Posted by TheShot on 08 Apr 2007 | Tagged as: Local Brew
It was a year ago that we posted a review of Cafe Madeleine on O’Farrell St., near Union Square. And since we’re overdue for a Trip Report, and since I’ve been terribly lax (inept?) about taking photos at some of my more recent café visits, it’s time to dust off some “old” photos for a [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 10 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: Local Brew, Quality Issues
I’m a little slow this time around, but not long ago Citysearch.com announced their 2006 readers’ poll winners for the best coffee in San Francisco: Best of Citysearch San Francisco - Best San Francisco Coffee. This is something of an annual tradition, as we reviewed Citysearch’s 2005 coffee winners. (When you think of it, naming [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 29 Aug 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
Some of the enjoyment I get adding new cafés to CoffeeRatings.com is in finding completely obscure places that make surprisingly decent (though never great) espresso. Last Saturday night I was visiting some friends for an event over at the ArtSF community center near the sketchier cross section of 16th and Capp Streets in the Mission. [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 24 Aug 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
This “living room” environment on the north end of Potrero Hill has a large space with modern seating indoors. They also have a large, private patio in back with many tables and large sun umbrellas. The staff seem motivated to make a higher-quality espresso, and for the most part they deliver on that.
Using a [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 20 Jul 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
This sister café to the Crissy Field Center is (less and less) inferior yet more popular — with the Golden Gate Bridge just outside. They serve the usual soup, sandwiches, baked goods, juices, and espresso. They have a few indoor tables and a lot of outdoor seating on benches and in the shade.
They serve [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 16 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
Across the Balboa Theater, this cavernous café and art gallery was managed by the same owners from 1994 until being sold to its current owners in 2004. (The previous owners have since set up a café in Gilbert, AZ.) The new owners, like the previous ones, are a bit cagey with their customers and seem [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 22 Apr 2006 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Quality Issues
I have a lot of respect for Nick Cho, owner of Washington D.C.’s murky coffee. He’s established a place that pulls some of the best espresso shots on the East Coast. He’s arguably the primary brainchild behind the Portafilter.net podcasts. And he’s also known for his quality coffee industry “altruism”: supporting aspiring baristas and café [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 14 Apr 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
With bright, white walls and staff in white smocks, you might think you stepped up to the cosmetics counter at the nearby Macy’s. But this is true of all the Cafe Madeleine bakery-cafés in the area. Inside they have just a few counter stools along the windows. But when the weather complies, the sidewalk café [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 12 Apr 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
This is a sister deli to the Caffe Sport restaurant in North Beach. It is inconveniently located across the massive U.S. Post Office (the Embarcadero Postal Center) in a strange part of town where Beale Street dead ends at the Bay Bridge. Harrison Street actually runs some 30 feet above this corner of town — [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 22 Mar 2006 | Tagged as: Local Brew
Quiet, semi-private coffee house with many plants and stained tables indoors. Sky-blue ceiling adds to the tropical theme. Minimal outdoor seating (no tables). They occasionally offer a free chair massage.
Café Que Tal formerly used Mr. Espresso beans, then switched to Vigal, and more recently they switched back again. They pull shots from a two-group [...]