welcome to the communitea

During the last weekend of the Fringe Fest this year, I discovered the new downtown gem Dandelion Communitea Cafe. They set up a little stand outside one of the venues at Loch Haven Park to feed and quench the thirsts of the Fringers, and their excellent marketing strategy worked on me! I fell in love with the Ginseng Lemonade and later that same day, I fell in love with the little green bungalow!

As soon as I walked in to the cafe, the guy behind the counter said hello, and sensing that this was first dandelion visit, showed me a menu and invited me to sit anywhere. Instantly, I was set at ease -- which is not always the case. I appreciated that he and the girl I met at the Fringe Fest booth were both very warm and welcoming. They didn't make me feel like I was some poser with last season's style whose mere presence meant the place was now as hip as your younger sister wearing a Death Cab for Cutie T-shirt.

The cafe proclaims itself an "urban teahouse" with "eco-attitude." Everything on the menu is organic and vegetarian. With a couple of minor tweaks, your order can be made vegan. As if it couldn't get any better, the cafe also uses mostly organic, locally grown ingredients. And it's delicious!!!

The ambiance reminds me of one of my dream jobs in college, with a twist - it's all wi-fi! The building is a 1925 bungalow that is still separated into the rooms you'd expect to see in an old home. When I visited with Christy, Devan, Jen and Rachel, we took over a room in the back with a piano in it. We were comfy, and the intimate setting encouraged great conversation. (My favorite line being "My nipples are huge!" -- Sorry, you just had to be there.) Seriously though, us girls wound up talking with this empowering feminist spirit, and not necessarily a liberal spirit, but one of confidence and understanding. There's nothing like girl talk, and I guess I was long overdue for it.

Soon, we could hear the drum circle starting up outside. The new moon attracted a variety of people, from toddlers to granddaddies, to, as one of the owners told us, "find a common rhythm." It was really cool, and it felt like a place I could go alone or with a group of friends.

Which brings me to the following ...

If this all sounds intriguing, now is the time to check it out! On Father's Day, June 18, the Dandelion is welcoming eclectic folk rockers Maggie, Pierce and E.J.. I checked out their MySpace page, and in addition some quality influences like Jeff Buckley, Bjork and Hayden, the music itself sounds really good, especially with a little Ginseng Lemonade and some good friends.