EDITOR’S NOTE: To read the latest posts on Simon’s coffee shop adventures, visit his blog at www.hold-the-coffee.blogspot.com.

I know what you're thinking... it is about time a Lake County coffee shop is finally reviewed! (And trust me, it won't be my last. I'll probably have Open Door Coffee on here sometime in the next two months.)

Arabica looks so inviting from the outside,
or is that just Matt's face?

Most posts on this blog have been dedicated to indie coffee shops I infrequently visit, and Arabica Coffee House is definitely not among them. I often camp out at the Downtown Willoughby coffee shop at least twice a month. It's partly because the News-Herald's office is only a four-minute drive away, but mostly it is because Arabica offers a fresh breath of indie flare in a county that is severely inundated with frontal parking lots and five-lane roads. If Euclid, Richmond Heights or western Lake County offered more indie coffee venues, I probably wouldn't need to know Arabica's hours of operation by heart like I do now.

My boyfriend Matt and I visited Arabica Friday, Jan. 17, for a pre-workout coffee break. Being so close to the newsroom, we were fortunate to have some of my coworkers, Amy, Devon and Cheryl join us for coffee.

Matt realizing he just poured salt in his coffee.
He said he thought the salt shaker was vanilla.

Location: There's only a handful of places in Lake County that possess a neighborhood-like flare (or a strong potential for it.) Those areas sit either around State and Main Street in Painesville, High and Third Street in Fairport Harbor and Route 84 and 528 in Madison Village. Downtown Willoughby, comprised mostly of Route 20, stands out as the success story in the county. Although it doesn't reach the offerings of some destinations in Columbus, Buffalo and Cleveland, Downtown Willoughby does remarkably well in creating a critical mass commercial district for a relatively small city. The first time I visited Downtown Willougby, its brick facades, narrow streets and seamless layer of buildings reminded me of Downtown Kent, minus the nearby massive college campus and needless hassle to find free parking.

They taste as good as they look.

Speaking about free parking, there's plenty of it near Arabica, whether its along Euclid Avenue, Spaulding Street, Erie Street or the municipal lot in front of City Hall. (Yes, Downtown Willoughby has a front parking lot, unfortunately.) I'd argue Arabica's storefront is the most convenient location for drivers in Downtown Willoughby.

Food and Beverages: If there's one thing that separates Arabica from most coffee shops, it is the baked goods, mostly the cookies and brownies. Their designs are often compelling and flavors often rich in  sweetness that I am surprised Arabica's management doesn't place signs near the counter warning diabetic patrons to stare with caution. Matt and I often leave Arabica with carb comas.  Friday's visit was not so different. Matt and I spent $10 and change for two 20-ounce coffees (one with an espresso shot) and two baked goods. Matt was wise and ordered a cranberry granola bar. I was weak-minded and caved in to the smore-brownie, which was the size of a stack of note cards.

Matt and I got Styrofoam cups.Nearly an hour later,
Devon showed us that you can order a mug if you ask. 

If there's one thing that troubles me about Arabica, however, it is its use of Styrofoam cups. Now, I can probably count at least a handful of other indie coffee shops that use Styrofoam, but that's no excuse. We just entered 2014, and it's little secret of the environmental consequences of Styrofoam. And Arabica uses plenty of Styrofoam cups--even for iced beverages, strangely enough. Up until a week ago, I didn't know you could actually order a mug if you asked the barista for it.

Space and Atmosphere: Arabica checks off all of the necessities of a neighborhood coffee shop, combining its wood-panel flooring, exposed brick walls, earth-tone lighting and antique black-and-white photos of Willoughby's urbanized landscape.

An artistic low-angle shot of Arabica!

Arabica excels especially well as a night-life bar. Not having done it myself, I can see patrons starting their bar crawl at Arabica to fill up on some caffeine and sober conversation before launching into one of Downtown Willoughby's nearly dozen bars.

With plenty of outlets and a Wi-Fi password available on the receipts, Arabica also offers patrons good working space. However be warned: the tables near the Erie Street door can get pretty drafty. The building is so old, I can't be too surprised by the draft. I often wonder if that's why Arabica was closed during the polar vortex earlier this month. In addition, its suppose to be closed Monday and Tuesday because of the Alberta Clipper, according to its Facebook page. Ouch! Closed on a frigid day when people like myself need you most? Not cool, Arabica. Not cool.

Here's Matt, Jan. 6, finding out that Arabica is closed
because of the Polar Vortex.

Again, if you have suggestions of a coffee shop for a future entry, send it to me via email--shusted@news-herald.com--or on Twitter at @SimonSaysNH.

When I came across Ballantine's post on Facebook last week about the Stone Beer Dinner on Jan. 20, I immediately texted the menu to my boyfriend. The beer — all from Stone Brewing Company — didn't exactly sound like my style, but the food seemed too good to pass up at the $35-a-head price. And wow, that is one of the best meals I have ever had.

The menu and the dishes — with some fancy Instagram filtering.

Course by course

The Citrus Arugula Salad was perfectly balanced flavor and texture. I was scraping the plate with my fork to try to get every last bit of prosciutto and citrus vinaigrette.

The Braised Pork Sliders — wow. I am pretty sure I said "Oh my god, these are amazing" with my mouth full more than once while eating these. A big fan of onions, I would have preferred a bit more of the "cotton onion" on my sliders. Also probably a bit more of the cole slaw. But the serving size was big enough, given the amount of food we were served (and beer).

The Righteous Chili was exactly how I like chili made — hearty with a spice that you doesn't hit you immediately. I couldn't detect any of the chocolate (my boyfriend good), but still enjoyed it.

The Coffee Rubbed Duck came to the table when I started feeling full. I actually had to pause before finishing the duck — and skipped some of the veggies on the plate to ensure I had room for dessert. I do not ever see myself cooking duck, and am not sure if I would regularly order it in a restaurant, but I was definitely looking forward to this. The meat was a little raw for my liking; though it tasted fine, the texture took me a minute to adjust to. But the coffee rub on it was incredible. And the cranberry redux? I'm probably going to be dreaming about that. If this dish lands a spot on Ballantine's menu, I definitely will be ordering it on a future visit.

The Pecan Ball was tasty and light — which was good after finishing the previous four courses and their accompanying beers. But it also was the most ordinary dish of the five. I could make this at home, which may be why it initially jumped out at me on the menu. I didn't not enjoy any of the courses, but this one was my least favorite, probably because it was so simple.

The beer

As I said earlier, the beer wasn't exactly my style, but all of it was good. The Levitation Amber Ale is probably the only one I would order on its own in the future, but that's just my taste. The others went perfectly with the dishes and were, to me, enjoyable in that context. I think my boyfriend actually might have been a bit impressed that I drank some hoppy varieties, which normally I avoid or taste before quickly swigging my own beverage.

More, please!

Our server let us know that more beer dinners are planned in February, March and April:

• Bells Beer Dinner on Feb. 10
• Southern Tier Beer Dinner on March 10
• Jackie-O's Beer Dinner on April 14

I thought she had said the Jackie-O's dinner wasn't set yet, but I sure hope it is! They're brewing some good stuff in Athens, and I would love to see what Ballantine will cook up to pair with the beer.

Like Ballantine on Facebook to keep updated on future beer dinner plans. Maybe I will see you there!

The new crepes restaurant in Downtown Willoughby is pretty amazing.

I had lunch at Crepes in the City the other day with Managing Editor Laura Kessel, who reviewed it this week (Dining Out: Willoughby's new Crepes in the City does just fine with the savory, astounds with the sweet). I agree with everything she said about the eatery, and I'm looking forward to going back. I mean, the Strawtella crepe has got to be in the top 5 desserts I've ever had, and I'm guessing the other sweet offerings would be strong contenders for that list as well.

Some more pictures from Crepes in the City:

Breakfast menu

Main menu

Customized art

Hawaiian crepe (with roasted pineapple sauce on top)

Strawtella — stuffed with strawberries and Nutella

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl