When Jittery is Good
Book Grinders, 13321 Burbank Blvd., 818-988-4503
by Darwyn Carson
I’D BEEN OUT OF TOWN, SO WHEN I ENTERED the doors of the Book Grinder for the first time in a couple of weeks, I experienced a degree of panic. I looked about. Something was different.
The Book Grinders opened up sometime mid-summer. Right smack dab in between the all day/all night Kinko’s and the ever popular Subway, it is a combination book store and cappuccino bar. I had scoped it out soon after the sign went up announcing its arrival in the neighborhood.
Scooping out anything to do with coffee, in and of itself, was a bit of a surprise to me and anyone who knows me. I do confess that, although I have been an avid book reader since knee-high to anything, I have not been first in line at the coffee counter. While everyone else was getting their first jolts of energy every morning in the office break room, I was always mellowing out on herb tea.
“Coffee makes me too jittery,” I often said, to friends and acquaintances alike. “My thought processes speed up, but my mouth doesn’t speed up with it, so I end up tripping over my words like an idiot. Plus, I don’t like the taste.”
And then a friend of mine (bless him) introduced me to a well-known coffee bar, and I had their famous ice-blended mocha drink. I was hooked. I hate to say it. I hate to admit it. I, queen of aerobics, green leafy vegetables, and weight lifting, began a city-wide quest.
Once I’d discovered ice-blended coffee in one locale, I thought, “Surely, there has to be more. I know that I can get this special brew other places. But where? Where?” The search was on. And, as luck would have it, a plethora of small, stylish coffee houses reminiscent (so they tell me) of the fifties and sixties beatnik days have come into vogue. While I was sleeping, or so it seems, these places have become so popular, one can find a gourmet coffee house almost as readily as one can find a 7-11 store.
Now, “gourmet” is the operative word here. Because another thing I have discovered is—I am a snob. Once I had fallen in love with ice-blended mocha, it was a short hop, skip, and jump to trying the flavor of the day, which is a basic must at most coffee bars. I’ve had Hazelnut, Chocolate Macadamia, Hawaiian Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, as well as the ever popular house blend. It’s like on Seinfeld when Jerry and Elaine were flying back to New York and there were two seats left. One in coach and one… in first class. “There’s no way I can sit in coach,” Jerry says to Elaine. “I’ve had first class. I’ve been there. Once you’ve been in first class, you can’t go back.”
That’s sort of how I feel about coffee.
If a date asks me out for a cup of java nowadays, he better not be talkin’ Denny’s. (No offense to Denny’s. I mean, they’ve got great breakfasts.) But the point is, I now know why I’ve disliked coffee all through the years. I was having the “coach” of coffees! Now that I’ve experienced coffee first class, you’ll never get me to go back again. For those of you who haven’t been to any of the cafés and emporiums, don’t go unless you want the same thing to happen to you.
Now, Book Grinders doesn’t have a lot of fancy schmancy flavors, but what it does have is coffee brewed from the arabica bean (considered by many enthusiasts to be the best coffee bean around), grown at 5,000 feet on the Guatemalan hillsides. The beans are hand-picked, then “carefully roasted to exact specifications to create a truly gourmet coffee,” according to the Book Grinders’ menu. The way I see it, one sip says it all. “Ahh… now that’s a good cup of coffee.”
When this bookstore/coffee bar opened, I was ecstatic. L.A. Valley College was not in session and whenever I stopped by the “Grinder” (on a daily basis), I sort of felt that the place belonged to me. What is different about it, after my brief absence, is that it now belongs to others as well. The low-slung couches located in the middle of the store are home to bodies hanging out, reading, and studying the afternoon away. And while there was only an occasional book signing in the past, there is now a whole calendar detailing evenings of literature and music for an entire month to come.
Events are scheduled that appeal to people of all ages. On any given Saturday one can find storytelling in the children’s room. Laura Joffe Numeroff recently read and signed copies of her picture book for children, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Every third Wednesday of the month, actors perform a live reading of a classical piece of literature from Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde for the thespians of the neighborhood. Throughout the month, there is a sprinkling of evening performances by an eclectic group of musicians. Classical guitarists, harpists, violinists, and one of the favorite groups—Burning Cedar, an acoustic jazz combo.
Well, I’ve resigned myself to sharing Book Grinders with other patrons. It’s only fair. If you wish to scope it out for yourself, the address is 13321 Burbank Blvd. Should you care for a flyer detailing their monthly happenings, just phone 818-988-4503. The staff is always pleasant, even when I roll in from the gym looking like a bum. They’ll be happy to answer all of your questions.
Oh, before I forget. There’s another plus side to having a good cup of “joe.” I seem to get all of my errands finished, and in record time, too. It’s funny how that works. ♦