Just when I thought I'd found an alternative to Starbucks

Moon Doggie Roasters on Maywood's West Pleasant Avenue could be an alternative to Starbucks.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I found a discount coupon for whole-bean coffee at Moon Doggie Roasters on the Verizon Web site -- of all places -- and headed over there this afternoon.

I've had coffee in the bright Maywood cafe before, but in the the last couple of years, I've enjoyed Starbucks Coffee all over the metropolitan area, including the company store on Essex Street in Hackensack, where I live.

I've sipped Starbucks at turnpike service areas, in many Manhattan locations and even in the Chappaqua, N.Y., store former President Bill Clinton patronizes when he goes out to walk his dogs.

Self-service coffee-bean purchases and grinding. Prices are listed on a nearby sign.

Self-service coffee beans

When I stopped in this afternoon at Moon Doggie Roasters, the owner wasn't there, and I asked an employee if I could use the coupon.

He said I could, and gestured to the bins of coffee behind me and two grinding machines. But the scale was on his side of the counter.

A self-service coffee-bean purchase was the first departure from my experience at Starbucks, where the beans are already in 1-pound bags and the employees grind them for you.

The employee told me where I could find bags, but the place was out of the Brazilian coffee I wanted. 

So, I choose an organic, shade-grown coffee from Guatemala for $15.98 a pound.

But after several tries with a scoop and handing the bag to the employee to weigh twice, I couldn't get exactly 1 pound of beans, and had to settle for less. 

The discount was 50%, up to $6. I got the $6 discount on a purchase of $14.83, but had to pay cash.

I asked for a receipt, but the employee said he needed it, and could I take a photo with my phone.

A sign on the register. 

I'll stick with Starbucks

I selected a Turkish grind for my beans from Moon Doggie Roasters, but I haven't tasted the coffee yet.

Still, the convenience of buying beans at Starbucks Coffee with a credit card or a store card, earning me rewards for free food and coffee, can't be denied. 

Moon Doggie Roasters, 108 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 201-556-0111. Free street parking.

Nibbling around the edges of our incredible food world

The view from Starbucks Coffee in Chappaqua, the New York State hamlet that former President Bill Clinton -- and future President Hillary Clinton -- call home. A Starbucks employee says the president comes in when he is walking his dogs, accompanied by at least two Secret Service agents.

At a Whole Foods Market in Manhattan, the store's "core values" are posted near the checkout counters. Compare them to the hysterical hype you'll find at Fairway Market's many branches in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Fresh Direct will deliver cage-free eggs to your door in Manhattan for $3.79 a dozen. Organic cage-free eggs cost more.

Port of Call, an upscale, all-you-can-eat Asian fusion buffet in Hackensack, getting a delivery from Sysco, one of the big restaurant suppliers.

I saw this U.S. Foods truck at a service area on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Does Main Produce in Dumont shop for fruit mainly at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, above and below?

On East 48th Street in Manhattan, a homeless man collected recyclable bottles and cans from trash receptacles on Sunday evening, explaining he gets 5 cents each or $50 for 1,000, a goal he said is easily attainable. He smelled as if he hadn't showered in days. 

A moveable feast in Manhattan, where a food vendor towed his cart home at the end of a long day.

On East 47th Street in Manhattan, Dainobu Japanese Deli and a second business, Snafu Bar, which was showing World Cup matches on Sunday evening.

On the lower level of Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, Shake Shack was doing a brisk business serving antibiotic- and hormone-free Angus burgers on Sunday evening.

But the terminal's famed Oyster Bar was closed, above and below. The restaurant's dining room is under a vaulted ceiling.

Are there any good restaurants in Forks, Pa.? I just passed through on Monday, and didn't have a chance to explore.