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Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Travel - Favorite Coffee Shops
I have a few favorite coffee shops I like to stop at when I'm driving here or there. I expect the coffee to be good, but that's not why I go -- I'm just as likely to have tea, or a local specialty like the cider at Small World in Princeton. I like what Ray Oldenburg calls the third good place.
My favorites are just that because of their varying combination of location (near the roads I travel, in good towns and cities), aesthetics (everything from the room to the paper cups -- but I have more funky favorites than fancy ones), good food (usually carbohydrates) and the sum total, which determines whether or not they are local hangouts. In the end, what I like about the places is also what makes them local hangouts.
NB: I've linked to internet information for addresses and phone numbers, but most of the websites are terrible – don't judge a coffeeshop by its website! And some of the places are chains, like Dean and Deluca. That's okay, if it's a good place. In their case, I like the cafe on University Place, near Washington Square, and the small market a block from my apartment. Check out Zingerman's, too.
Some updates are here, here, here and here.
Arcadia - Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Black Sheep Deli - Amherst, Massachusetts
Books and Books - Coral Gables, Florida
Café Petrossian - Seventh Avenue, Manhattan
Café Sabarsky - Fifth Ave, Manhattan
City Bakery - 3 W 18th, Manhattan
City Dock Cafe - Annapolis, Maryland
Cooper-Hewitt garden & cafe - summer only
Dean & DeLuca - University Place, Manhattan
DTS - Garcia Street, Santa Fe
Hi-Rise Bakery - 56 Brattle Street, Cambridge
IntelligentsiA - Chicago, Illinois
Koffee Too? - York Street, New Haven
Marvelous Market - Georgetown, Washington
Metro - Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia
Modica Market - Seaside, Florida
Montague Book Mill - Montague, Massachusetts
Nick's - Amherst, Massachusetts
Slave to the Grind - Bronxville, New York
Small World Coffee - Princeton, New Jersey
Taylor Books / Coffeeshop - Charleston, WV
teany - Rivington Street, New York
telegraphe - 72nd Street, New York
Willoughby's - Church Street, New Haven
Zingerman's - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Taylor Books, telegraphe and Koffee Too have free WiFi. Others on the list have probably added it since I was last there.
April 14, 2004 in Books, Food and Drink, Travel, Urbanism | Permalink
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» More Third Good Places from Veritas et Venustas
To go along with my posts on favorite coffee houses (also here and here) and London pubs, here's a list from the British newspaper The Independent on the 50 best tea rooms in the world:50 best ... places for afternoon [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 1, 2004 11:16:32 AM
» Coffee House Redux - 04.27.04 from Veritas et Venustas
I've posted some comments from the TradArch chat line in the comments section of my Favorite Coffee Shops post. A few places added on April 27:Black Sheep Deli - Amherst, Massachusetts Nick's - Amherst, Massachusetts Hi-Rise Bakery - 56 Brattle [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 1, 2004 11:35:47 AM
» Coffee House Redux II - 04.30.04 from Veritas et Venustas
Geez, how did I forget this one in my list of coffee houses? The Montague Book Mill has been one of my favorite stops for years. When I first went there, the bookstore was a Western Mass, hippie-political bookstore (remember [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 1, 2004 11:43:52 AM
» Another Good Caf from Veritas et Venustas
The Caf [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 10, 2004 1:19:20 AM
» Another Good Caf from Veritas et Venustas
The Caf [Read More]
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» Another Good Caf from Veritas et Venustas
The Caf [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 21, 2004 11:01:01 AM
» Pleasures of the City from Veritas et Venustas
I have two more third places in New York to add to my list of coffee houses. One is also an addition to my post about favorite institutions in my neighborhood: the garden and cafe at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.Click to Enlarge [Read More]
Tracked on Aug 2, 2004 11:25:09 PM
» coffee from TrashCan
Travel -Favorite Coffee Shops : John Montague Massengale�� ���α� �ٴ� �ʱ�, ������ ���ĵǴ� ���� ���� ������ Ŀ�Ǽ��̾��ٴ� ��. ���ÿ� �̵����� ���� ��¼���ϴµ��� �� ������ �ִµ� .. ��ũ�� ��ã�ڴ� -_-;; ��·��. �� ����Ʈ�� �����ϴٴ� �귣�� Ŀ�Ǽ��... [Read More]
Tracked on Oct 12, 2004 6:26:27 AM
» Tired of New York? from Veritas et Venustas
Need a little vacation from New York but don't have time to go anywhere? The Café Petrossian, near Carnegie Center, is the anti-Starbucks. The croissants and atmosphere make you feel like you're in Paris. The Petrossian restaurant is next door on Seve... [Read More]
Tracked on Jan 4, 2005 10:16:43 AM
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I received the following press release about the first commercial tenants at [Read More]
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» Starbucks Redux from Veritas et Venustas
Re my earlier Starbucks post, Rob Assumendi had it right: Yes, it's interesting how Starbucks creates a modicum of social space in places where there was none and hurts local business where there is plenty. A friend in the Chicago suburbs would love a ... [Read More]
Tracked on Apr 20, 2005 12:07:50 PM
» coffee from trashcan
Travel -Favorite Coffee Shops : John Montague Massengale의 블로그 근대 초기, 뉴스가 전파되는 가장 빠른 방법은 커피숍이었다는 글. 도시와 미디어의 관계 어쩌구하는데서 본 기억이 있는데 .. 링크를 못찾겠다 -_-;; 어쨌든. 저 리스트엔 유명하다는 브랜드 커피숍은 하나도 없다. 나도 저런 리스트있었으면...... [Read More]
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» Bucks from Veritas et Venustas
SURE, Starbucks has played a large role in increasing the quality of coffee in America, and it helped make it possible for local coffee shops to know they could succeed. But why do so many of us favor Starbucks over the local shops? In Coral Gables, th... [Read More]
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Comments
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I'm pretty sure I've been to Blue Sky, maybe with you.
Athens is probably the best Southern college town I've been to. It's what I expected Oxford to be. But it turns out Yoknapatawpha* (I even know how to pronounce it), is much better than the real thing.
*Yoknapatawpha County is William Faulkner's fictional name for Oxford and its surroundings. See http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/faulkner.html
Posted by: John Massengale at May 1, 2004 12:02:36 AM
OK, I tried to send you a post a while back about my favorite coffee houses but when I pressed "send" I lost all my email for a week!
Please add my favorites to your coffee house list:
PJ's Coffee Houses in New Orleans, all locations, each unique to its neighborhood. They serve the BEST cold brewed iced coffee ever. I hope franchising doesn't ruin this company, locally planted and grown by Ms. Phyllis Jordan.....see a quip from their 20th Anniversary article pasted after my suggestions. Also, from their website I like this quote:
"A coffeehouse is the ideal place for people who want to be alone but need company for it."
http://franchise.pjscoffee.com/opportunity.html
Add CC's Coffeehouses serves only a southern tradition, Baton Rouge's hefty Community Coffee (which is the only brew that has ever touched anyone in my family's lips for generations). Voted best coffeehouse in the city by New Orleans Magazine.
http://www.ccscoffee.com/
And of course there is no place in this country that compares with Cafe Du Monde on Decatur St. in the New Orleans French Quarter, established 1862. The structure is original to the much older open air market and is as filled with ambiance and diversity as the city itself. Last week after the Jazz Fest my daughter and I shared our small round table, chicory cafe au lait and beignets piled high with powered sugar with a couple from Romania, both physicians. Talk about opportunities for "chance meeting!"
http://www.cafedumonde.com/
Finally, if you're into books and browsing through a unique selection while you sip some brew (also journals, newspapers and publications heavy on Southern literary culture), Square Books Cafe is the place, on the courthouse square in the heart of Oxford, Mississippi. (Actually, you should do a favorite book stores search!)
http://www.squarebooks.com/front.php
Bottletree Bakery in Oxford is an elegant place to relax over coffee and tea and particularly sumptuous European pastries. And if you're hoping for an after hours cup of java with students burning the midnight oil, Coffee Bistro is open till midnight daily.
Check out Oxford, John - you would like it:
http://www.touroxfordms.com/
WHAT: PJ's Coffee & Tea Co.
CUISINE: Sandwiches, pastries, coffee
WHEN: Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
WHERE: Locations citywide
CARDS: Cash only
When coffee was introduced in Europe, religious leaders considered it a sinful libation until Pope Clement VII (1536-1605) tried a cup and gave it his blessing. Coffee is now the world's second-largest traded commodity after oil. Half of all Americans older than 10 drink coffee. I can remember as a child growing up in Acadiana, the thrill of being offered "coffee milk" at the breakfast table. When a grown-up ladled a spoonful of dark roast into your cup of milk, it was the ultimate compliment, a rite of passage, one I have passed on to my own children.
Although I frequently go to coffeehouses, I am still amazed by the words people use to describe variations of my favorite drink. Sometimes, I wonder if they're doing it just to impress each other, saying things like cafe breve, lateccino, espresso con panno, espresso macchiato, ristretto, quad and whipless ... the list goes on. A couple of weeks ago, I was waiting in line at PJ's when an overdressed matron quipped, "I want a for-here decaf large latte, make that a double, with 2-percent milk, and hold the foam, please." I was proud to come away with my honest little cup of dark roast, like a real American. Actor Steve Martin put the coffee craze in perspective in L.A. Story when he peppered, "I'll have a half double decaffeinated half-caf with a twist of lemon." If only Pope Clement and his finger-wagging band could see us now.
PJ's Coffee & Tea Co., now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is one of my favorite New Orleans coffeehouses, because it has some of the best java in town. I think it helps that most of the franchises are owner-operated (several of the franchises have been acquired by former PJ's employees). Great coffee has always been the main goal at PJ's, where there isn't any hoopla about cyber-sipping, fine dining, or art viewing ... just the simple pleasures of enjoying a superior cup of joe and a little something to eat while cooling off on the patio.
Ann B. Daigle
PlaceMakers www.PlaceMakers.com
1253 Washington Ave. Suite 222 . Miami Beach, FL 33139
318-348-8160 Direct . 786-276-6200 ph . 786-276-6000 fax
Traditional Neighborhood Planning . Pattern Books . SmartCode Customization
Posted by: Ann Daigle at May 2, 2004 7:36:50 PM
Thanks, Ann. You remind me I haven’t been to New Orleans for at least 10 years, which is about 10 years too long. I’m sure the coffee places are good. Next winter I’ll be there.
Square Books is great. He opened not long before I was Seaside Town Architect, when I did a lot of Southern touring. The rest of Oxford was hurting then. I’d bet the coffee places hadn’t opened yet.
It’s hard to say if the next topic should be coffee shop / diners, bars, or regional places like Mrs. Wilkes and the meat pie place in Natchitoches. I could even do “Hotels I’ve Found in On the Road Again With Man’s Best Friend (also petsonthego.com)” - these range from the Arizona Biltmore (a Frank Lloyd Wright pinwheel cottage for $100 a night — it was August), a great B&B cottage with a balcony over the river in Natchitoches, the Jefferson in Richmond and the Boone in Berea At the Biltmore and in Natchitoches I checked in for a night and stayed several days.
There are a lot of great city diners in movies, like the one Bridget Fonda buys in It Could Happen To You and the one in Groundhog Day (actually in Illinois, not Punxatawny, PA). The ones in New York with the best food (Three Guys, maybe the Nectar), never look like those. And the ones that look like those are usually greasy spoons. What are the exceptions?
Posted by: John Massengale at May 2, 2004 7:54:28 PM
Take a look at http://www.cooltownstudios.com/mt/archives/000084.html
Posted by: John Massengale at May 11, 2004 9:22:53 PM
down here in the Deep South, we have a gem of a coffeehouse; Fair Grinds Coffeehouse in New Orleans LA.
-all fair trade organic coffee-made fresh every 2 hours!
-amazing selection of loose teas-
-european style ciok-
-2 types of cafe au lait, the New Orleans variety and the rest of America's version-
-local pastries made by neighbors-
-beautiful interior of a rescued old building-
-owners on the site almost every hour-
-free space for meetings and or events upstairs-
-free live music on the patio in the evenings-
-open even on major holidays; no staff on those days, just owners visiting with customers-
-serious commitment to neighborhood and third places-
near Jazz and Heritage Festival in one of the most beautiful parts of a beautiful city
Posted by: Dar Wolnik at Jan 7, 2005 2:23:24 PM
Well of course New Orleans has a great coffee house. I'd be surprised if it doesn't have several. What's the famous beignet place?
One of my favorite third good places was a restaurant in New Orleans. I'll have to write about it.
Posted by: john massengale at Jan 8, 2005 1:38:37 AM
My favorite coffeehouse in the country is in Seattle next to Cal Anderson Park off New Denney Way. It's called Esspresso Vivace. These guys are culinary experts on coffee and latte art. They occupy the second level of a renovated mill building fronting the park. This is headquarters and they have a sidewalk location I haven't been to yet.
http://www.espressovivace.com/locations.html
Barry
Posted by: Barry Mahaffey at Feb 7, 2008 12:11:46 PM
This is just in my opinion, but here it's the local coffee shops that are always the best. Even the customers seem more friendly than in the large corporation owned coffee shops.
Posted by: Atlanta Flower Shop at Aug 4, 2008 5:06:20 PM
Of course, local is the new organic.
Posted by: john at Aug 4, 2008 6:05:36 PM
nice article. my favorite coffee house is Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee - a very rich but smooth Costa Rica coffee. In Dc and Ny and you can find their exact locations at www.missiongrounds.com
I believe on Commerce Drive in DC and 5th street in Manhattan
Posted by: dalton leeigh at Oct 29, 2008 9:27:28 AM
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Posted by: Guest House Edinburgh at Aug 5, 2010 6:54:33 AM
