Coffeehouse

Oriole Park at Camden Yards has helped spawn many new businesses downtown, but it has also played a role in the closing of a more modest neighborhood gathering spot.The organizer of the Friday night coffeehouse at Old Otterbein United Methodist Church, Sharp and Conway streets, has decided to close the operation and move to Charles Village -- in part because of the new ballpark three blocks away.The Rev. Douglas Fox, church minister and coordinator of the weekly coffeehouse, said he is shutting it down largely because he fears that the roar of the crowd at the ballpark will drown out the folk music concerts at the coffeehouse.

Metropolitan Coffeehouse & Wine Bar has a certain je ne sais quoi . The eatery - a Federal Hill mainstay, serving three meals a day since 2004 - is excessively charming, with a look lifted right out of Paris' Left Bank. Dark painted wood, golden walls and twinkling lights decorate the petite space. It would be no surprise to spy Hemingway, tucked in a corner, scribbling away. Despite the distinctly Parisian feel, Metropolitan's menu and drinks list tell an international story, representing flavors from all over the world.

A NEW GATHERING place is open in Taneytown. The Irish Moon, a coffeehouse at Frederick and Baltimore streets, has become a magnet for residents in this small, northwest Carroll County town. "It's bringing back the neighborhood," said Nancy McCormick, Taneytown's economic development director. "It's getting to be the place to go. It's giving visibility to downtown." During a recent visit, Taneytown resident Richard Stonsifer sat sipping a cup of java and chatting with other customers. "Taneytown needed it, obviously," he said.

You can't walk into a coffeehouse anymore without seeing laptops open on tabletops. Tables near an electrical outlet are especially coveted. I like working in a coffeehouse sometimes myself. It gets me out of the house — I'm a freelance writer — and away from the disturbances of home (the dog, the telephone, the refrigerator, the piles of laundry). It also lets me see fellow human beings, which is nice if you're not a hermit by nature. Now, listen up, all you people who work at the coffeehouse.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards has helped spawn many new businesses downtown, but it has also played a role in the closing of a more modest neighborhood gathering spot.The organizer of the Friday night coffeehouse at Old Otterbein United Methodist Church, Sharp and Conway streets, has decided to close the operation permanently and move to a new location in Charles Village -- in part because of the new ballpark three blocks away.The Rev. Douglas Fox, church minister and coordinator of the weekly coffeehouse, said he is shutting it down largely because he fears that the roar of the crowd at the ballpark will drown out the folk music concerts at the coffeehouse.

Magothy United Methodist Church will have a coffeehouse from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. this evening.Admission is free, and families are welcome. A quiet games area will be available for youngsters.Tonight's entertainment features the duos Matt and Mike, Sam and Ed, Green and Pirkle, and Bill Moran and Sue Irizarry.Refreshments will be available.The church is at 3703 Mountain Road. Information: 255-2420.*Tomorrow is your last chance to enjoy the monthly big breakfast bonanza served by the Ladies Guild at Magothy Chelsea Community Lutheran Church, before the cooks take a well-deserved vacation.

BANGALORE, India -- Every month, Sadanand Maiya, a partner in the Mavalli Tiffin Room, perhaps the best-known coffeehouse in southern India, supervises a task that would make most small restaurateurs cringe: He orders the smashing of all chipped or cracked crockery.The damage adds up to more than 200 cups and saucers every few weeks, said Mr. Maiya, a pudgy man who wears the loose shirt and sarong or lungi that is preferred by many southern Indian men.But Mr. Maiya is not worried by the cost of the plate-smashing in this coffeehouse, set on a busy road in this green, bustling and swiftly growing high-tech center some 180 miles inland from Madras.

Roger Hitman is tired of drunken strangers, loud music and alcohol. Looking for a friendlier and more sophisticated scene, Mr. Hitman -- like many other area young people -- now frequents Howard County's coffeehouse scene."

THE UNITARIAN Universalist Congregation holds monthly musical performances at Owen Brown Interfaith Center. But don't expect hymns or organ music. These church-sponsored coffeehouses feature jazz, new country rock, Celtic music and anything else likely to get your feet tapping. "I like to do an eclectic mix," said Lauren Haywood, coordinator of the congregation's One World Coffeehouse program. Haywood, of Oakland Mills, said that people often come for the relaxed atmosphere and smoke-free environment and discover a new type of music to enjoy.

THE CALL is out for musicians and singers to perform at showcase coffeehouse nights sponsored by Jenkins Memorial Church in Riviera Beach. Coordinator Bill Williamson said the low-key evenings will give local amateurs and professional performers a venue to hone their acts. "We get performers from all over the area," Williamson said. "They don't necessarily have to play Christian music. We have musicians and singers that play a variety of music styles, including rock and country." Williamson said the majority of past performers at the coffeehouse evenings earned their daily bread from jobs that for the most part are not music-related.

Months ago, a homeless man entered Dwayne Hess' West Baltimore coffeehouse. He took in the scene for a few minutes, had a warm beverage, then headed for the door. Before he left, the man turned toward Hess, whom he had never met before, and said something that continues to stick with the former Mennonite farmer. The man, disheveled and obviously down on his luck, spoke of being shunned at other places, some as unremarkable as gas stations, but welcomed without reservation at the coffeehouse.

The 49 West Coffeehouse and Cafe back room is an intimate, homey space where music fans can experience, up-close, musicians' creative artistry. On occasion it's possible to hear music royalty, as we did June 14 when native Brazilians Duduka Da Fonseca on drums and Leonardo Cioglio on bass performed. They were joined by local favorites Chuck Redd on vibes and his brother Robert on piano. Remembering Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim seemed appropriate in Annapolis, where the late, great guitarist Charlie Byrd helped popularize his music.

For this Top 10 post, Great Local Coffeehouses, which appeared recently on my blog, I got many more suggestions. Check out Dining@Large if your favorite isn't here. It probably got mentioned: 1 Bean Hollow in Ellicott City. Cozy, coffee roasted right there. 2 Cafe Latte'da in Fells Point. A sweet little place with free wi-fi. 3 Caffe Pronto in Annapolis. Local, with three locations. 4 Daily Grind in Fells Point. The first, and people say the best, of several locations. 5 Evergreen in Roland Park.

City dwellers who are used to urban coffeehouses and wine bars, normally found in renovated storefronts and converted townhouses, will have a hard time relating to Bliss, the new coffee and wine bar in Riverside. (It's not in nearby Bel Air, in spite of what the Web site says.) When I say new, I mean really new. Bliss is one of the first tenants in the new Riverside shopping center. Everything about it is shiny new, from the walls of windows to the casual, contemporary furnishings to the industrial chic exposed pipes to the flat-screen TV. (Not something you expect in either a coffeehouse or wine bar.)

Coffeehouse -- Siobhan Quinn (right) and Michael Bowers (left) will perform at 8 p.m. today at the 333 Coffeehouse inside the Unitarian Universalist Church, 333 DuBois Road, Annapolis. Admission is $10 and $8 for senior adults and students. Dessert and coffee are available. 443-786-0463 or www.fsgw.org/333.

Food *** (3 stars) Service *** (3 stars) Atmosphere *** (3 stars) Sure, the name is annoying. It's a holdover from years ago when Ze Mean Bean Cafe was a coffeehouse, and it really doesn't give you a good idea of what kind of place it is now. Over time, Ze Mean Bean became more of a restaurant, first serving an odd combination of Eastern European specialties and coffeehouse fare, then getting a serious chef and turning into a restaurant that served down-home...

Pretty soon Baltimore will be more famous for its coffeehouses than Seattle. The newest entry is the City Cafe, at Cathedral and Eager streets. It specializes in gourmet coffee drinks, but you can also get bagels and pastries for breakfast, and sandwiches, soup, salads and desserts the rest of the time.The large corner space originally housed a car dealership. Now it has floor-to-ceiling windows and a jazzy black-and-white decor that looks as if it's built around what must be the original floor tiles.

BROOKLYN PARK'S own Brooklyn Bridge Christian Coffeehouse recently celebrated its second anniversary as a place where everyone - black and white, young and old, city and county residents - can come together. In 1999, the Rev. Russ Tenhoff, a Brooklyn native, felt the need to return to his former neighborhood to start a coffeehouse ministry. After learning that Church on the Rock had bought a former nightclub located behind the church's property on Church Street, he spoke with the church's pastor, the Rev. John Krach, and received permission to use the building.