Escaping Reality in Pleasant Ridge: Apricot Coffee House

Adults exhibit a peculiar resistance to generally unpalatable food and drink, so long as said ingestible items harbor other redeeming qualities, particularly of the mood-altering variety. Who, after all, would drink coffee, tea or alcohol for the flavor alone? If it weren't for their accompanying sugar, milk and psychoactive guarantees, they'd all be about as popular as jabbing oneself in the eyeball with a fork (you only get two shots, so make it count!).

For the above reason, I have long avoided the call of the coffee shop. It never appealed to me the concept of exchanging four or five bucks for a 12-ounce cup of the black, bitter fluid. My years of distaste for the brew likely stemmed from my grandmother's five-cup-a-day habit of some truly awful freeze-dried stuff reconstituted with the help of a $20 hot water dispenser. One curious sip from her mug made me wonder if a tongue ever existed behind those stained, false teeth.

A latte near Argentina...

Slowly, reluctantly, my opinion of the brew relaxed, most notably after several overseas visits to lands where apparently coffee exists on quite a different plane. Sure, the stuff still tastes bitter over there, but oh, the nuance.

Apricot Coffee House owners Michele and Shawn Burroughs had found similar coffee inspiration during a visit to Vietnam. The duo later sought to establish a small, welcoming venue in Pleasant Ridge from which to peddle a variety of foreign takes on the coveted brew.

Latte + hummus sandwich

Hummus sandwich

The coffee shop features the intentionally sludgy and unfiltered Turkish coffee; cinnamon and star anise-infused Mexican coffee and hot chocolate; Spanish and Italian-style espressos; and the intensely sweet Vietnamese iced coffee. And, of course, there are the usual house drips, latte's, cappuccinos, teas and smoothies for those so inclined.

Apricot's allure stems not only from its unique take on a "cup of joe," but its celebration of world travel. Many of the tables there showcase a lacquered clear coat top with a portion of a world map entombed underneath. Drinkers may find themselves daydreaming, swimming to far-off lands as they stare deeply into the tables, hoping for a way to one day escape the twisted, upside down hellscape that is our reality.

One of Apricot's biggest and most satisfying surprises is the small but effective selection of sandwiches and sweets. There are usually two featured "slicers" on the menu: one large piece of toasted bread from Hyde Park's Breadsmith with seasonal toppings ($7-$8) and two tasty sandwiches that typically come filled with either exotic cold cuts or hummus and heaps of peppery arugula on fresh, toasted ciabatta bread from Sixteen Bricks, each served with a side of kettle chips ($9-$10). They also showcase some seriously compelling cookies, cakes and doughnuts from local artisanal vendors like Starlight Doughnut Lab.

Apricot Coffee House is a welcoming venue for all walks of life, even those of us who still puzzle over the allure of the bitter black jet fuel that is our society's sustenance of choice.