SUWANEE: PJ's Coffee is final business on main drag

BYLINE: REBECCA MCCARTHY
Staff
August 25, 2007
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Suwanee's new downtown has reached another milestone: There are no vacancies for businesses along Town Center Avenue.

The last business to open has already developed a devoted clientele. PJ's Coffee of New Orleans serves coffee in every imaginable form -- hot, frozen, blended, iced and sweetened -- and yummy-looking pastries and sweets as accompaniments. There's other food as well.

Many of the desserts are hand-made in Italy and then shipped from overseas. The carrot cake is so pretty that you could consider using it as a centerpiece. It's made to be admired and savored.

If your breakfast meeting runs late, don't worry. You can check your e-mail right from your table, because PJ's offers a free wi-fi connection.

In addition to lunch, PJ's has a wine bar, where it sells wine by the glass, or by the bottle. You can order a meat-and-cheese plate or any of the other tapas dishes.

Ken Andrews, who owns the business with his wife, Katherine Andrews, says they looked "high and low" for the perfect location. He thinks they found it at Town Center.

They wanted a place "that was a destination location, something that could generate a lot of foot traffic," he says. "We also wanted to be part of the community, instead of just in a strip mall."

Having an amphitheatre in front of their coffee shop was a bonus, Andrews said.

Manager Mike Purdo says folks from New Orleans are particularly delighted to know the coffee shop has opened. The continuous music, from a lot of different artists, has a distinct New Orleans flavor, too. Wrought-iron accents, granite countertops, vintage-style lights and lots of mahogany remind you of the decor in upscale places in the Crescent City.

Founder Phyllis Jordan -- for whom the business is named -- opened her first coffee shop in New Orleans more than 20 years ago. It was her idea to roast the coffee beans in small batches, Purdo says.

The coffee in the frozen, blended and specialty drinks at PJ's is less acidic because it is brewed for 24 hours in cold water.

Specialties include the Granita, a crystalline coffee drink, Velvet Ice, a blended combo of coffee and flavors, and various iced coffees. The hot Vienna Creme combines cold drip coffee with frothed, sweetened milk and whipped cream.