Politics & Prose is bringing back its coffeehouse on April 14 after at 10-week renovation, and this time, it will be operated by Little Red Fox owner Matt Carr. The new space, dubbed The Den, will transform into a wine bar in the evenings.

Carr says Politics & Prose has been a welcoming neighbor since he opened Little Red Fox on the same block in late 2013. The bookstore’s co-owner Lissa Muscatine stops into his cafe for a pour-over coffee every morning. And so when Politics & Prose took over management of its basement coffee shop, previously operated by a third party, the owners asked Carr to become their partner. 

Little Red Fox will supply pastries like croissants, muffins, and pop-tarts to go along with The Den’s espresso drinks made with Ceremony Coffee. The Den’s small kitchen will also offer soup, salad, grilled cheese, and a range of fancy toasts, including one inspired by a Salvadoran quesadilla. The (gluten-free) savory breakfast cake, in this case made with rice flour and parmesan cheese, will come topped with an egg, avocado, salsa, and queso fresco. Starting at 4 p.m., the menu will expand to include cheese and charcuterie plates.

And because Little Red Fox is known for its pies, The Den will offer “pie fries,” which are strips of cinnamon and sugar-dusted pie crust that can be dipped into a pie filling. Other sweets will include a rotating cake and babka made with brownie batter swirled in.

Six new world wines and four local beers will also be available in evenings.

Every month, The Den will offer a dish from a highlighted cookbook available in the bookshop. The first cookbook will be Gjelina from the chef of the Los Angeles restaurant of the same name. Carr says he plans to highlight the book’s eggplant caponata and burrata toast. “Obviously not every cookbook is going to have toast, but we’ll do soups and salads, and I’m sure we can adapt some recipes to toast form,” Carr says.

The cafe will also offer special menu items in honor of guest authors. For example, when author Justin Cronin visits on May 25, The Den will offer crimson drinks and food in honor of his vampire novels.

The Den will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Photo by Farrah Skeiky