You know the economy’s bad when the coffee shop starts selling liquor. It’s either that, or the market for angst-sodden poetry is really, really good. Though they’ve been dabbling in beer for what seems like forever, Stardust Video and Coffee at 1842 E. Winter Park Road in the Audubon Park neighborhood has stepped wholeheartedly (or at least as non-ironically as a hipster place can) into the nightlife arena with the opening of their new bar. And what a groovy bar it is.
Décor: It’s kind of sad to see the dusty video part of Stardust get shrunk down to a few walls in the back, but on the bright side it’s now a pretty sweet place to sit and grab a drink. As part of the consolidation a lot of tables (made out of old painted doors) dot the back room, making it a keen spot to study, chill out with friends, or just hunker down and read a book while sipping a pint. Even better, where a wall used to be there’s now an honest to goodness bar, complete with taps and a flat screen TV showing various movie channels or some DVD dug out of the inventory. The bar seats about six - eight people, but there’s plenty of seating elsewhere. Or there’s still the side room with the stage sporting live music and poetry, and if you’re desperate for a smoke (or some fresh air) there’s always the benches and small tables outside, and you can usually strike up a conversation with whoever’s hanging out there. The atmosphere is a lot more lounge-like than it used to be, but more in the sense of Stardust being relaxed rather than fancy.
The Bar: There’s a big cooler filled with many wonderful kinds of bottled beer, including St. Bernardus, Tommyknocker, Red Hook, Chimay, and a host of others you may not have heard of. But the taps have been expanded, allowing for a wider variety of pints to be served (including Babycham, woo!). Bottles typically cost around $3 and up (plus tax, as Stardust primarily serves taxable foodstuffs), and drafts are around $5 or so. And somehow (I’m afraid to even ask), Stardust managed to secure a liquor license, meaning you can get a tall mixed drink for around $6 or so. The alcohol selection is pretty fancy, particularly for a coffee shop, making your drinks a matter of good taste rather than a sign of status.
Service: Well, since Stardust is first a coffee shop, you get coffee shop service more than bar service, meaning you wait in line to order as you would a cup of coffee. It’s a little off-putting to wait like this for booze, but at least you get a chance to meet new people in line.
Sounds: There’s live music every other day or so (more so on the weekends), though the movie room filters the live stuff out (sometimes a blessing) with an indie mix pumped out from behind the counter.
Crowd: Since the business model is coffee, Stardust is a big attraction for the under-21-set to come and spend time with the older kids. But even if it’s not students studying, people come bearing their own board games and do as they would at a late night coffee shop. But now with booze.
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