For a while I have hoped for a coffeehouse on the north side of town. I found out this week that three months ago, the Coffee Grind Cafe in the Fairview Plaza made that hope a reality. Where have I been? It is a mid-sized, country-quaint space tucked into the plaza, with overstuffed chairs and couches and a large TV for relaxing, or cafe-size, low and high tables and chairs for dining.

The Coffee Grind Cafe has coffee drinks like cappuccinos, lattes and macchiato with easy access Wi-Fi, so it could have been in my December coffeehouse chronicles column. It also offers premium ice cream, so it could have been in my ice cream in cold January column.

But really, it deserves a column all its own. It is “new and eager to please,” as the flier notes, and it also offers both 16-ounce lattes and cappuccinos for only $2 all day, every day. That’s a great deal from a locally owned and operated business (for you chain coffeehouse drinkers, that’s a grande/medium).

So I went into the Coffee Grind one morning this week on my way out of town, thinking I could get a coffee drink and have a couple of sandwiches made that I could share with friends later in the day who could also offer their opinions. The Coffee Grind doesn’t start making sandwiches until 10 a.m., so I opted for a breakfast croissant with bacon, egg and cheese and a cappuccino for the road.

Wow. The croissant was fresh. Both the egg and bacon were cooked well, but somehow not greasy in the least! Just a generous portion (that could have been split between two) with an abundance of both ingredients and that simple, but delicious egg and bacon flavor.

On my way home, much later in the day, I decided to stop in and also order a sandwich, so readers would also have a taste of the lunch menu as well. I ordered a chicken Florentine sandwich. It was a layer of spinach and soft cheeses, spread generously over a sesame bun, with a large, tender grilled chicken breast, tomato and lettuce. It really was like nothing I’d ever tasted. The melted cheese Florentine sauce and grilled chicken made for a warming meal on a rainy afternoon and it literally burst with flavor from the spinach and cheeses.

Coffee Grind offers four kinds of breakfast croissant sandwiches, as well as muffins, fruit and pastries. For lunch and dinner, it has Nathan’s hot dogs and corn dogs, salads, soups, chili, fries, onion rings, catfish, three kinds of chicken breast sandwiches and a reportedly delicious chicken salad on a croissant that I was all set to order until the friendly counter staff told me about the chicken Florentine.

The menu variety for a coffeehouse/sandwich shop seemed so expansive, until I learned that the Coffee Grind Cafe is owned by and literally connected to the Country Mill Restaurant next door. This to me translates into a bevy of experience in this new venture, as well as smart marketing and an ability to keep consumer costs low (the low price of the coffee drinks plus lunch baskets for $3.99). Not to mention, good old country Louisiana sweet tea! The best of all worlds.

I do have one reflection about the coffee drink I ordered. Traditionally coffee drinks begin with espresso, which is an ultra-strong, condensed, literal shot-sized portion of the most potent and finely ground coffee brewed by forcing a small amount of steamed pressured water through the grounds. A small drink has one shot, a medium two and a large three. If you then steam milk and “spoon” just the foam from the top over the espresso, you create a cappuccino. “Poured” steamed milk is a latte and flavors added to the latte creates a mocha (chocolate), or a macchiato (caramel) or the like.

At The Coffee Grind Cafe I ordered a cappuccino, which should have been two espresso shots and all foam, but when I got the road, it was a latte filled with milk as well. I know this may seem silly, but each drink has a higher degree of potency and that morning I really needed the caffeine intravenously, but would have settled for a double shot with a layer of foam!

Either way, I highly recommend you try this new coffeehouse/sandwich shop and if you’re picky and high maintenance like me, you can be specific about your coffee drink of choice either in the morning – which, by the way, you can do so from your car, because it offers curb side service if you call ahead – or during “cappy hour” (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.), buy one drink and get one free (just in time for Valentine’s Day). Enjoy!

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or via e-mail to malexieff@bgdailynews.com.

THE COFFEE GRIND CAFE

600 U.S. 31-W By-Pass in the Fairview Plaza

• 467-0811

Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Cuisine: American

Price range: $1.79 to $3.99

Specialties: Coffee drinks and breakfast items

Libation situation: None

Smoking: No