AROUND TOWN: Midwestern transplants rejoice: Caribou Coffee has arrived

After relocating to Las Vegas from Michigan nearly two years ago, there were things my now-husband and I knew we would have to leave behind. Snow, we didn't mind. Caribou Coffee, that hurt.

Several months ago, we received an excited message on our answering machine from my husband's uncle who lives in Henderson: "I just saw a sign on Eastern Avenue that says Caribou!!"

He was right. Caribou Coffee had arrived in Las Vegas.

Since the Midwest-based chain opened its first location in the state in Henderson in March, sharing space with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, making the trek from our home in North Las Vegas has become something of a weekend ritual. Chatting with the manager, we learned that the Henderson location was a "test" store to see how the partnership between Caribou and Krispy Kreme was received. If all went well, we were told there was a chance Caribou would be located in all of the Krispy Kreme stores in the valley. Which they can't do fast enough, gas prices being what they are.

My fondness for Caribou began when I was a college student, so walking into the Henderson store and seeing the rustic, lodge-style furnishings holds a bit of nostalgia for me. A Caribou Coffee in Michigan also was the site of one of my first dates with my husband. If you are a transplanted Midwesterner like me who yearns for a reminder of home every now and then, this could be the place for you.

Of course, it's hard to just have coffee when there are fresh, hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts to sample, as well. The original glazed are my favorite, especially the ones they pull fresh off the rack for you. I see Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the store and flinch at the price, but every time I bite into one that is still warm, I relent a bit. With summertime heat setting in, I recommend giving the Caribou Cooler a try. It's a frozen concoction that's something like a coffee milkshake (although you can get them without the coffee, as well). I like the vanilla. There's also caramel, chocolate and regular coffee, as well as a variety of other flavors, including Andes mint. If you are a coffee purist (or snob) like my husband, you also can buy Caribou Coffee beans at the store and grind your own at home.

Either way, it's nice to have another choice in the valley to get my coffee fix.