It is about time that decent coffee will be coming to New York. I mean, you could always get a good espresso there. And Oren’s really is pretty good. But coffee has been a weak link in a city that otherwise does so much food so well. Now all NY needs is edible burritos. But then how will I feel culinarily superior, a prerequisite for citizenship in SF? I suppose we’ll always have fresher produce, no matter how many stories the Times runs about the Greenmarket. But there is the bagel and pizza problem.
Posted by Ethan Leib on August 13, 2008 at 02:34 PM
Comments
Thanks Ethan- I’ll check it out.
Posted by: Matt | Aug 13, 2008 11:43:11 PM
Edible burrito: Y’all will need to come down to Austin, Texas for everything worth having in the burrito/taco family. (BBQ and sublime live music, of course, goes without saying).
Posted by: Dan Rodriguez | Aug 13, 2008 11:38:27 PM
Paul: I feel you. When I go back East, it’s all pizza all the time. My wife likes Little Star; but it doesn’t do much for me.
Bruce: As a guy who lived in New Haven for a decade, I understand that NY has its limitations. Nothing comes close to Sally’s or Pepe’s. But the beauty of the NY slice is something special.
Matt & Greg: Try Zibetto (1365 6th Ave) next time you are visiting some friends in a midtown law firm. It is quite impressive. And even economical.
Posted by: Ethan Leib | Aug 13, 2008 8:17:29 PM
Actually, I would argue that until about 2002, the espresso in New York has been horrid and worthy of the likes of Youngstown, OH.
It’s actually been a major embarrassment for the city, IMO — I spent a few days once in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2003 on a quest for the best espresso in town and could only find “adequate” compared to cities like SF, Chicago, and even Kansas City for that matter.
(Oh, and as an SF resident, the pizza here pretty much blows. California Pizza Atrocity indeed.)
Posted by: greg | Aug 13, 2008 8:06:15 PM
A La Colombe branch (out of Philly originally) has opened in Tribeca, serving coffee as good as nearly any from the North West. I personally mail-order my beans from the True North Roasting House, just outside of Seattle, and find them wonderful. (I found True North beans via the High-Point Cafe in Mt. Airy in Philadelphia, still the best coffee shop I’ve ever been to.)
Posted by: matt | Aug 13, 2008 5:31:34 PM
Interesting, I would have said there was a “pizza problem” in New York. I suppose tastes vary, but I thought NYC was pretty bland, pizza-wise. Also, no good ribs.
Posted by: Bruce Boyden | Aug 13, 2008 4:50:45 PM
The pizza problem is crippling. There is, I’m convinced, not a single slice of edible pizza anywhere in the bay area.
Posted by: Paul Gowder | Aug 13, 2008 3:37:33 PM