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Dining Out: Java Jitters is more than just a coffee shop

The Columbian
Published: July 16, 2010, 12:00am

Why: Owner and artist Robyeen Hall-Albertus transformed the former Battle Grounds Coffee House into a cafe with Italian flair and opened for business Feb. 1 as Java Jitters Cafe.

Ruby, as she is also known, has created a menu with all of the specialty coffee drinks, tea, Italian sodas and smoothies one would expect to find in an Italian cafe yet with enough food to make Java Jitters a viable option for breakfast or lunch. What distinguishes the food, in addition to using genuine clotted cream on the scones, Ruby said, is that the items are homemade.

Atmosphere: Red, black and white define the decor of the small, downstairs cafe, which has room for 10 to 12 patrons. On days when the weather is nice, the cafe extends seating into the back garden and side lawn, as well as the walkway in front of the cafe. Pets are welcome on the outdoor grounds of Java Jitters.

The coffeehouse displays work for sale by local artists. In keeping with a locally supported vibe, a bulletin board above a comfy leather sofa offers a place for community postings. The cafe also has antique furniture for sale on the second floor.

What I tried: For lunch, I had the Chicken Salad Sandwich with a glass of Tetley iced tea. I also sampled the Chocolate Chip Scone and a cup of Caffé D’arte coffee.

The chicken salad is made with premium canned chicken, which has a good texture and isn’t too salty. The salad also contains walnuts, apples, a generous amount of cranberries and just enough mayonnaise to hold the ingredients together without being excessively moist. The sandwich comes on wheat bread with rich, green lettuce. The cranberries had a strong, sweet presence, which paired well with the mellow apples. The walnuts added more to the texture than the flavor. Overall, it was just what I had envisioned for a homemade chicken salad sandwich.

The scone was large and had an abundance of chocolate chips. It wasn’t quite as heavy and dense as a typical scone, which was ideal for the chocolate chips because it allowed them room to shine. It was served warm, horizontally sliced, with a bit of clotted cream inside and a small dollop on top.

The downside of my visit: The cream I added to my coffee curdled. When I asked about it, Ruby said that she fills the container with heavy cream instead of half-and-half, and it had been an hour and a half past the time she typically would have refreshed it.

Menu highlights beyond what I tried: For breakfast, there is a burrito-style breakfast wrap that customers build from a list of ingredients. Panini are also available for lunch.

Cost: Specialty coffee drinks are $1 to $4.35. The Chicken Salad Sandwich is $6.75. Panini are $5.75 each, and the burrito-style breakfast wrap is $3.25. Scones are $2.

Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Telephone: 360-723-0900.

Where: 113 E. Main St., Battle Ground.

Health Score: Java Jitters Cafe received a score of 0 on March 18. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants that score 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.

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