For $1.85, Morning Call’s cup of cafe au lait is the best coffee in town.  Lagniappe:  listening to the patrons’ local accents….it’s a linguist’s dream.  Still open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 3325 Severn Avenue behind Lakeside Mall–the perfect antidote to holiday shopping madness.

[Side note:  the beautifully weathered, gray-veined white marbled countertops at MC stand in lovely opposition to the popular wisdom that marble stains easily and isn’t durable enough for kitchen use.  Despite decades of sugar, coffee, and heavy use without any special care, the marble still looks fine.]