Address: 3025 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Coffee roaster: Four Letter Word
B's brew: bottomless drip coffee
C's brew: bottomless drip coffee
Sweet: In house - Cannele
Tunes played: Bob Marley & The Wailers - Lively Up Yourself (Live) album
Website: cellardoorprovisions.com
Here we are again, after taking another little break from our blog. Charlie and I have suffered an incredible amount of loss and change the past year and we've been trying to learn how to deal with the ebbs and flows of it all. While listening to music the other day I heard JJ Grey sing, "I finally understand, it can't be understood". I played the words over in my head and it gave me some clarity that I've been hoping for. It's amazing how something simple like the lyrics of a song can do that. I then started to realize how important this [self fulfilling] little project is to me and the relationships in my life whether it's with Charlie, a childhood friend, or a person I have yet to meet who will most likely inspire me in some way, like most people do.
I have a new weekly ritual with an old childhood friend, Lara. We get together, eat food, drink coffee, and laugh like we used to when we were 10 years old. Lara and I share in the same mindset of continuous ideas so she is a source of motivation for me. Charlie had some designs to share for Lara's new business venture, so the three of us went to Cellar Door Provisions to brainstorm. Lara frequents the spot and spoke highly of their pastries, so we thought we would give it a try.
It's hard to say what I liked best about Cellar Door. Everything was on point. The coffee. The light. The customer service. The Pastries. It's almost a given that my favorite spots end up being the ones where we converse with the staff, and in this case, one of the partners, Tony. He went from telling us about The Plant where Four Letter Word brews their coffee, to getting an in depth description of how the butter is clarified in their amazingly delicious canneles. We were also lucky to have a conversation with him regarding his take on the "masculinity" in the Chicago coffee brewing community. If you are interested in speaking with a well versed, unpretentious, culinary connoisseur, I would give Tony a visit. While you're there, be sure to order one of each pastry, enjoy them in-shop with a cup of bottomless drip coffee and then order the rest of the pastries to go. They are that good.
