House Blend Cafe   

How's this for a novel concept: A corporation opens a cafe with the intent to give away 100% of its net profits for community service and restoration projects in Orange County and around the world. Sound like some sort of Leftist fantasy? Well, that's the idea at this west-end coffee shop where a welcoming chi of good cheer pervades the earthy-hued cafe and a fine cuppa joe isn't the only consumable worthy of a sampling. Specialty dishes like the caribbean jerk burrito, with its spicy mixture of seasoned yellow rice and chicken stuffed into a sundried tomato tortilla, then topped with a subtly sweet pineapple salsa and a drizzle of creme fraiche raises the bar for coffee-shop dining. Same goes for the black forest strudel -- tender ham, roasted pears, smoked gouda and caramelized onions are filled into a phyllo dough pocket and baked to golden perfection. The peanut butter-filled chocolate cookie, served warm on an oversized red plate, is just one of many freshly made desserts. Sandwiches run the gamut from beef 'n' brie to chicken pesto, and if you happen to be driving by on your way to work, you'd be remiss if you didn't wolf down a waffilicious waffle with its accompanying apples, bananas, grapes, pecans and crunchy peanut butter. Be sure to ask the manager when their next community event takes place; this is a cafe with a conscience after all. -- Faiyaz Kara