Nostalgia & nosh: Coffee and memories on the menu at Capouse Avenue cafe
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Dec. 16—When guests step into the Retro Cafe, the game-inspired wall evokes childhood memories of playing "Parcheesi," "Mystery Date" and "The Game of Life."
The coffee shop is a trip back in time, launched by Andrew Planey and Meegan Possemato, owners of the vintage retail store across the street, On&On.
Chef's Table spoke with Possemato about the Retro Cafe in the Pine Brook section of Scranton.
Q: What is the history of The Retro Cafe ?
A: In 2018, we bought a vacant house across from On&On (our retail marketplace) in the Pinebrook section of Scranton. We wanted to make the building a complimentary business to On&On. A coffee shop just seemed to make sense — we noticed a big majority of our shoppers came in with coffees or asked us where they could find a place for a latte or a snack. We started planning and working on converting a former two family double home into The Retro Cafe. Just as construction started, the pandemic hit, so it took us longer to get started, but we're excited to be open.
Q: On your menu what do you consider to be your signature dish? And could you tell us how you came to create it?
A: Beyond our espresso bar creations, our signature food item has to be the Cap(H)ouse Grilled Cheese. We literally worked on it for years! From finding just the right cheese blend, to the perfect bread (National Bakery Texas Toast), to just the right touch of seasoning. It really is delicious.
We have our signature grilled cheese on the menu everyday along with one other specialty sandwich that changes daily. Our creamy tomato soup is also a big hit... that's available everyday too.
Q: How would you describe the cafe's atmosphere?
A: It's bright, cheery and open. Our staff is friendly and it's a nice place to grab something quick or to hang out with friends for a while. People love our vintage game board wall. It brings back a lot of memories.
Q: Where do you see the café headed?
A: We are getting ready to launch our online ordering — to make it easier for people to see our daily sandwich and soup offering, and to also place an order in advance so it can be waiting when they stop in. This spring we will be adding an outdoor seating area as well.
Q: Do you offer catering?
A: Not at this time.
Q: I noticed on your menu that you serve a drink called the Pine Brook Pop! Tell us more.
A: This is a fun drink. It's an iced refreshing drink that's a mixture of one of our Barista 22 flavor shots (raspberry, peach or vanilla are delicious here) and Red Bull. It gives you that extra POP to make it through the day.
Q: Do you host entertainment and/or special events?
A: We just opened at the start of November, so we haven't yet but people have inquired and we think it's something we could definitely grow into in the new year.
Q: If you could share a coffee with anyone, real or fictional, who would it be?
A. That's a perfect question for us! In one of our restrooms, one wall is dedicated to some of our favorite celebrities drinking coffee. I'm not sure if we could pick just one. I think I'd pick John Prine. ... but I'm sure my partner, Andrew, would pick someone else. Colleen, one of our managers, picked Anthony Bourdain, although she's upset Jerry Garcia didn't make it to the wall. We would love people to come in and give us some suggestions on their picks that we could add.
Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
