Feb 7, 2007 Toledo City Paper article about my favorite coffee shop in the area. In July 2002, I discovered the Daily Grind, which is located in downtown Perrysburg. As the article states, the place has the best hot chocolate. Steve, the owner, uses a chocolate power that is specially made for him. I think the coffee beans are from a roaster in Michigan. The beans are delivered to the store the same day they are roasted for maximum freshness and taste. The cafe mocha is excellent too. The sandwiches are a relatively new addition, and they are tasty.
The shop's inside looks a lot different than it did before. Steve remodeled it last year. I miss the "Shoot the Moon" game and the small tables that existed in the old interior design. I thought the old design was a bit cozier for hanging out in. The new design, however, permits Steve to add more kitchen-like functionality for making sandwiches and soups.
Steve still has the big salt water aquarium. He actually got a larger one after he remodeled.
From the TCP article:
This is Steve acting like he's snoozing on the surfboard
Outside, a wooden slat sign promises candy, coffee, deli and ice cream next to a surfboard swirling with tropical colors, appearing like an exotic bird among the traditional flock in the heart of historic downtown Perrysburg. Kiwi-green trim nuzzles pink walls and the ocean blue deli counter, keeping eyes wandering from one cool piece of tropical kitsch to another, such as the Hawaiian print surfboard transformed into a two-seater table.
Conversation starters inhabit every corner of this 17-seater sweet spot and every trinket has a story, shared eagerly by Kear and his two children Sara and Jon, (often found behind the counter). Just ask about the shrine to the caffeine gods where customers have offered up coconut shell bras, real Mardi Gras beads and sand from Siesta Key.
An intimate seating area partitioned off by a 210-gallon fish aquarium is the perfect spot to enjoy a fresh baked cinnamon roll ($.75), a steaming cup of cocoa ($2/$2.50/$3) — hailed by one exuberant pig-tailed 11-year old as “the best hot chocolate in the world” — or one of Kear’s featured panini sandwiches ($6.75) that earned him the nickname “the Deli Lama.” Make sure to save room for a sweet or two from more than 100 jars of candy. “We love our customers. We know them by name, their likes and where we left off in conversation,” said Kear. “We love that we can be a spot of warmth and color in the depths of winter for old and new friends.”What's odd about the online version of the TCP article is that it doesn't contain as much info as the article in the print edition of the newspaper. It should be the other way around. Limitations exist in the newspaper, such as word count or inches of space. But the Web has no such restrictions. So why would the TCP put less info in the Web version of its article?
Anyway, My Daily Grind like all independently-owned coffee shops has its own character and charm that you don't find in sterile, soulless, big chains like Starbucks.
Starbucks is an unfortunate coffee shop cancer in the Toledo area that receives far too much praise from area residents, which aids in its spreading.
