Posted by TheShot on 30 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Local Brew, Roasting
Last week we wrote about how coffee, like food, has become a primary form of consumer entertainment. We also mentioned recent experiences at newer coffee bars that have felt, well, “manipulative and artificial.” This concern over what seems real might sound trivial, but it’s at the foundation of a great deal of consumer behavior and [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 16 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Foreign Brew
Established on this spot in 1955, Paolina’s operated as Carmel’s oldest running Italian restaurant for over 50 years. It was little more than a cafeteria-style indoor food counter, though they used a decorative, three-group, manual, brass eagle Rancilio machine with “Paolina’s” detailed on the back. The espresso may not have been memorable, but their machine [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 23 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Local Brew
Opening in April 2009 on the site of the former Eatcetera (they still retained their frozen yogurt machines), “eat” still seems the theme at this Financial District salad and panini shop. We’ve long been hoping for an Eataly to move into town, and this would barely cover their bathrooms. But it’s definitely an improvement over [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 15 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: Café Society, Consumer Trends, Quality Issues, Starbucks
One of the things that the big coffee chains do well is consistency. Or at least that’s the conventional wisdom, lifted straight from the fast food chain playbook. A McDonald’s french fry is pretty much the same everywhere, and the coffee served at a big chain is little different. Or so we’ve all been told. [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 24 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Foreign Brew, Machine, Restaurant Coffee
Last month — after publishing a few trip reports of nearby Cole Coffee, the Spasso Coffeehouse, and Peaberry’s Coffee & Tea — Luigi DiRuocco of Mr. Espresso asked if we tried the espresso at Oliveto. We last updated our review of Oliveto a couple years prior, so the focus of our most recent Rockridge tour [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 16 Dec 2008 | Tagged as: Fair Trade, Local Brew
Opening last month on the site of a former Briazz prepared-foods (lunch, primarily) chain shop, this corner café isn’t much of a leap from its predecessor. They serve sandwiches, soups, and salads as before — but with an emphasis on cocoa and espresso. The store seeps causes from its signage: Fair Trade coffee and cocoa, [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 09 Oct 2008 | Tagged as: Beans, Fair Trade, Roasting
Today’s San Jose Mercury News ran a nice, local puff news piece today on the Di Ruocco family, of Mr. Espresso fame: Di Ruocco family crafts coffee with care – San Jose Mercury News. The fluffy article documents some of the background behind Carlo Di Ruocco, who founded Mr. Espresso over 30 years ago because [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 31 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Local Brew
This French bakery and café resides across the street of a parking garage in a roadside “strip mall” of sorts. It’s in a very odd part of the city that consists of modern-yet-plain software company office buildings clustered together. Imagine if SF opened a theme park based on downtown San Jose, and you get the [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 24 Jul 2008 | Tagged as: Local Brew
This café sits on the south side of Geary Blvd.’s viaduct/quasi-freeway exit, west of Masonic Ave. There’s a Denny’s-esque wall of curved glass that creates an almost greenhouse-like front enclosure, but you need to enter this small space by walking down the narrow passageway just past it. Inside there’s a colorful interior with several café [...]
[view full post]Posted by TheShot on 30 May 2008 | Tagged as: Local Brew
This kiosk/cubby hole with old cigar branding on glass above the doorway has only a dry-erase marker menu inside giving away its name. (“The Sentinel“? Are they Michael Douglas fans or something?) A former cigar shop, and most recently an outlet of Enzo’s Italian Deli for a number of years, this tiny location opened in [...]
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