From the Minneapolis Star Tribune - January 20, 2006
by Julie Pfitzinger

Hot Hangouts

On a bleak Minnesota winter day, there's hardly a better place to be than curled up on a couch in front of a roaring fire. Whether of the wood-burning or efficient (and less messy) gas variety, the soul-soothing properties of a great fireplace are much the same.

If you don't have a humble hearth to call your own, you're still in luck. Comfort can be found in Twin Cities restaurants, coffeehouses and even a grocery store, where blazing fireplaces entice you to grab a latté or a glass of wine, pull up a chair and crack open your latest read. Winter sports enthusiasts can find plenty of cozy spots for warming frozen hands and feet before heading back into the elements.

We visited a few places in the Twin Cities with noteworthy fireplaces and rated them on the admittedly unscientific basis of "best curl-up factor" -- with one log being "lukewarm" and four being "flaming wonderful." Fuzzy slippers optional.

...

WILDE ROAST COFFEE HOUSE

518 E. Hennepin Av., Minneapolis 612-331-4544

Chic yet cozy is the best way to describe the seating area next to the fireplace at Wilde Roast. It may be a fake, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better fireplace to curl up next to on a dreary winter day. Wing chairs -- tastefully worn -- flank an oversized brushed-velvet ottoman. There's a comfy leather couch, too. Retro lamps provide soft lighting, while jazz standards play quietly in the background. It's the living room you've always wanted, with a wine bar and cappuccino machine.

Rating: 4 logs