At newly opened Deer Creek Coffee (formerly the Ladue Starbucks), the prime directive is, of course, the coffee. Concept and store manager Frank Grund went with Alterra, a Milwaukee roaster known for its distinctive, big-flavored varieties... and a lot of them (52 in all, including 9 decaf).
Grund first introduced customized breakfast sandwiches (available all day), and now, this week, a selection of 6 sandwiches, 5 pizzas, and 4 salads. I know what you're thinking: "Yeah, a few lunch items. Big deal. Coffee shops all over town do the same thing." Yes, yes, we know, but it's different here.
Deer Creek is one of only a handful of sandwich joints in town that bother to roast whole turkeys and chicken breasts in-house. Same goes for the beef tenderloin. Cross use of ingredients allows for tangential offerings such as Thai Chicken Salad and BBQ Chicken Pizza
Unlike many other coffee shops, scones, muffins, cookies, etc., are made in-house as well. Using the same homespun approach, Grund built up quite a following at Kayak's Coffee (270 N. Skinker) before he sold that store to Kaldi's last March.
And if you encounter a Siberian Husky outside the store like we did today, say hello. His name is Kayak.
Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
