Surviving the Polar Vortex

Winter brings out the best in style.  Few ensembles look better than a topcoat covering formal attire or a rough and tumble Filson or Barbour jacket thrown over a chunky sweater.  Though a lot of men’s clothing aficionados look at parkas with disdain, they’re necessary to tough out Minnesota winters and the sleek silhouette of a Canada Goose Chateau looks just as home over a suit as it does on an Arctic expedition.

Much of Winter is spent indoors, however, thanks to Polar Vortex conditions.  Today’s subzero windchills call for a day of outdoors avoidance, but that doesn’t mean staying at home and getting mopey about the frozen winter wonderland.  The cure for the cold is to don your best duds and hightail it to the coziest coffee shop in the area.

My latest coffeeshop discovery is Eat Street’s Wesley Andrews CC (an abbreviation for Conversation Complements).  Housed in an old, narrow four-story brick building that I’ve dreamt of owning for years (and the onetime home of Joe’s Chicken Shack), Wesley Andrews hits upon the minimalist trend of the moment but executes it with quality superior to most coffeehouses.  Instead of a phoned-in Spotify playlist, the baristas throw on records - often local - as a soundtrack, a perk I’ve only found at the Bachelor Farmer Café and Kopplin’s in town.  Cacti and succulents dot the compact space, and trendy magazines like Cereal and Kinfolk lie on the counters and encourage patrons to stay awhile and read.  I spent yesterday afternoon perusing the latest issue of Cereal and am now plotting a trip - and move - to Los Angeles, thanks to the magazine’s thirty-page ode to Southern California and the frosty Minnesota winds.

The drinks at Wesley Andrews are sublime.  For Northern comfort, opt for the Northwoods, accented with smoked whiskey and balsam fir.  The drink comes with a marshmallow on the side, toasted in front of your face.  It’s the closest thing to a campfire in the city, and is a heart - and body - warming treat for the coldest days of the year.  Such an experience is worth throwing on your coat and risking frostbite for because the Polar Vortex is best weathered in convivial coffee spots that encourage lingering, conversation and precious moments with a book or magazine and away from your phone.

Hat: Askov Finlayson, Gloves: Barbour

Location: Wesley Andrews CC