I tweeted earlier this week that sometimes you have to leave home to appreciate all its delights. This has never been truer than during my most recent trip. I spent a week in the birthplace of the Third Wave of Coffee, armed with a list of “must-sees” (or maybe “must-tastes”) from Phil Robertson, the Phil of Phil&Sebastian Coffee Roasters.

In Portland, Stumptown Coffee Roasters is the place to go. My travel companions allowed me to drag them to this altar of coffee consumption. The shop at the Ace Hotel is certainly a lovely room, the baristas young and competent, the espresso machines shiny and inviting. I ordered a macchiato and it was a thing of beauty. I admired the perfect milk heart on top and took a sip and…meh. It was fine. Well, it was better than fine, it was a very good cup of coffee. But was it any better than what we serve at the café? Nope, not a chance. I like ours better.

And don’t even get me started on hotel room “coffee” or the brown water they served on the airplane. Starbucks provided a convenient and efficient caffeine delivery system, but that was it. I like ours better, and that is a glorious thing to discover.

Same thing with food. I took the opportunity of temporary big city living to dine in as many ethnic restaurants as possible. I love small town life, but it doesn’t provide many chances to stretch one’s palate.

Victoria is home to Rebar Modern Food, considered by many to be one of the best vegetarian-esque (they have some fish dishes) restaurants in all of Canada. Their cookbook is a favourite of my friend Cindy and there were some jealous comments when I posted the dinner plans on Facebook.

We do it pretty

I dragged my (continuing patient and accommodating) travel companions here and expected to be wowed. The room itself is fantastic,  brightly painted and decorated with a quirky charm. Hip young women wait on tables and everyone seems really happy to be there. I ordered the almond burger, a dish so highly regarded that it’s the one recipe they don’t publish in the cookbook. The plate was attractive, but nothing prettier than what comes out of the kitchen at Tall Poppy. And the taste was merely adequate.

Initially, I was a little disappointed and remained quiet while my friends praised their dinners. Now that a few days have passed, however, I’ve come home with a greater appreciation of what we do at the café, and just how hard we’re hitting it out of the ballpark.

We do great coffee, ethically sourced, thoughtfully roasted and brewed with care. Our ingredients are locally grown, the food created with fresh and taste and satisfaction in mind, plated beautifully and delivered to your table with a smile. We learn the names of the people who come in and remember who likes their toast with the butter on the side. And sometimes we’ll get up at 4am to make a batch of sun-dried tomato and cheddar herb biscuits as a special favour to an appreciative fan. Our customers understand all this. Sometimes a trip away can help the people serving you to understand all this too.