Monarch and the Milkweed

Monarch and the Milkweed

111 St. Paul Street

Burlington, Vermont 05401

Oh boy! I stumbled upon this gem purely on accident. I believe the story starts out as I was parking on St. Paul Street in hopes of dropping off a form at Burlington City Hall which is directly across from Monarch and the Milkweed. I turned around and saw what looked like a neon colored led light of a monarch illuminating from the window of a storefront and instantly I knew I had to visit.

I added Monarch and the Milkweed to my list of cafes that I needed to visit, but it wasn't until recently that I actually visited the cafe and you better believe I'll be back again. It was by far the most incredible food experience of my life. The food delivered on my plate was carefully plated as if it was in an art gallery and the cappuccino was the perfect amount of foam and espresso. Yum!

I arrived early on a Wednesday morning and lucked out as the weather was particularly sunny for a crisp Fall day. I chose to sit at the counter facing one of the two large glass windows of the cafe so I could do some people watching while sipping on my cup of joe. The cafe is rather small, but has an adequate number of seating options and all have access to the windows. The space is very bright, hip and modern. 

The coffee options are a bit limited, but they cover all of the bases of what one would expect from a coffee shop. I can't fault them on that. The prices for the food items are a bit high as breakfast sides (eggs, home fries, etc) are $4.00 each. However, the eggs and home fries were made flawlessly. What makes Monarch and the Milkweed so great is that it's known for its' high-quality pastries. I ordered a raspberry torte and it was finger licking delicious (pictured below). I believe in the next few days I went back and bought at least three more....and you should too!

There is plenty of parking across the street and around town, but it will cost you a couple of quarters. The cafe is truly exceptional and also has a lunch and dinner menu along with fancy cocktails and draft beers. The cafe is to die for...literally. 

Atmosphere: 5/5

Seating: 5/5

Coffee: 5/5

Food: 6/5 lol 

21/20

A++ Superb establishment!

Black Cap Coffee

Black Cap Coffee

144 Main Street

Stowe, Vermont 05672

A few months ago I ventured outside of Chittenden County into neighboring Washington County as I had heard raving reviews about a little coffee shop. Black Cap Coffee is located smack dab in the middle of downtown Stowe, Vermont and features a large coffee menu as well as a few pastry and sandwich items. Black Cap is known for their specialty coffees and all those featuring exotic flavor shots. The decor is very homey and there's couches and tables aplenty throughout the space. 

The shop also features a room that is full of refrigerated coolers featuring some of the best craft beers in Vermont and beyond. How great is that, coffee and craft brews in the same space! Black Cap has outdoor seating as well and the baristas will deliver your drinks if you choose to sit outside. Now if beer, coffee and comfortable seating wasn't enough, there's a section in the corner that sells little Vermont knick-knacks and creative cards.

I can't speak highly enough about Black Cap. This is a really terrific space and has adequate parking out front to top it off! Okay time for my rating!

Atmosphere: 5/5

Seating: 5/5

Coffee: 5/5

Food: 5/5

20/20

A+

Next time you're in the Stowe area this is a must stop coffee shop!