Black Sheep Coffee Cafe

Black Sheep Coffee Cafe
705 Southview Boulevard
South Saint Paul, MN 55075
http://www.blacksheepcoffeecafe.com

Cuisine: Coffee, bakery, deli
Attire: Casual
Cost of Drinks: $3
Cost of Food: $6

This weekend I was finally able to make my way to the Black Sheep Coffee Cafe.  I had heard from a fellow Mugby Barista that this was a fantastic coffee shop.  I even heard rumors that they make authentic cappuccinos - and as you know I love and appreciate an authentic cappuccino.

Before I even walked through the door I knew I was going to like this place.  It's in a quiet neighborhood on the corner near a few other small shops.  I love being able to support neighborhood shops.  Especially when they sell me caffeine.

The cafe has an eastern/colonial flair to it.  At least that is how I feel when I see white paneling with muted colors on the wall.  There was even a large fireplace that made me thing of Holiday Inn.  Not the chain hotel, but the movie with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  My point is that it's not your typical cafe from the moment you walk in.  It is very relaxing and quiet.  You don't hear baristas yelling orders or even hipster music.  All you get is this beautiful sun coming in through the completely glass Northern wall - I liked that the North wall was glass because you don't have to worry about direct sunlight... ever.

The coffee menu was fantastic.  Although I didn't need it because I knew I needed the cappuccino.  Their food menu was pretty good too.  Since we were hungry for lunch we stuck to sandwiches.  There was also soup available but that was about it for lunch food.  Black Sheep did however have a good variety of baked goods such as scones and muffins for breakfast.  They also had some bars that looked amazing!

I knew I was in the right place when I was told the cappuccino only came in one size.  It was a five ounce cappuccino and it was absolutely to die for!  The foam was perfect and really was 1/3 of the drink.  They even served the drink with a spoon - a traditional way of enjoying a cappuccino in Europe.  To top it all off they even gave me some latte art.  I'm a sucker for such a thing because I can't do it myself. 

Our sandwich was also pretty good.  We chose the BLT with ham and turkey on a croissant.  The sandwich was flavorful and I love anything on a croissant.  Not all of the ingredients were very fresh though.  The bread tasted like it was getting towards the end of the batch and the lettuce had some spots on it (I'm picky about my lettuce.)  It's tough to judge a coffee shop's food but anything that is served should be good and match the high quality of the drinks that are served. 

All in all it was a great experience.  I love the ambiance, the staff and the drinks.  I can't wait to go back and try another espresso drink of some sort.  I think this time I'll pair it with a chocolate bar!