Why: Owners Marilyn, Paul and Annette King distinguish their Main St. Coffee House in Vancouver’s historic Heritage Building by serving coffee made with beans from Millar’s Genuine Wood Roasted Coffee in Yacolt. Wood-roasting gives the beans a smooth flavor. Choices at this coffee shop, which opened in February, extend beyond beverages and include breakfast items such as biscuits and gravy, homemade soup, made-to-order sandwiches and desserts.
Atmosphere: The Kings have put the “house” back into coffee house with a cozy, romantic décor. Never mind the buzz of activity in downtown Vancouver or on the freeway less than two blocks away; once you step inside you just might feel as though you’ve come home. Yellow walls with a touch of ivory and green are complemented by colorful stained-glass pendant lights. Furnishings made of wrought-iron and wood add warmth. A mixture of various other colors and textures bring more to the mix of this shop’s interior than the décor found in the latest generation of hipster coffee stops that attract a continuously moving line of regulars stopping in for coffee-on-the-go. In contrast, Main St. Coffee House entices one to stay a while with seating upstairs in the loft or on the inviting main floor.
What I tried: My dining companion and I both opted for a lunch combo which pairs a half sandwich with a cup of homemade soup or salad. I had the chicken havarti panino and my dining companion had the vegetable panino. The soup of the day was Pulled Pork and Four Bean. We couldn’t resist completing our combos with a cup of soup each after smelling the aroma of it in the air. We also tried the made-from-scratch chocolate chip cookie.
The soup was served in compostable plastic containers which are made from corn. So were the utensils. Though the advanced tableware was somewhat surprising given the shop’s historic atmosphere, it didn’t detract from the dining experience.
The soup imparted that warm soothing feeling of comfort food at its best. The pulled pork was lean and tender and a sweet essence of bell pepper lingered after each spoonful. A hint of spicy heat and smoky flavor combined with the other ingredients, of which I detected garlic and celery. The combination creates a Southwest flair without being purely of Southwest character.
One of the owners informed us that cilantro is included in this soup. Although my dining companion regularly avoids cilantro, she thoroughly enjoyed the soup.
Our sandwiches were made with thin-sliced sourdough bread and neither was heavily laden with ingredients. The chicken sandwich included avocado spread along with thin-sliced barbecued chicken breast and havarti cheese. The vegetable sandwich had a single layer of fresh spinach and three colors of bell pepper in addition to havarti cheese and a light amount of avocado spread. Both were grilled just right, allowing all the ingredients to heat through without the exterior becoming overly toasted. I noted that they were a true half sandwich as well, which was a perfect match for the 8-ounce cup of soup.
The cookies at Main http://www.columbian.com/admin/news/story/24516/#St. Coffee House are jumbo size. The chocolate chip cookie was made with milk chocolate chips and I found it to be similar in flavor and texture to a cookie bar with its firm texture.
The coffee hit somewhere in the medium range with an edge that reminded me of sunflower seeds. It was similar in taste to coffee I’ve sampled at Tully’s Coffee on Northeast Fifth Avenue in Vancouver, yet not as strong.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: The Beef & Horseradish with Cheddar panino caught my eye, as did the homemade cheesecake.
Other observations: My tasty and healthful lunch was comparable in cost to a fast-food meal, but was far superior. I left this shop feeling as though I had just discovered a welcome dining addition to downtown Vancouver.
Cost: Sandwiches range from $4.70 to $8. The shop’s lunch combination that includes a half sandwich and soup or salad costs $6 and doesn’t include a drink. Breakfast items are less than $5 and coffee beverages come in 12-, 16-, and 20-ounce sizes for $1.25 to $4.25.
Hours: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Open until 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month for downtown’s Art Walk event.
Telephone: 360-735-7135.
Where: 603 Main St., Vancouver.
On the Web: http://www.mainstcoffeehouse.com.
Health score: Main St. Coffee House received a score of 5 on Feb. 17. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants that score 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
