Coffee Shop #2: Opposable Thumb Gallery and Cafe

This picture's from edibleportland.com

And now the long-awaited coffee shop #2. The Opposable Thumb is a pretty delightful place to hang out and do work, especially if you’re a twenty-something hipster, like most people wandering around the 20’s and 30’s blocks of Belmont.

To give you an idea of the amount of time you can spend here, I’ll mention that I once remained here for about eight hours without once going outside. It was a little ridiculous, I guess, but I hadn’t brought my raincoat and it was raining steadily the whole day, so I was not about venture outside. Luckily, I was in good company, and my raincoated friends ran across the street to Zupan’s and brought me back an energizing marionberry scone after about four hours, so in the end it really only felt like seven hours staring at my computer screen. When I finally left, it was to go see Star Trek, so as you can presume, it was a very awesome day.

The Opposable Thumb pimps itself as a gallery and cafe, and they do indeed have a rotation of local art on the walls, most of which usually features naked women (although this could really be said of most art on the walls of most coffee shops, don’t you think?). The atmosphere is -

I’m sorry, my writing was just interrupted by a gchat conversation with Dolores, who is in the jury duty assembly room, watching MC Hammer on The Today Show and bored out of her mind. After discussing how I am similar to “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson (it’s mostly the bulging muscles, if you’re wondering), we had to spend a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to make the pile-of-poo emoticon (~ @ ~, if you’re wondering) and in the process learned how to make a cowbell, monkey, mustachioed man, and devil. Yes, we are classy college graduates.

Back to the topic at hand: The atmosphere here is markedly less hippie-ish and more hipstery than at Chance of Rain. Trade those long skirts and dreads for short skirts with leggings, big-framed glasses, and edgy, purposefully messy haircuts. The music (which is loud) is mostly indie with some fun old stuff thrown in; I have heard playing at various time the New Pornographers, Beck, and Stevie Wonder. It’s sort of sterile here, in that everything is neat, the decor is modern, the walls are white, and the couches/armchairs are beige, but it’s pretty comfortable nonetheless. There are plenty of tables that are good for doing work or (which is more likely) pretending to do work, and it’s very open and light.

Now let’s talk menu. We’ve got some fancy-pants assortments here, from the paninis with arugula-hazelnut pesto and chevre to the smoky tomato soup with house-made focaccia to the smoked salmon sandwich. They serve Kettelman’s bagels, house-made granola, and a wide array of baked goods, including coffee cake, cookies, and bran muffins. And while we’re on the sweeter side of things, did I mention they have gelato? It’s true: hand-made from Stella Gelato in Eugene, and you can get it on top of a cookie as an open-faced ice cream sandwich. And they have carrot cake. And they have pie. So obviously by now you’re on your way over. BUT WAIT, I’M NOT DONE. They not only have coffee and tea but beer on tap (both regular and of the root variety), wine, all kinds of spirits and cocktails, and gelato cocktails.

And if all that weren’t enough, it’s located right next to Saint Cupcake. And with that, I’m done. There is nothing else to say. Come here for a satisfying cafe experience and be prepared to stay for awhile.

With Portland love in my heart,
Your Portland Twenty-something