Tables and chairs hold the secret at Grumpy Steve's Coffee House

October 22, 8:24 AMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

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Grumpy Steve's on Wabasha and Plato Blvd., St. Paul

Coffee houses never have lent themselves well to any "Top Ten" or "Best Of" lists for a number of reasons. On the other hand, Grumpy Steve's Coffee House is one of the reasons why City Secrets was created.

Most of us go to a coffee shop that's close to either home, work, or on the way during the commute. Most of us go for altruistic reasons. They have a drive-thru, perhaps, or a cup o' joe that doesn't require ninety three cents in change rattling in your change cup in the car or, worse yet, throwing your balance off one way or the other depending on the position of the ballast in your pockets. 

Geography lessons are for free at any self respecting store, allowing my horizons to expand to the exotic and untamed lands of Colombia, Kenya, or Sumatra but I don't go there for that and I doubt anyone in numbers does either. There are no professors there to guide the world tour so I drink the coffee and if I think of it I'll give the globe a spin when I get home to see where I've been today.

We are led to believe that the aroma and taste of the various beverages is one of the criteria and while it may be true for some, I believe that once a person has zeroed in on their own preference there is little experimentation after that. The number of people willing to get in the old Volvo and drive across town to sample a Kenyan treat that is said to be out of this world can be counted on one person's fingers and we live in a metro somewhere between two and three million souls. The razzle doesn't dazzle me much there.

There are many places decorated with living room furniture. A sofa and chair combo that sits next to a fireplace and all is cozy except for a couple of complaints. Once I get into a comfy, cozy, sofa or chair I find myself trapped, unable to extricate myself. Oh, yeah. There's no place to spread out the paper or schoolbooks or anything so I sit there, contemplating my next move. The Sumatran coffee does little to ease my impatience.

Grumpy Steve's Coffee House is on the corner of Plato Blvd. and Wabasha St. across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Paul. Grump's has the usual mix of coffees, pastries, light breakfasts and lunches and I'm guessing they're all pretty good. What Grumpy's has that hardly anyone else has is...big tables with chairs that make sense. For the most part, I usually want to at least scan a newspaper or drag out the laptop and I want to do it comfortably without worrying about space for me and my comfort.

What I do not want is the oh, so cute high checkerboard tables with their chairs that only Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary would be relaxed in. There is no room to spread out and I never seem to remember the checkerboard pieces, anyway. I want them with a high backs so I can drape my parka behind me without snarling anyone up who's passing by the rear. I want my feet to touch the floor. The premium is on comfort and they don't feel that every centimeter should be used for seating. There's elbow room and a chance to breathe.

The tables and chairs are the reason that this little shop next to the Wabasha St. Caves gets my Best Secret in the City award. Good brew, good food, lots of free parking, and a place that family and friends can meet in the morning barking and yacking and reading the paper. It probably is even worth the drive out of your own neighborhood haunts.