Foodstuff

Many coffeehouses pretend to be "literary" by setting up in bookstores, promoting poetry readings, or inviting authors to give lectures. Then they install couches and claim that the decor is the same as you'd find in your house. Well, unless you live with a poet who's always gesticulating at a...

By Jen Karetnick

March 4, 1999

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Many coffeehouses pretend to be "literary" by setting up in bookstores, promoting poetry readings, or inviting authors to give lectures. Then they install couches and claim that the decor is the same as you'd find in your house. Well, unless you live with a poet who's always gesticulating at a lectern, you can forget the comparison. Java Bean Junction (1136 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561-243-3022) doesn't mess around: It caters strictly to pop-culture tastes by supplying customers with a 55-inch TV, which is constantly showing DVD-format movies. Of course the specialty coffees, homemade soups, quiches, and gourmet pastries are attractions too, but given the size of the idiot box, this may be the only coffeehouse that truly makes you feel at home.

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Jen Karetnick is an award-winning dining critic, food-travel writer, and author of the books Ice Cube Tray Recipes, Mango, and The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami.

Contact: Jen Karetnick