Choices abound for coffee connoisseurs
Restaurants cater to students' desires
By Amanda Traughber Special to the Kansan
Decaf, black or topped with whipped cream, coffee from some Lawrence restaurants won't let a coffee fan go unsatisfied.
"It's a nice place to go after you eat with friends to talk and hang out," Tracey Cluthe, Houston, Texas, sophomore said about La Prima Tazza, 638 Massachusetts St.
Heather Lofflin / KANSAN
She said that she just recently had started frequenting La Prima Tazza because she liked the nice, relaxed atmosphere.
On Friday and Saturday nights, La Prima Tazza, with its subdued lighting and simple decor, attracts people of all ages.
Bart Smith, manager of La Prima Tazza,
said the cafe was busy almost constantly
during its business hours. La Prima Tazza is
open 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, 7 a.m. to midnight Friday and
Saturday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Smith said La Prima Tazza was unique because the people that worked there were highly skilled in making the specialty coffees the cafe is known for.
Stephen Mathis, Memphis, Tenn., graduate student, studies the philosophy of language at La Prima Tazza coffee shop. He said he usually goes there to study at night but does not stay long if it is crowded.
sachusetts St. Blue Bird recently extended its hours to accommodate people who were looking for a place to go after bars closed. The diner is now open from midnight to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Right down to the shaved chocolate sprinkles topping gourmet drinks such as Mocha Florentine, Black Forest Mocha and Iced Grasshoppers, La Prima Tazza tries to use nothing but the best ingredients. Smith said.
Another place that serves a large student clientele is the Blue Bird Diner, 814 Mas
The Blue Bird Diner is also open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
"There's a lot of competition downtown," said Sheryl Robertson, co-owner of the Blue Bird. "We wanted to do something different, and we're near all the bars."
Blue Bird is different from other restaurants that serve coffee because of its diner theme and decor, Robertson said.
On a weekend night, students can listen to techno music and sip any of seven different kinds of espresso made in Blue Bird's espresso bar. The diner also offers organic coffees.
Many different menu items include what Robertson calls "down-home American" dishes such as pot pies, hamburgers, pastas, and vegetarian dishes.
Julie Nelson, manager of the Terra Nova Cafe, inside the Terra Nova bookstore at 920 Massachusetts Sf., said she had noticed a significant number of students at night and on the weekends but not as many as she had expected.
"I thought that there would be more student traffic since this is a university town," she said.
The Terra Nova lunch crowd is generally a little older, but students come in at night for coffee and dessert. Nelson said.
The Terra Nova Cafe, which opened last July, serves organically grown coffee and
teas and natural sodas. Other menu items, which include sandwiches and salads, Salmon Gruyere Cheesecake, Wild Wild Chicken (chicken with wild rice and a wild mushroom cream sauce) and venison, are made in the cafe. The menu and the coffees served change frequently.
Other old standbys for late-night coffee drinkers include restaurants that are open 24 hours a day, such as Dunkin Donuts, 521 W. 23rd St.; Perkins Restaurant, 1711 W. 23rd St.; Village Inn Pancake House, 821 Iowa St.; and Munchers Bakery, 925 Iowa
St., except on Mondays when it is closed.
Neil Christensen, manager of Village Inn, said the restaurant saw its biggest rushes at midnight on week nights after the libraries closed and at 2 a.m. on weekends after bars closed.
Village Inn offers a 10 percent student discount.
Village Inn, Perkins and Dunkin Donuts have smoking sections, and the Blue Bird Diner allows smoking from midnight to 3 a.m. La Prima Tazza and the Terra Nova Cafe do not allow smoking.
February 11, 1994 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN •THE GUIDE TO GOING OUT
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