tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post1611045625995006367..comments2024-03-29T05:29:08.934-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/29/24: Department of Coffee and Social AffairsNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-84308414818120437852018-12-10T16:30:18.661-06:002018-12-10T16:30:18.661-06:00It was during the "working on LaSalle Street&...It was during the "working on LaSalle Street" phase of my life when that edifice was built, and I never liked it. Too big. Too grandiose. Give me Art Deco any day of the week. I used to wish I worked at the LaSalle Bank Building, at 135 South LaSalle, with its block-long walk-through lobby and its pedestrian bridges. Work there, hell, I wanted to live there. Haven't been through there in at least twenty years...probably longer. Loved it. <br /><br />As for espresso, all I can offer is a shrug, since I've been a tea drinker for most of my adult life, and seldom drink coffee. But when I do, "ordinary coffee" works just fine for me---black with sugar, please. Coffeemaker, vending machine, whatever...the origin matters not. <br /><br />And I won't even go into a Starbucks. I'd feel stupid trying to order there, and if they laughed at me when I hesitated or became confused, or just asked for "coffee", I would probably get pissed, and cause trouble. I'm past the age where I willingly go into places where I feel uncomfortable. <br /><br />I've had espresso in some good Italian restaurants, but can't tell you whether it was excellent or lousy. Maybe that would be the place to start. But probably not in Little Italy...you'd have to go further south. There were some classy joints around 24th and Western in my younger days, but that was decades ago. Grizz 65https://www.blogger.com/profile/02892702223228764894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-44575715489198856012018-12-10T14:46:05.467-06:002018-12-10T14:46:05.467-06:00Attempting to consider the issue as logically and ...Attempting to consider the issue as logically and scientifically as possible, the factors involved are water taste, water temperature, bean freshness, bean grind, and the ability of the barista. Given the number of awards they have received, I would think Intelligentsia would be your best bet for getting as many factors "correct" as possible here. If they don't do it for you, then there's either some x-factor that I'm leaving out, or Tom's correct that ambience has something to do with it. For what it's worth, the cappuccinos in Florence were always better than Chicago, although that's probably due to a combination of ambience and the milk they use as well.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05494535471695915503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-76115427763283735382018-12-10T12:53:46.231-06:002018-12-10T12:53:46.231-06:00On a closely related culinary subject, when a newl...On a closely related culinary subject, when a newly opened Dominic's nearby offered a selection of gelatos, I hoped to replicate the taste of that ambrosial substance as found on offer from a thousand and one vendors encountered on a summer night's saunter around the piazzas of Rome, Florence or (a favorite) Montalcino. Maybe it's the ingredients. But I suppose the unduplicatable ambiance has something to do with it.<br /><br />Tom Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09641357239788323783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-82840147360011821972018-12-10T08:41:07.258-06:002018-12-10T08:41:07.258-06:00Can someone describe what good espresso is suppose...Can someone describe what good espresso is supposed to taste like? I've never even tried it -- I'm perfectly satisfied with ordinary coffee and rarely disappointed. Occasionally I find my own efforts watery when I try to eke out an extra cup from grounds that have already delivered 2 or 3 decent cups, while vending machine coffee and Starbucks seem bitter or too strong, but otherwise most any coffee will do for me. Why should I even try espresso?<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-67900448236264048742018-12-10T07:52:37.210-06:002018-12-10T07:52:37.210-06:00The last time I had espresso that I enjoyed was wh...The last time I had espresso that I enjoyed was when I was young, possibly pre-teen. A neighbor, of Italian heritage, had an open house party every Christmas Eve. He always made espresso laced with sambuca and I'd gulp down as much as was offered. I suspect that it was the sambuca that I was enjoying. Tony Galatihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15119832467442771755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-19562828448960673022018-12-10T02:52:56.724-06:002018-12-10T02:52:56.724-06:00This isn't going to be of much help, but the H...This isn't going to be of much help, but the Harlem Ave strip of Elmwood Park should definitely be a start. Look for the small non-dsscript little shops in one of the small complexes with a few old men sitting around. It's been years, but i too was once on a quest - and found it more than once. Paul Fedrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04384556977324071639noreply@blogger.com