coffee

Stationæry , Carmel by the Sea, 8/12/23

~ hsnixon ~ 3 Comments
patio – 5th Ave between Dolores and, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921

Stationæry is a medium-sized (11 indoor tables) place operated by Anthony and Alissa Carnazzo.  They offer brunch, dinner, coffee and wines in a casual setting.  Also available are tables on the patio that opens to other stores and a couple stools at the tile counter.  A bench seat lines the wall set with small wood tables.  Many windows add lots of natural light and plants provide the decorations with music in the background which was sometimes hard to hear due to the crowd noise.  It was very busy and walk-ins had a long wait.  We had reservations luckily and the attentive and friendly staff moved the meal along nicely.  One note to service is that there are no refills on coffee – this was just house pour not a specialty cup.  The food primarily is sourced from nearby farms and ranches and varies with what’s in season.  It was good food, especially the roll which could have been a meal in itself.  I encourage you to try it but have a reservation. Continue reading →

Coat Check Coffee, Indianapolis, 4/20/23

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
building – 401 E Michigan St, Indianapolis, IN 46204

Coat Check Coffee is open daily in the historic Athenaeum building.    They offer pastries and bialy sandwiches in addition to coffee beverages.  There are tables in the lobby next to the counter as well as by the first-floor entrance.  They are located in what was the coat check area of the old theater.  It is a small counter but they are fairly quick.  We tried one of their sandwiches and some of their pastries.  It was mostly a younger crowd but with a variety of seating options.  I also saw groups with their computers possibly having a meeting at the one large table.  It is run by the Small Victories hospitality group that operates several other coffee shops in the area.  If you are nearby, stop by for a coffee and an almond croissant. Continue reading →

Café Aquatica, Jenner, CA., 7/8/22

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
building – 10439 Hwy. 1, Jenner, CA, 95450

Café Aquatica is a small place with a counter where one might eat but mostly it’s deck and garden seating outside, all overlooking the water and folks launching canoes.  They serve breakfast and lunch foods in a “coastal American cuisine.”  Featuring lots of local seafood and organic ingredients.  The menu evolves with the owner’s interests.  Currently, the most popular items on the menu are crab rolls, clam chowder and crab and eggs. They have some seasonal specials and coffee.  You order at the inside counter and they give you a buzzer which tells you your food is ready to pick up at another window.    We had a cup of their Pour Over coffee and a crab roll.  It is on a toasted brioche roll filled with Dungeness crab, aioli, celery and arugula which comes with a side of pickles.  The crab was freshly picked on a soft tasty bun with just the right amount of sauce.  A winner.  The pickles were well seasoned and tasty.  It made a fun lunch in a pretty setting. Continue reading →

Gran Caffe Gambrinus, Naples, Italy, 12/20/19

~ hsnixon ~ 4 Comments
IMG_7382
exterior

Gran Caffe Gambrinus is a huge ornate place that is mostly a coffee and pastry restaurant.  They do serve heavier food but most people seemed to be enjoying a pastry, coffee and the surroundings.  The place has been around for 150 years and was restored in 1890 when they brought in many of the paintings and statues. It has been visited by many celebrities over the years, like Ernest Hemingway, Sigmund Freud, Angela Merkel, and Luciano Pavarotti.  They are ready for lots of tourists as the menu is in about 6 languages.  The tables are small but there were a lot of them and a good sized bakery at one entrance where you could come and get pastries to go.  We tried coffee and a Sfogliatella riccia which is a shell shaped Neapolitian classic pastry that has tons of layers of buttery pastry.  It was fabulous but looking around the place was just as good.  It is eye candy. Continue reading →

Cafe Tortoni, Buenos Aires, 5/25/19

~ hsnixon ~ Leave a comment
line to get in
line to get in

Cafe Tortoni dates back to 1858 and moved to its present location in 1880 but has long been a part of Buenos Aires history.  A French style place where artists and scholars visited in the early 1920s it now hosts regular tango shows as well as serving up coffee, alcohol and a good variety of fresh pastries and snacks.  But this did not seem to be a place to have a meal, more just a drink and snack and people watch or to absorb some of the atmosphere.   It is typical to find a line to get in but the line moved quickly and we were in soon.  I read about a large basement room but didn’t get to see it.  There was a room more like a library filled with books and mementos.  The whole place was filled with stuff – photos, trophies, books, stained glass lamps, art and small marble tables.  There is a Tiffany glass ceiling and a collection of Tiffany lamps on top of the service area.  If you need to take some of the place with you there is a large number of souvenirs for sale. Continue reading →

Bar Plaza Dorrego, Buenos Aires, 5/24/19

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IMG_1589
building

Bar Plaza Dorrego is good sized and right across from the plaza where tango dancers perform and vendors sell trinkets.  It has been around a long time – I found one photograph dated 1904 – and the walls and furnishings look like they have not been replaced in a long while.  It is full of character.  The large u-shaped bar is the centerpiece of the room and the tables wrap around the walls.  Windows are on a couple sides as the building as it’s on a corner.  Photos line the wall and the bar is stocked with liquors and coffee.  The staff were friendly and welcoming.  We only stopped for coffee but it came with a little bowl of delicious amaretto cookies to snack on.  They do offer sandwiches, steaks and pastires, but most people were just drinking.  It felt like history surrounded us and was a wonderful place to pass a few restful moments. Continue reading →