Living in a large(r) city like Minneapolis has made me take coffee shops for granted. There is a Caribou on almost every corner, and where there isn’t a Caribou I’m sure Starbucks or Dunn Bros. is near. In addition to these larger chains there are also smaller coffee shops that survive in the busy, on-the-go coffee take-out world that we live in.
Morton, on the other hand, is a small town and home to 15,000 people. Four years ago the only decent place to get a cup of coffee was either McDonald’s or the gas station. Enter Katie Vandenberg. She recognized a need for caffeine in a cozy environment and she pounced on it. She bought an old Victorian house near the library and opened a coffee shop in February 2005. It turned out that this is exactly what this small town needed - a place with character and a warm environment to chat with friends while kids play in the yard. A place to bring your laptop and or book and relax with a cup of coffee. She’s also added great food like homemade buttery scones (my favorite are the cranberry - yum!) and granola to complement the Fair Trade Coffee that is served. Eli’s is a great addition to Morton and I enjoy going there when I’m in town.
Places like Eli’s make me think about my community a bit more. More specifically, the small businesses that add character to our community. I don’t think that we need to completely give up going Caribou and Dunn Bros. (note: I’m not a fan of Starbucks), but I will try to look for smaller coffee shops and frequent them more often. For example, the one pictured above on Lake Street in South Minneapolis - Blue Moon Coffee Cafe. It’s a great, casual atmosphere for reading and relaxing. So next time you need a cup of joe, consider driving past that chain cafe and stop in a coffee shop with character.
Eli’s Coffee
205 W. Jefferson Street
Morton, IL
309.263.0507
Blue Moon Coffee Cafe
3822 E. Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN
612.721.9230
Posted on September 17th, 2008 by katiejocannon
Filed under: Food
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
WOW!!!!! I just googled Eli’s to see if anything new was on the world wide web about us, and came across this amazing blog! I had no idea that was why you were taking pictures that day…they turned out great! Thanks so much and hope to see you soon when you come back to Morton!
Eli’s is definitely a “place to be” in MoTown!
Oh my! I just found your blog through City Pages, started reading the restaurant reviews, and found this one about a place in Morton, IL (where I gather you are from). First of all, I’m kind of excited to know about a funky place in Morton. I just might have to take a day trip there when I am visiting my parents in Normal, IL over Christmas, about 30 miles east of Morton on 74. Now let me give you a great cafe/coffee shop tip for next time you are in central IL. My family runs The Garlic Press Market Cafe on North St. in uptown Normal. My sister and some partners opened the cafe a few years ago adjacent to the Garlic Press gourmet cookware (and a bunch of other great things) store that’s been there for over 30 years. But I would totally go there every time I visit even if I had no relation to the place. All of their baked goods are homemade - lots of them from grandma’s old recipes. There are really experienced baristas there who take pride in making really good espressos, lattes, etc. plus they have the best sandwiches - and lots of other things. It’s just deli-counter service, but the place has a great vibe and really, really good food. They also have a cheese case to die for, but I digress. You would love it. Somehow, finding really good food in an unlikely place adds to the whole experience.
Been to the Garlic Press and it’s top notch. Try to stop in when I catch the train to Chicago or go to the Discovery Museum w/ my grandchildren.