Friendly Grounds Coffee House, Flemington, NJ, USA
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Friendly Grounds, Located on 36 Mine Street in Flemington, NJ, USA, is the most pleasant atmosphere for ten surrounding miles; which, if you are a teenager without the benefit of transportation, is a lot further than it sounds.
The menu consists of a wide variety of coffees, espressos, pies, breads, cookies, and other delightful tastes for your pallet. In additon to the traditional coffee fare, the shop also contains a wide variety of delicious ice creams and California Shakes. What they actually have to do with California remains to be determined, but they are delicious nonetheless.
If with others and are spending a lengthy period of time inside Friendly Grounds, consider asking for the games list. The shop stocks a wide variety of table-top games including chess, checkers, jenga, and much more, assuming you are willing to give a $3 deposit. A standard deck of 52 playing cards are recomended, however they are not able to be rented anymore, due to extreme loss of the 7 of hearts.
About annually, in the early parts of spring, Friendly Grounds hosts an open mic poety/music night, where participants can sign up for a specific time slot, or just go up when the mic is empty to express their emotions rythymically, musically or otherwise.
If a person frequents Friendly Grounds, after no more than 3 visits they will have developed a personal menu of which to choose from when selecting a beverage of the night. The waiters and waitresses understand this, and give you the option of a menu, understanding that %60 - %75 of their patrons already have a hot or cold caffienated substance in mind.
Certainly the average patron enjoys coffee outside the cozy environment of The Grounds, but for those who don't, selection is critical. For the novice drinker, it is best to start out with the most sugared, watered down (with milk, that is) drinks on the menu. Among these is a drink called the Snickers Cappuccino. Beginning with peanut butter on the bottom, the mug is then filled with flavored cappuccino, topped with a dangerously high mountain of whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate shavings, and then glazed with a thin caramel sauce. This delight for the senses provides the appealing energy rush of a cappuccino, in addition to a familiar taste which resembles a certain American candy bar...
Tea of many different kinds is also popular, Chai in particular. It is a small serving of hot chai tea mixed with milk and cinnamon. The result of this delightful concotion has earned it the nickname 'Liquid Christmas' by it's regular drinkers. Chai also comes in the form of an iced drink, known appropriatly as 'Iced Chai,' or the other version of 'Liquid Christmas.' Containing more liquid than a hot chai, plus ice, the cold tea is reminiscent even more so than hot chai as a liquid version of many people's holiday, Christmas. It is cinnamon, pumpkin pie, warm fires, getting up early for presents, dinner at Grandma's, and eggnog all blended together until ice cold and liquidy smooth. Enjoy.
Lastly, for the late night crammer in all of us, here is energy drink. If you don't drink coffee for the taste, you drink it because it awakens your senses. Friendly Grounds is only too happy to oblige. The drink of choice for the person looking to pull an all-nighter is known as a Red Eye. It is a black hole of a brew a college dorm room perk would envy. Two Shots of espresso combined with a full cup of coffee pack the punch of 3 cups of the traditional form of coffee within the confines of one mug or 'to go' cup. For ones who feel they can handle the pressure, ask for a Red Eye with an extra shot of espresso. Beware: 1) Do not attempt to stir with a spoon, as the thin metal may disintegrate after coming in contact with such a concentrated sludge of energy. 2) Thumping of heart, unnatural drumming of fingers, darting eyes and general jumpy-ness will occur.
The Staff of Friendly Grounds is like no other. The waiters, table busers, and drink makers are predominantly from the nearby High School, and are, fittingly, the friendliest people a person may ever encounter while staying in Flemington, NJ (renowned for it's shopping, look for the *Flemington, NJ* entry, coming soon). Though mostly girls, the staff is good natured and funny, and many participate in the poetry readings held annually, mentioned briefly above.
Warm and cozy, welcoming and intimate, Friendly Grounds is the perfect stop after a long day of shopping, walking, and traversing the 3, (count 'em), 3 traffic circles of the Flemington/Raritan areas. Stop in for a coffee and a ridiculously expensive piece of delicious pie, and tell 'em Bob sent ya.
~AmericanNamedBob
The menu consists of a wide variety of coffees, espressos, pies, breads, cookies, and other delightful tastes for your pallet. In additon to the traditional coffee fare, the shop also contains a wide variety of delicious ice creams and California Shakes. What they actually have to do with California remains to be determined, but they are delicious nonetheless.
If with others and are spending a lengthy period of time inside Friendly Grounds, consider asking for the games list. The shop stocks a wide variety of table-top games including chess, checkers, jenga, and much more, assuming you are willing to give a $3 deposit. A standard deck of 52 playing cards are recomended, however they are not able to be rented anymore, due to extreme loss of the 7 of hearts.
About annually, in the early parts of spring, Friendly Grounds hosts an open mic poety/music night, where participants can sign up for a specific time slot, or just go up when the mic is empty to express their emotions rythymically, musically or otherwise.
If a person frequents Friendly Grounds, after no more than 3 visits they will have developed a personal menu of which to choose from when selecting a beverage of the night. The waiters and waitresses understand this, and give you the option of a menu, understanding that %60 - %75 of their patrons already have a hot or cold caffienated substance in mind.
Certainly the average patron enjoys coffee outside the cozy environment of The Grounds, but for those who don't, selection is critical. For the novice drinker, it is best to start out with the most sugared, watered down (with milk, that is) drinks on the menu. Among these is a drink called the Snickers Cappuccino. Beginning with peanut butter on the bottom, the mug is then filled with flavored cappuccino, topped with a dangerously high mountain of whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate shavings, and then glazed with a thin caramel sauce. This delight for the senses provides the appealing energy rush of a cappuccino, in addition to a familiar taste which resembles a certain American candy bar...
Tea of many different kinds is also popular, Chai in particular. It is a small serving of hot chai tea mixed with milk and cinnamon. The result of this delightful concotion has earned it the nickname 'Liquid Christmas' by it's regular drinkers. Chai also comes in the form of an iced drink, known appropriatly as 'Iced Chai,' or the other version of 'Liquid Christmas.' Containing more liquid than a hot chai, plus ice, the cold tea is reminiscent even more so than hot chai as a liquid version of many people's holiday, Christmas. It is cinnamon, pumpkin pie, warm fires, getting up early for presents, dinner at Grandma's, and eggnog all blended together until ice cold and liquidy smooth. Enjoy.
Lastly, for the late night crammer in all of us, here is energy drink. If you don't drink coffee for the taste, you drink it because it awakens your senses. Friendly Grounds is only too happy to oblige. The drink of choice for the person looking to pull an all-nighter is known as a Red Eye. It is a black hole of a brew a college dorm room perk would envy. Two Shots of espresso combined with a full cup of coffee pack the punch of 3 cups of the traditional form of coffee within the confines of one mug or 'to go' cup. For ones who feel they can handle the pressure, ask for a Red Eye with an extra shot of espresso. Beware: 1) Do not attempt to stir with a spoon, as the thin metal may disintegrate after coming in contact with such a concentrated sludge of energy. 2) Thumping of heart, unnatural drumming of fingers, darting eyes and general jumpy-ness will occur.
The Staff of Friendly Grounds is like no other. The waiters, table busers, and drink makers are predominantly from the nearby High School, and are, fittingly, the friendliest people a person may ever encounter while staying in Flemington, NJ (renowned for it's shopping, look for the *Flemington, NJ* entry, coming soon). Though mostly girls, the staff is good natured and funny, and many participate in the poetry readings held annually, mentioned briefly above.
Warm and cozy, welcoming and intimate, Friendly Grounds is the perfect stop after a long day of shopping, walking, and traversing the 3, (count 'em), 3 traffic circles of the Flemington/Raritan areas. Stop in for a coffee and a ridiculously expensive piece of delicious pie, and tell 'em Bob sent ya.
~AmericanNamedBob
