Recently I was given the opportunity to take some photographs for the new coffee shop at West Lake Plaza, Solid Ground Coffee and Tea. This place is so new that my GPS didn't even recognize the address. I had to pull out my iPhone to find it. Solid Ground Coffee and Tea is located at 96 Builders Pride Drive of Hardy, Va. in West Lake. If that's not enough information to find it, just ask around within that area – the little shop is growing in popularity so fast that folks are bound to give you good directions
Not only did I take photographs of the food and coffee, but chef Robert Carkin was so nice he let me enjoy his tasty creations, along with some truly uplifting espresso made by brewmaster Christopher Spoon.
First off, Spoon really is a master of what he does. I watched him create this really cool design in the foam. It reminded me of a dessert topping a friend of mine received once at the Blue Talon Bistro in Colonial Williamsburg Va., where the chocolate tart she received had powdered sugar sprinkled in the form of the Fleur De lour.
Now, I'm not what you would call a picky eater, but I know good food when I taste it. Chef Carkin's experience in pastry school is quite obvious when you bite into this particular sandwich made from homemade foccaccia bread. The bread is the star in this dish, which is complimented by just the right amount of filler condiments; smoked gouda cheese, thinly sliced pears, field greens and some sort of honey dijon dressing. The texture of the bread reminded me of biting into a muffin or cornbread. The bread is cut so thick that if there were anymore filler the sandwich would be ruined because it would be too uncomfortable to eat. The sandwich also came with a light salad, which I welcomed considering I just put myself on a diet from college living.
I asked Chef Carkin what the sandwich was called. He told me but I was honestly enjoying the sandwich so much that what he said went right over my head. IEven as I'm writing this I am checking their website for the name of the sandwich but nothing is ringing a bell. But hey, there's a simple solution to this problem – go visit their shop sometime and enjoy it yourself.
