Life is sweet at the Corner Cafe

They say good coffee is its own reward. I have found that to be true in my life, especially after a difficult week. What, you ask, could be upsetting my fluffy life? My eldest daughter comes home with her first piercing. She believes there will be a second. (Ha!) My computer's hard drive died a horrible death. It was ugly. All was lost. My truck was so distraught over the death of my computer that it, too, died while I was on the road.

I needed coffee. I needed a half-and-half tall mocha with a shot of peppermint and whipped cream now. No dainty cup of half-caf decaf for me, thank you.

I went to the Corner Cafe in Cape Girardeau. It's an up-and-coming cafe on the corner of Spanish and Themis. I like the fact that the cafe is in an old building. Old buildings have a character and charm all their own. The fact that they have stood the test of time and are a part of our busy 21st century lives makes me appreciate them more. Corner Cafe owner Roger Shoulders impresses me, too. He reminds me a little of the famous Mr. Rogers.

He is a soft-spoken bright-eyed man, and he loves what he does. He is very attuned to customer feedback. Roger wants to know what the customers think about his freshly baked pies, pastries and daily specials. He plans to be a part of the historic downtown area for a long time.

The cafe will stay open later on Fridays starting in May to coincide with the music in Courthouse Park.

I went in on a Saturday with my youngest daughter (no manufactured holes on her yet), and we had an impromptu tea party. We ate berry scones and sticky buns and drank tea. Well she had tea. I had the complicated coffee concoction. It was divine.

We also had the special of the day: a delectable Italian fisherman's chowder/cioppino in a tomato- based broth made with crab and shrimp. Yum. If you like Manhattan clam chowder you will like this.

For my 8-year-old to say she liked it is quite a compliment. She is the quintessential gourmet lover of the Happy Meal. If it doesn't have a toy attached to it, it's not to be eaten.

We took our buns and scones down to the river. That's another reason I like the Corner Cafe's location. You can drink your coffee and watch the river slide by. You can contemplate how bad your life is. Not so bad.

My eldest gets good grades, doesn't smoke or drink, wants to go to college, really helps around the house and loves her mum. My computer repairman will install a new hard drive, and with his secret computer knowledge (computer mojo) will retrieve much of my old hard drive to make me happy. My truck ... hmm, my truck. Well, two out of three ain't bad.

Check out the coupon in the back of this section.

Quick review: kid-friendly, low prices, great daily specials. Life is sweet, let's eat!

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