Coffee Shops

[CunningSmeagol]

IME, nothing makes business travel more tolerable than a readily available, serious cup of coffee or espresso. Please share.

Boston:

Simon's near Porter Square on Mass Ave.

Bloc 11 in Union Square (not that anyone on business travel would be anywhere near there)

These are the two best I've tried in the area. Simon's, especially, is quite a joint. There are a couple of decent places on Newbury (Espresso Royale comes to mind), but IMO are not better than the two I listed.

 

[robin]

Don't forget Starbucks!

 

[sho'nuff]

i love coffee shops and cafes. one of my favorites near me is Champagne in south coast. my wife and i go there every early sunday morning for coffee and/or breakfast. quaint little place in the south coast plaza.

 

[CunningSmeagol]

Originally Posted by robin

Don't forget Starbucks!

Exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

But you know that.

 

[Jbreen1]

Gimme Coffee in Ithaca NY...I think they have shops all over now, in Manhattan and Brooklyn and other places but I only visit the one in Ithaca which is the original and it's a cool place.

 

[brianja]

Here are a few I like off of the top of my head. I put in parenthesis the bean sources for the Brooklyn shops since I know them for sure.

Brooklyn:

Southside Coffee (Inteligentsia) <--- my favorite shop
Cafe Pedlar (Stumptown)
Root Hill Cafe (Counter Culture)
Gimmie! (Gimmie! roasted in Ithica)


Manhattan:

Joe the Art of Coffee
Grey Dog
Cafe Grumpy

 

[musicguy]

Philadelphia:

Spruce Street Espresso (12th and Spruce, best coffee I've ever had)
La Colombe (19th St, right north of Rittenhouse Sq.)

 

[playdohh22]

Originally Posted by robin

Don't forget Starbucks!

big corporates ftw!

 

[Warren G.]

French Press in Kenner...15 mins away from New Orleans. http://frenchpresscoffeehouse.net/

 

[lynchpatrickj]

how about CUBAN coffee? where can you get that in DC / NY / etc.?

 

[themaskedcorndog]

Originally Posted by brianja

Here are a few I like off of the top of my head. I put in parenthesis the bean sources for the Brooklyn shops since I know them for sure.

Brooklyn:

Southside Coffee (Inteligentsia) <--- my favorite shop
Cafe Pedlar (Stumptown)
Root Hill Cafe (Counter Culture)
Gimmie! (Gimmie! roasted in Ithica)


Manhattan:

Joe the Art of Coffee
Grey Dog
Cafe Grumpy

The real Intelligentsia and Stumptown locations in Chicago and Portland, OR, respectively, are the best coffee I've ever had.

Cafe Grumpy is excellent as well.

Indianapolis - Monon Coffee in Broad Ripple Village

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by themaskedcorndog

The real Intelligentsia location in Chicago is the best coffee I've ever had.

Indianapolis - Monon Coffee in Broad Ripple Village

Yes and yes.

 

[CunningSmeagol]

Interesting article on coffee (snob) shops:

http://www.simonscoffeeshop.com/globe_article1.html

''I could talk for hours about Starbucks," van Schyndel says.

Some critics would go so far as to say that the company's drinks, let alone those now coming out of local favorite Dunkin' Donuts, barely even qualify as espresso.


''Espresso has a pretty bad rap in most of America,"

Ken Nye, owner of Ninth Street Espresso in New York City, says over a macchiato (espresso with a dab of steamed milk on top) at his far-East Village shop.

' 'They haven't had it. They've had this abomination."

Pardon the pun, but changes are brewing, slowly but surely. In both Boston and New York, espresso fanatics can find pockets of quality like Simon's and Ninth Street, where trained, dedicated baristi are grinding, dosing, tamping, pulling, and frothing. At these cafes, the point is to emphasize the unique flavors that can result when hot water pushes through finely ground coffee at the right speed.Continued...

''Good espresso should taste almost like freshly ground coffee smells," says Nye. And its velvety, full-bodied texture should coat the palate.

There are so many steps to achieving this, and virtually no room for error when making something with only two ingredients: coffee and water (plus milk for cappuccino, latte, or other espresso drinks). The size of the grind, the pressure and technique used when ''tamping" them into the machine's portafilter, and the temperature of the water are among the factors that can affect whether the water presses through in the requisite 20 to 30 seconds for 2 ounces of liquid. Faster or slower, and it's thin and sour or burnt and bitter.


Much of the strategy involves freshness. The best espresso, Nye says, comes from coffee roasted recently and preferably locally.

 

[indesertum]

jack's stir brew in manhattan is really good.

 

[clee1982]

realistic speaking... Starbucks, only place I can find all over the WORLD, and it is better than most mom and pop shop (at least in NYC, and Asia).