Philly Coffee Crawl With Brian's Coffee Spot

A year ago coffee blogger Brian Williams from Brian Coffee Spot contacted me about producing an Android version of CoffeeGuru.  We met in New York City at Stumptown's Midtown location at the Ace Hotel during Brian's yearly coffee explorations in the US and Canada.  Even though I decided not to expand CoffeeGuru beyond the iPhone platform, we got along really well and discussed the possibility of him visiting Philadelphia the next time he came to the States.

For years hometown roaster La Colombe was pretty much the only game in town.  But in the last few years a large number of micro-roasters and third wave coffeehouses have opened, suddenly making Philadelphia a must visit destination for any coffee lover.  I mapped out 14 and sent it to Brian (click here to view my Google Map: My Coffee Crawl Map).  It didn't take too much cajoling and he added Philly to his trip.

Just before Brian's arrival, I contacted Philly food reporter Drew Lazor about his visit.  Drew has been writing about the local food scene since 2005 for City Paper, Philly.com and the Daily News.  I pitched a story idea about our city quickly becoming a must visit for serious coffee "crawlers" from around the world.  He thought it was a great idea and arranged to hang out with us at a few shops.

1. Friday Afternoon

Brian Williams Photographed By The Philly Press

I picked Brian up at the train station at 2:30 pm and dashed over to Ultimo on Catherine Street.  Drew had arranged for  a photographer to shoot us for the article.  Ultimo's roaster is Counter Culture and they are considered one of the best presenters of those beans.  In fact on the second floor resides Counter Culture's Philly training center.  Barista Abby prepared me a Tsheya Congo pour-over and Nueva Ilusta Espresso, both excellent.  Although we were a bit nervous when the photographer showed up, I think Brian felt like a coffee rock star given all the attention he received bearly an hour after his arrival.

Google Glass

During our Ultimo visit, a group of well dressed guys strolled into the shop, one of them sporting the new Google Glass.  I've never seen them in person and I must admit they look better than I expected!

Afternoon At Menagerie

Our next stop was one of my favorite coffeehouses, Menagerie in Old City.  They are the only shop that uses Dogwood from Minneapolis and Ceremony from Annapolis, two fantastic roasters.  Brian adored the space, commenting that this is the type of coffee shop that he could see spending time in every day.  The design is well thought out, utilizing reclaimed wood throughout (the tables in the back are made from old bowling alley lanes).  It is also right around the corner from Brian's hotel, a huge plus.

Body Graphics Tattoo

Since the day started really late, we decided to pause our crawl and head out to dinner.  I was able to score a reservation at one of Philly's best, Zahav an Israeli tapas restaurant like no other.

As we strolled back to the hotel, we passed Body Graphics Tattoo.  They were having an art opening and we checked it out.  While the skate board art on the walls were not that interesting, the woman sitting in the window made up for it.

2. Saturday

About six months before Brian's visit I tweeted a picture of one of my favorite city diners, Jany's.  As it turns out one of Brian's other passions is good diner food so I had to make it our breakfast stop.  The place is a classic.  It's been in business for over 40 years and Jany makes sure the quality remains high.  The coffee is changed every 30 minutes, the eggs are fresh, and the prices are cheap!  However, as we left Jany shared some sad news.  She's selling the place and expects to retire in about three months.  So if you're anywhere near this place make it a point to visit before it's too late.

Jany's Diner

I had tickets to Pennsylvania Ballet's Coppelia so Brian explored on his own.  We made plans to spend Sunday together checking out more coffeehouses and I left him to it.  He was able to visit Elixr, Plenty and La Colombe's Dilworth Plaza location and like you, I'll have to wait to read in his blog the adventures he experienced.

Next Week: Bohdi Coffee, Ox Coffee, One Shot Cafe and ReAnimator...and an interview by Drew Lazor

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Brian's Coffee Spot

Drew Lazor's article "Tea for two, coffee for the rest"

Ultimo Coffee

Menagerie Coffee

My Blog Post, Menagerie Coffee, A Breath Of Fresh Air

Jany's Diner

Three Coffees In Manhattan

[caption id="attachment_392" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Two Little Red Hens[/caption]

To the first time visitor, the city of New York is large and difficult to manage.  But to a resident, NYC is a city made up of many smaller towns or neighborhoods each with its own character.  For example, on East 86th where I lived for two weeks fashion tights are the de rigueur uniform for young professional women headed to the store or one of the gyms that seem to populate every corner.  For men you can still find examples of what I thought was the finally extinct "WASP" look, polo shirts, docksiders, and chinos.    Even though I'd rather stay further downtown, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

There are some great gems in my temporary neighborhood, Luke's Lobster, Prime Butcher Baker, and Naruto Ramen are just a few.  Rent for businesses in the city is insane.  The linen store just next door to my apartment pays $10,000 per month for each window that faces the street.  With real estate at such a premium, throughout the city coffeehouses tend to be really tiny.  Just large enough to grab a cup to go with an interesting croissant, pastry or cupcake.  Two Little Red Hens is one such place just around the corner from my temporary home.

Many consider Two Little Red Hens' cupcakes and pies some of the best in the city. There's usually a line but it's worth the wait.  On my first visit I ordered a Key Lime Pie cupcake with a cup of Irving Farm coffee.  It was one of the best cupcakes I've ever had.  It was the perfect balance of tart lime with sweet icing... not too cloying, moist cake filled with lime custard.  The coffee is by Irving Farm, a roaster located north of the city in Millerton, Hudson Valley.

[caption id="attachment_443" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Irving Farm Coffee[/caption]

Going south a few miles, Union Square is a world apart from the Upper East Side.  The vibe is trendy without the hipster attitude of the East Village.  There's a fantastic farmer's market four days a weeks and over in the Southwest corner you can pick up a chess game for just a few bucks.  Just East of the park is Irving Place.  It's an upscale residential enclaive, a bit more quiet and quaint than Union Square.  Here at 71 Irving Place is the city home of Irving Farm Coffee Roasters founded in 1996 and now with four locations plus wholesale in many other places around the city.  Their house is a blend of Peru, Guatemala and El Salvadoran beans, each roasted separately then combined to form their signature house style, bold, rich and robust without being overroasted.

On East 13th Street David Chang's Momofuku Milk Bar offers up a taste of dessert and Stumptown coffee from an ever-expanding culinary empire (last count was 15 restaurants around the world).  My expectations were high as I've read so much about Chang, the "bad boy" of New York cuisine and watched him do guest stints on Treme, Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain.  I'm sad to report that my experience was underwhelming.  Although it was a quiet Monday just after 1 pm and the sign outside announced that "it's raining treats", the guy in front of me was told that they were out of their Kimchi Croissant a treat he went there specifically to try for the first time.  It sounded so interesting that I could help feeling his pain.  I ordered a "Crack Pie" with a well made Stumptown Hairbender espresso.  How could I resist such a promise?  Unfortunately, the taste was cloying and dense, and reminded me not so much a food crack then a not so interesting riff on Pecan Pie.  If you're looking for pastry "crack" try Doughnut Plant's mind-blowing offerings (at two locations, Lower East Side and Chelsea), which I'll blog about in a few weeks.

Support CoffeeGuru download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Two Little Red Hens: http://www.twolittleredhens.com

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters: http://www.irvingfarm.com

Momofuku Milk Bar: http://milkbarstore.com

Doughnut Plant: http://doughnutplant.com