups which shocks me even more."

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Is it generational to order restaurant coffee after a meal? It is old fashioned?

If you're reading this and have found restaurants that serve top-shelf coffee and you enjoy it and include that as part of your meal regularly, send us a note.

Speaking of Old Fashioneds ...

This is Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week, with a Sip & Support event donating $1 from every Old Fashioned served to the Southern Smoke Foundation. 

Easy Bistro, Little Coyote and Main Street Meats are offering special Old Fashioned featuring Easy Bistro's Elijah Craig Private Barrel Pick.

The name?

It's called “HR Nitemare."

There's also the “Vanderbilt” Old Fashioned at Main Street Meats.

The “Rockefeller” Old Fashioned at Easy Bistro.

The “Carlos Slim” at Little Coyote.

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Back to the HR Nitemare.

The folks at Easy describe it as "rich, aromatic, and spirit-forward, with the nine-year bourbon bringing deep notes of leather, dried fruit, and a walnut-nuttiness. Angostura and orange bitters balance it for layered spice and bright citrus, while a house-made rich turbinado sugar adds subtle molasses-like sweetness and roundness. Served over a large cube, it drinks slowly and cleanly at 132.4 proof, finished with an orange twist that releases a fragrant burst of fresh citrus over the glass."

This ain't no hotel coffee here, friends.

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Speaking, once more, of Old Fashioneds ...

We have visited one of the most old fashioned places in the city. Old, like centuries. Fashioned, as in one of the coolest places that's hidden in plain sight.

That's me listening to the stalwart Jim Stewart describe the situation.

Maybe you can spot where we're standing.

It's dire, my friends.

On Sunday, we're announcing the civic emergency facing Maclellan Island.

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.

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