Well, it’s nice to be back! Yeah, I’ve been gone for a while; what can I say, the summer was a bit more…interesting…than I thought it would be. A whole lot of travel ensued, none of which took me to a place with any decent coffeehouses to review. Every weekend consisted of something different, from family visits to concerts, to weddings. I’ve also been traveling around to different midstate wineries with my family just for the fun of it, and I’m considering starting a parallel blog about them. I think I’ll call it “Desperate Housewines” though I fear the possible lawsuit!

Anyhow, I did manage to find a good new coffee spot right here in Harrisburg. It’s called “Old Town Deli” and it’s run by a Ron and Julie Gilbertson (forgive if I’ve misspelled!). The place has been open since May, and it mostly caters to the government crowd across the street at the Capitol, so it’s kind of been off my proverbial radar.  Actually it’s not technically a coffeehouse, it’s a true delicatessen with sandwiches of pretty much every kind; but it specializes in gourmet coffee. Confused? Well, you have a right to be, because most places that try to be good in two niches end up failing at both, but this place actually succeeds at both.

I really enjoyed their signature Longbottom coffee (all the way from Oregon) for the depth of its flavor. It has a powerful taste though, and is rather acidic, so if you like the more buttery, delicate flavors of a good Ethiopian blend, then this coffee probably isn’t for you. Maybe I just got a particularly strong cup; I came late in the morning and they had to zap the coffee in the microwave because I got the last of that particular pot. They were nice about it though. In fact it seemed like a very friendly group of people running the show there. The one cook even gave me a free sample of their cheese to try with my coffee!

In summary, this was a good stop. Good solid operation, with quality food and coffee. There was no cheap stuff. I hate cheap stuff. Plus, it’s geared towards the daytime crowd, eschewing the much-maligned Harrisburg nightlife scene. It’s also refreshing to find a coffee place here that doesn’t go hard-core for the local art scene. Yeah, I said it. As much as I love when business and the arts collide, it’s good to find a place that breaks the “hip” stereotype. After all, what could be more truly Bohemian than that?

Nice summer setup…

On Third Street.

Their signature roast.

Have yet to try this one…