News from Hi Point Coffee and Cafe 12/29/10

Hey all!  Hope the holidays are going well for everyone! I had a nice visit with my brother and his wife and child. Little 3 year old Colt, who is the world's cutest little guy. Right up there with all of your cutest-little-ones-in-the-world, of course. ;) We're getting ready our plans for the New Year and it'll be mucho fun. We're moving our open mic to Thursday this week to make room for the New Years Eve celebrations, so the 31st we will be closing at 4pm. We will be open New Years Day regular time and will be offering a special Hangover Cure Breakfast, to be served all day! We will also have Sunday brunch this weekend, so lots of fun new recipes to try and taste. Bring on 2011!  Cheers! Sarah Hangover Cure New Years Breakfast! It's all about the salt, grease, complex carbs, electrolites, anti-oxidants and, of course, a little hair of the dog. The Menu... Short stack of pumpkin pancakes, potato and pepper hash, bacon, sea salt focaccia bread sticks and fried eggs. Special smoothie - banana (potassium!), yogurt (probiotics) and blueberry (antioxidants) Kalimotxo cocktails - red wine spritzer with the ultimate hangover cure, real-sugar Coke. It's delish! Sunday Brunch Special Simple comfort food for Sunday.  Dutch baby pancakes with maple and spiced apple topping, served with eggs,  rosemary mustard sausage and veggie potato hash. Savory, sweet and delish! Brunch served from 9am to 1pm! Open Mic Night moved to Thursday this week! Thursday night 5:30 sign-ups and performances from 6-8:30pm! Drive for warm stuff! The second load of warm stuff was take to Record street by a wonderful customer, so our boxes are empty and ready for a refill. It's a super cold week, so today would be a great time to bring in your extra winter things for Reno's homeless. Thank you!

News from Hi Point Coffee and Cafe 12/22/10

Holidays are here, so just a few brief notes... Holiday Hours We'll be open Christmas Eve til noon and closed Christmas Day. We're moving Open Mic to Thursday night this week, so open til 8-ish on Thursday. Sunday Brunch No special this week, primarily so I can visit some family without worries. Christmas Candies still available from Hi Point! We've got some great candies, homemade marshmallows and other joyful bits for sale this week. Come in for a sample! I think that's all folks. It's time to settle down, finish the details and be with our families. I wish you great joy this Christmas and I look forward to seeing you soon. Happy Holidays! Sarah Sunday Brunch Special  No brunch this Sunday, so I can visit my family. We'll start again the following week!! Open Mic Night moved to Thursday this week! Thursday night 5:30 sign-ups and performances from 6-8:30pm! Drive for warm stuff! The drive for warm stuff continues!! I took the first load down and was gratified to see that the shelter on Record St. has a really nice "shop" for the homeless to use vouchers to find items that work for them. All your donated items have been put to use already, I'm sure. The volunteers down there told me they need winter items, so if you have yet to bring in your extras, please do so. Our boxes are filling again, so bring in your items and I'll get them down there before Christmas! Thank you!!

News from Hi Point Coffee and Cafe 12/17/10

Greetings, fellow snowbunnies! I may not be overly aware of my surroundings, but weather I generally keep up on and this one shocked me! Thought we'd get a couple inches. Oops! I hope you're enjoying the snow, as I am! Here's my quick snow story of the day. I just got home, turned on the tree, started the fire and got ready for a good sit on the couch (where I am right now!). Got settled in, glass of vino and then my dog starts asking to go out. Well, can't ignore that, but unfortunately my dog, Turtle, is very small and so that requires shoveling. So on goes the boots, coat, mittens and I shoveled about 6 inches snow off the patio. I look around for her and where do I find her but snugged up on the couch, on the blanket I left behind. Yes, my dog outwitted me and yet I'm proud of her. Good priorities, she has. :) Cheers and hope to see you soon!! Sarah PS If you're looking for something wonderful to do this weekend, I hope you consider coming to the Reno Baroque Ensemble performance of the Messiah. I sing for this group and it's a total joy for me. The music is outstanding, so if you enjoy Handel, this is the weekend. Tickets and info athttp://www.renobaroque.org/. Sunday Brunch Special  9am to 1pm Glazed ham quiche served with traditional scalloped potatoes, holiday greens and spiced poached pear and cheese tarts. Plus, special breakfast libations! Open Mic Night Friday night 5:30 sign-ups and performances from 6-8:30pm! Book Club Meeting! Book Club gathers this Sunday at 2pm to discuss the mystery Holiday Grind!  Drive for warm stuff! The drive for warm stuff continues!! I took the first load down and was gratified to see that the shelter on Record St. has a really nice "shop" for the homeless to use vouchers to find items that work for them. All your donated items have been put to use already, I'm sure. The volunteers down there told me they need winter items, so if you have yet to bring in your extras, please do so. Our boxes are filling again, so bring in your items and I'll get them down there before Christmas! Thank you!!

News from Hi Point Coffee and Cafe 12/10/10

Hello, all! We have some fun stuff going on right now at Hi Point. The biggest thing is the Christmas Candy Shoppe. We have partnered with a local candy maker who has been making ridiculously yummy goodies for the past twenty years. She's made for us a wonderful array of hand-dipped, handmade pretzels and they are delicious. We're selling these gems by individual pretzels, as well as gift packs. We also have hot cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows and caramel sauce, all ready for the holiday gift season. We have samples, so come check 'em out! And as always, we have gift certificates available for the little something. Some more big news!! Coming up in January, we'll be starting a new music series on Saturday nights! Our first concert will be January 8th, featuring Tim Snider of Sol Jibe fame. Tim has a new solo album and is truly a wonderful musician. I'm so honored to host his talent, so you'll be hearing a lot more about this in the next few weeks. For this weekend, we have a special music treat. Lenny and Roger are back on Saturday and Roger's informed me that he's expecting a special guest to come visit him as he shares some favorite Christmas carols. Don't know who the mysterious stranger is, but I'm excited to see. ;) Well, there's always more to say, but I'll let this note end. Who has time to read it all anyway during this busy season. I hope y'all are finding the time to relax and enjoy the holiday season and I look forward to seeing you soon! Sarah Sunday Brunch Special  9am to 1pm Cantal cheese tart with glazed ham, two poached eggs and holiday-inspired greens Plus, special breakfast libations! Open Mic Night Friday night 5:30 sign-ups and performances from 6-8:30pm! Lenny and Roger Play Saturday 1:30pm! Come listen to some great music with Lenny and Roger. Everything from folk to blues, Spanish guitar and Christmas carols. It'll be a fun afternoon for all! And Roger's told me he's expecting a mysterious stranger to come visit during the carols. Whoever could he mean?! Come listen and enjoy the afternoon! New Book Club Selection! We've chosen to read something light, holiday and coffee-related for the Christmas season. No reason to be too serious in December, right? We'll save that for 2011. So, please join us in reading The Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle. It's a murder mystery, it's holiday and it involves a coffee house. How perfect! I love a good mystery. :) We'll be meeting 12/19 at 2pm to chit-chat about this one. Discuss, I'm sure, is too heavy a word for this one. Please read and come enjoy the afternoon! I'm including the Kirkus review of this one below... Kirkus Reviews Amateur sleuth Clare Cosi investigates the murder of a Santa who gave her a tip on how to rev up coffee sales. The cops write off the shooting of charity Santa Alfred Glockner on the chilly streets of lower Manhattan as a mugging gone wrong. His daughter, claiming he owed big bucks to their tough next-door neighbor, begs Clare to investigate. Since the Village Blend manager and barista profited from Alf's advice about creating holiday lattes, she feels obligated. Clare's boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, has no time to help; he's immersed in his own case and may be hiding other problems. The cop on Alf's case, who has an odd reputation, ignores Clare until she turns up some possible suspects, one of whom pushes her off the Staten Island ferry. Emerging from the waters, she assesses divorce, double dealing and drugs as potential motives in this complicated case. Though her former husband is afraid she'll be killed, stubborn Clare soldiers on until she and daughter Joy, home for the holidays, become the killer's next target. Coyle's coffeehouse mysteries (Espresso Shot, 2008, etc.) are packed with believable characters and topped with serious coffee lore and holiday recipes. This one will keep your cup piping hot. Drive for warm stuff! We've also taken down our first load of warm stuff from our warm stuff drive for the homeless. But, let's keep it going! We're gathering people's extra blankets, coats, hats, mittens, sleeping bags, sweaters, wool socks, etc. You bring it in and we'll bag it and take it down to the family shelter at Record St.