Dos Gatos Coffee Bar is a Downright Downtown Delight

Lately, my dining partner has been researching special places to unwind and renew. My partner likes a nice walk to help her unwind, so long as the walk's goal is not too distant, and that the goal must offer refreshment that fortifies for the walk back. So, my partner has been limiting her area of discovery to downtown Johnson City, most of which is just 20 minutes or so from our front door. A fortunate discovery of hers is the Dos Gatos Coffee Bar.Dos Gatos (or "Two Cats" for us Anglos) Coffee Bar is part of the ongoing revitalization of downtown Johnson City, shoehorned into a repurposed storefront near the intersection of East Main and North Roan streets next to Massengill's; you can't get more downtown Johnson City than that. Dos Gatos' front window depicts two cats interpreting cat antics, and there is a nice folding standee out front declaring the day's specials legibly written in chalk.Inside, the place is divided lengthwise into a two-thirds/one-third apportionment. Two-thirds of the width is given to the kitchen, the coffee bar, the rest rooms and a seating area with two tables with seating for four or so. The one-third that is left runs the entire length of the building from front to back and has about eight tables each seating two patrons. The daily menu board is located behind the coffee bar and other walls are hung every so often with very interesting artwork and photos.Chai Latte and Bacon, Egg & Cheese SandwichInside the storefront, it is Dos Gatos that sells the coffee or in my case, a steaming 12-ounce mug of Chai Latte ($3.65). A partner business operating side by side with Dos Gatos, The Orchard Mason, makes the food that goes along with the coffee and other beverages. Orchard Mason's Chef Nathan Brand creates food that not only goes with your coffee, but nourishes your body and does wonders for your well being as a person. Knowing that what you've ordered was grown, prepared, and sold by local farmers, growers, dairymen and bakeries just seems to make it taste that much better. The Orchard Mason menu changes daily in accordance with what Brand is able to find and source locally. I felt quite proud of myself knowing that the Egg & Cheese sandwich ($7.31) that I chose to go with my cup of chai latte was all locally-sourced, right down to the bacon I added ($1.83 extra) to make it my (Benton's) bacon, (local) eggs and (Sweetwater Valley white cheddar) cheese sandwich. Such attention to detail required my use of fork and napkin to make sure every crumb of such goodness did not escape.Almond Rose sconeMy dining partner likes the simple things in life. The most important is a good cup of coffee, fresh-brewed and simply black, please. No sugar, no dairy products, no spices or other flavorings, thank you. My being able to make my dining partner her simple cup of black coffee each morning has been one of the reasons we have stayed together as long as we have. So I had an interest in how professional competition would fare as my partner lifted her 12-ounce stoneware cup of Dos Gatos drip coffee ($1.83) to her lips and took a long sip.The resulting frown that zoomed across her face concerned me."Something wrong with your coffee, dear?" I asked."You didn't make it," was my dining partner's reply.As I tried to suppress a huge grin, my partner took a bite of the almond rose scone ($3.06 each; Dos Gatos gets 'em locally just around the corner from the J Bake bakery) which chased her frown away and replaced it with a gentle smile. No wonder, with this delectable creation of sugar, butter, flour, almond and vanilla extracts and, is that rose petal jam in there? Who wouldn't be smiling with that playing on their palate?Bacon Cheddar sconeWanting to try my luck, I wandered over to the Dos Gatos' baked goods display case and chose a J Bake's bacon cheddar scone ($3.06) to have something to dip in my cup of chai latte. My bacon cheddar scone had cheddar baked into it all right, to the point of complete permeation, rendering the normally moist and flaky inner scone texture as crunchy and durable as a Zwieback. The bacon put in an appearance as a few pink flecks dotting the interior, but of smoky pork flavor and goodness there was none.Gingerbread sconeAs my bacon cheddar scone was not one of J Bake's better efforts, I was making a third trip to the Dos Gatos baked goods case and returned with a J Bake gingerbread scone ($3.06). I was not disappointed this time around. The gingerbread scone was baked crisp on the outside, moist and crumbly on the inside and was alive with the smell and flavor of freshly grated ginger. It was the perfect dipping companion for what remained of my chai latte. My dining partner managed to wheedle a piece, and said it even made her cup of coffee taste better.As we were discussing the finer points of ginger scone recipe, Chef Brand came by with a couple of "amuse bouche" for us to try. These turned out to be a small wooden bowl filled with toasted glazed pecans and a plate containing some small bites of chocolate. The pecans were toasted, sugar glazed and then dusted with cayenne pepper, making a scorching, delicious and oddly addictive snack. As for the chocolate, Brand said it was from his mentor, a chef who had become the founder and artisan chocolatier of Condor Chocolates, using chocolate sourced only from Ecuador in his creations. My taste buds told me this was no ordinary chocolate bar; the taste was sharper, more focused and definitely more chocolate-y.We had a good time tasting and enjoying the beverages and foods offered by Dos Gatos Coffee Bar. The Orchard Mason will succeed, thanks to its ever-changing menu and diligent attention to local sourcing and freshness by Chef Nathan Brand. Dos Gatos' use of baked goods from nearby J Bake bakery is not only smart; it publicizes and supports another local producer and business. Put all three businesses together under one roof and Johnson City's got a downright downtown delight. See if you don't agree.Next week, the Mystery Diner encounters neighbors helping neighbors.Dos Gatos Coffee Bar/The Orchard Mason238 E Main StreetJohnson City630-0120Hours:Dos Gatos Coffee BarMon-Thu 7 a.m.-6 p.m.Fri 7 a.m.-9 p.m.Sat 9 a.m.-9 p.m.Sun Noon-6 p.m.The Orchard MasonMon-Fri 7 a.m.-2 p.m.Closed Sat & SunBoth available on Facebook& social mediaCredit cards accepted