Comet Coffee

Belle Cheves  

My last column discussed Café Ambrosia as an excellent study spot. Today, let’s just take a few steps into Nickel’s Arcade and go to Comet Coffee. For those who enjoy an early morning, classy, exotic cup of coffee at a refreshing study spot, Comet Coffee is an excellent alternative to the norm of crowded, noisy coffee shops.
For example, on a Sunday morning such as this - take a stroll through the arcade (for those of you who may not know, the arcade runs between State and Maynard and the entrance off of State is right by Bivouac and Espresso Royale) and order your cup of coffee. However, this coffee isn’t just a regular, “house” brew. You must choose between four or five coffees that constantly change. My cup is from Ecuador! They brew each cup individually, and you can get either drip, French press, or made in a vacuum pot (I consider myself an avid coffee drinker and even I had to look that one up - it is coffee prepared by an air vacuum and vapor pressure).
The atmosphere is very welcoming - soft, slightly strange yet interesting music playing in the background, a very amenable staff, and a bar area with a couple of tables where you can sit and enjoy your freshly brewed, individualized cup of coffee.
My favorite part, however, is what’s outside in the arcade. Two tables with a couple of chairs about them present the ideal place to sit on a warm (while it still is…) morning and enjoy your coffee and book. The sun streams in the windows of the arcade, the occasional bird flies through chirping away, and the people watching, while perhaps a bit distracting at times, is excellent.
As a small, out-of-the-way place, Comet Coffee is the exotic coffee-lover’s paradise. It is the perfect beginning of the day study spot where you can quietly wake up and get acclimated to the tasks of the day and the work that lies ahead.

Café Ambrosia

Belle Cheves

Summer has come and gone and we foodies at the University of Michigan are back in Ann Arbor, looking forward to the hot cider and leaves falling. Unfortunately, with this comes fall semester and getting back in the groove of studying away. With my great love of food (and I actually kinda like studying too… embarrassing, but that’s ok) I personally enjoy combining food and studying. So, my column this year shall focus on spots where I can study with food. Every two weeks, I’ll highlight another prime spot where one can study away without worrying where to find a bite to eat.
Let’s start with my favorite. Café Ambrosia. Many students don’t realize this gem exists. Nestled between the parking garage and the bike shop on Maynard, Ambrosia has some of the best coffee in town if you ask me (they also have the best carrot cake, as seen in my dessert column last year), and I’m rarely seen without my mug of steaming coffee. Their extra small also happens to be the cheapest near campus (unless you use the vending coffee machine in Angell hall, which is just nasty and doesn’t even work half the time), and larger than any small that one might buy from Espresso or Starbucks.
But I don’t go just for the coffee and space to put my books down. I go for the atmosphere. You walk in the door and are greeted with the delightful smells of freshly brewed coffee, the hum of fingers typing away, an eclectic, ever-changing selection of music playing throughout (at the moment a very interesting flute concerto is performed on NPR, but I’ve heard everything from the classic oldies to new electronic). Ambrosia also highlights artists’ work on their walls with rotating exhibits to keep it interesting when you get lost in thought trying to figure out what on earth your professor wants you to say in the paper you’re working on. A basement table area provides a quieter, almost library like atmosphere where you can get down to business on that history paper or math homework.
And of course, I also go for the food. My favorite carrot cake will appear on occasion, as well as the best vegan cookies ever. They also have non-vegan chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, for those grossed out by the idea of butter and chocolate that doesn’t come from an animal. A favorite morning snack of mine is their apple turnovers — not too much, but just enough to get me through those first couple classes of the day.
Ambrosia, unlike some coffee shops (*cough Starbucks*), allow for individuality to shine out — be it amongst the friendly staff who choose the music, the fascinating drinks (buy 10 and get one free), or the art decorating the walls. The chill, welcoming atmosphere, coupled with the great coffee and excellent treats, make Ambrosia one of the best spots in town to meet up with friends or settle in for an afternoon of studying.