Coffee/Riot: New Additions

I haven't added any new shops to the Coffee/Riot list in quite a while! But, I'm still trying coffee all over the city in search of the best and newest cups, wherever they may be. In the past I've visited:  Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape & Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company, Tynan Coffee and Tea, and Mid City Caffe. 

I still have a list of places that need a full length write up, but I wanted to give a shout out to three shops in particular. They are among a handful of newish shops that have gained my attention in recent months:

Kafe Bohem: Something about the lighting in this Shaw cafe makes you want to stick around for a while. Kafe Bohem is separate from, but related to next door's Bistro Bohem. The Bistro is a proper, stand alone Czech restaurant with a full menu. Kafe Bohem is where you might want to quietly sneak away from your too-talkative roommate for a while and catch up on that book you promised yourself you'd finish before 2014. All while having excellent, European style coffee drinks. Kafe Bohem is located at 600 Florida Ave NW.

Malmiason: I need to visit this place a few more times to decide if I really like it, but my first brief visits were positive. This is a bit of a multi-purpose space with a coffee bar, counter-service style lounge area, and dinner service restaurant area, all of which doubles as a rental venue on occasion. I was told by a fiend that Malmaison had a good coffee service and that's true! However, it's tough to compete with Baked & Wired just blocks away. Anyway, the smooth soy lattes at Malmaison are complimented by the location: it's right on the waterfront in Georgetown. This is a prime spot under the western end of Whitehurst Freeway. Malmaison is located at 3401 K St NW.

Harrar Coffee & Roastery: Nothing beats a Sunday brunch at Woodland's Vegan Bistro. OK, one thing beats a Sunday brunch at Woodland's Vegan Bistro: a post-meal coffee date at Harrar. This new coffee shop is located in Columbia Heights at 2904 Georgia Ave NW, one block from Woodlands. Harrar is pretty small, with perhaps 10 seats and a rack of current events magazines in the back for those lingering. They know their coffee here and to my delight serve one of my favorites, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Harrar roasts on-site (the roaster is right in the center of the place) and it shows, in quality and taste.

Coffee/Riot: Flying Fish Fits In

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant, and others are just straight up coffee shops. I've taken on task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city, on a quest to show what's unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, please submit.  Previous posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape &Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City,Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company, Tynan Coffee and Tea + Mid City Caffe.

When Flying Fish Coffee & Tea opened at the southern end of Mount Pleasant Street, I initially felt that they'd have a pretty good shot (no pun intended) at becoming a neighborhood mainstay. It is early yet, but I think I'm going to go ahead and assume I was right.

The little shop at 3064 Mount Pleasant Street NW won me over from the beginning. There are a number of traits that make a great coffee shop in my eyes. I have to say that having product and service quality is number one for me. More so than aesthetics, more so than location; the product has to be good-to-great to keep me coming back on a consistent basis. This is why I will travel to Dupont, Georgetown, or Capitol Hill for good coffee. 

Flying Fish makes a good cup. From the carefully chosen pour overs or a quick cup of drip coffee to-go, the product has always been above average in my experience. On the foodie side, I love that in addition to the bagel-etc fare, they also inlude multiple vegan selections from Chez Hareg Bakery. Palmier anyone! Goodness.

Yes, aesthetics do count. The shop reminds me of an old Richmond haunt of mine, World Cup Coffee. Now, World Cup was full of weirdos, remained open into the wee hours of the morning and everyone smoked cigarettes, but all that aside, the feel is the same. Art on the walls, a few window seats, small tables mixed in with communal and friendly staff + regulars. No surly meanies behind the counter (although they have their own sort of appeal).

And Flying Fish fits in in with Mount Pleasant: not too flashy, doesn't needlessly refer to its products as 'luxury' and the vibe is comfortable, not stressful. The lighting is low (a plus) and if there is music pumped through the place, I haven't noticed. There is wireless access, which a lot of you love. So, go bananas. I haven't been enough to meet any regulars, but I've been going consistently going as part of my Saturday Farmers Market trips. So that's good. Maybe see you there sometime.

Anyway, yes, so far so good for Flying Fish Coffee & Tea. They are making Mount Pleasant a little more interesting and a lot more caffeinated. Cheers.

Coffee/Riot: Mid City Caffe

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are straight up coffee shops. I've taken on task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city, on a quest to show what's unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, please submit. Previous posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape & Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City,Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company, Tynan Coffee and Tea.

Funny, the first thing I thought of after visiting Mid City for the first time was another coffee shop on 14th Street.  There was something about Mid City that bought to mind Sparky's Espresso Cafe, a 14th St coffee pioneer that had a great run in the early 2000s. Sparky's closed and the space is now Cork wine bar.  Bur Mid City Caffe looks like they plan to be around for a while.

General rules of retail say that the public would rather walk down to your store than up. That is to say if you have to choose between the basement and the second floor, choose the basement. But Mid City is in a unique and neat predicament. It's location is truly multi use. There is an auto repair shop next door and a vintage furniture store below. Having Miss Pixie's downstairs means you can window shop (or really shop) and get good coffee on the same trip. I guess you can get your car serviced and get a coffee as well.

The quality is definitely there. They offer brewed coffees based on seasonal availabilities. Like other indie shops in DC, they deal with Counter Culture. Of course always offer espresso drinks. The soy latte is frothy and up there with the best of what I have had in DC. The only food I have tried are the bagels. Nothing spectacular, but the jelly was really good and fresh. So there's that.

Then there is the atmosphere. I kind of love it. As I said the interior sort of reminds me of Sparky's because, well, it' sort of small and cramped. Mid City is divided into two rooms on the second floor. One room houses the baristas, cappuccino machines, register and seating for about 20-25. The second room is smaller and set off and can seat 15-20, but seems removed. Every time I have visited, the shop has been laptop land time as they do offer free wifi.

Mid City is a really cool hangout spot! the staff is actually very cool and the offer little extras like outdoor seating downstairs, accessible water cooler and a mini couch of sorts to mix in with the other vintage looking seating and tables. Mid City is located at 1626 14th Street NW.

Coffee/Riot: Tynan Coffee and Tea

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are straight up coffee shops. I've taken on task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city, on a quest to show what's unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, go bananas. I'm not much of a hater or complainer so I'll mostly be heaping praise and being posi. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee, Chinatown Coffee Company.

Tynan Coffee and Tea
While sitting at Tynan drinking a soy latte of unknown calorie count, I looked up at the workout machines across the street at Washington Sports Club. I should have started a series on gym memberships instead. I'll need one after this winter of eating. But anyway, on to Tynan.

Tynan is in Columbia Heights. It is within 100 feet of the Metro station, across the street from DCUSA shoppers and on busy Irving Street NW. The set-up is priceless. This place should do well financially and it looks like they are off to a good start.

The interior set up is neat. Tynan has a community table right up front, next to the door, but it's tucked away in the window bay. As you enter, you are drawn into the shop by one of two paths, leading to either the ordering area or main seating area. The main seating area is dark and warm with wooden furniture and feels enclosed like a separate room, although there are no high walls. I like this. In the front of the store is the aforementioned community table, a large couch-like seat, two or three single chairs with small tables and counter top seating designed for laptop users. Also to the left, as you enter, a large white wall, a natural canvas. A Columbia Heights related mural is planned. There is a small fireplace in the rear. I was there on a weekday recently and there were only five or six seats available, one of which I took. It was near the front window. There is an area for outside seating. Looked great for a few weeks after Tynan's opening in late October of last year. Looking forward to the outside seating this spring.

This place has a high turnover and fast service. The employees have always been pleasant to me. As usual, I ordered a soy latte as well as a regular drip coffee. Soy latte was nothing to write home about. I've had it on 4-5 separate occasions since they opened. Serviceable and, at the least, consistent. I don't know what type of soy they use. The drip coffee of the day was Guatemalan Antigua, a mild roast. On it's own, a strong coffee with a hint of bitterness and a bold, but not cutting or overwhelming aroma and taste. Later, when I asked for some soy as creamer (its not on the bar), the barista was nice enough to steam some for me even though I didn't ask. I liked that, too.

In addition to coffee, tea and juice, there are whole bean and loose leaf teas for sale, biscotti, croissants, muffins, and bagels. Prepared foods offered include waffles, quiche, breakfast sandwiches, salads, wraps and chili. A small selection of beer, wine and coffee liqueur drinks round out the diverse menu (PDF). Some items are seasonal, so I'd call and check or just drop by if you want to be sure one of those menu items is available.

Overall, Tynan looks like a good addition to the DC coffee scene. A nice place for a group meeting, after dinner date, or anonymous lounging. Its quite comfortable, clean and there are multiple seating choices. For the vegans, this place probably won't replace the likes of Sticky Fingers, but if you aren't looking for food or alcohol, this is a fine place to hang your hat for an hour or so. On the flip side, Tynan is a great alternative for those who aren't big fans of either Stick Fingers or Starbucks, the other coffee shops within a block of the CH Metro stop.

Tynan Coffee and Tea is located at 1400 Irving Street NW on the first level of the Highland Park building. It's between Five Guys and Commonwealth. Its open seven days a week; 630am-800pm and opening at 800am on the weekends.

Coffee/Riot: Chinatown Coffee Company

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are straight up coffee shops. I've taken on task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city, on a quest to show what's unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, go bananas. I'm not much of a hater or complainer so I'll mostly be heaping praise and being posi. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse, Bourbon Coffee.

Chinatown Coffee Company

...opened in late July on the corner of 5th and H Streets NW. The rather utilitarian corner (GAO government building, nondescript hotel) has gotten more lively recently with the opening of a few new restaurants and now Chinatown Coffee.

Everything about Chinatown Coffee has impressed me so far. Start with the employees. I love coffee. I appreciate people who love coffee. Their employees are so nice and friendly and can describe in detail the qualities and tastes of the coffee in play that day, each of the specialty drinks they serve and have no problems giving recommendations. I trust that whatever is being served at the time is going to taste fantastic.

Consistency is sometimes a degraded virtue, but not at this place. The soy latte is just phenomenal every time I order it no matter who is barista-ing (not a word, eh. well, it's a verb now. barista-ing). That will keep me and others coming back every time.

The decor is spartan, but warm, with a deep orange covering the walls and dark furniture along the the edges. No gimmicky abstract art or tattered couches. Lots of sharp angles, cold metal and a "here we are, this is our craft" open layout to the espresso machines, work and register area. Not many areas for mass gathering, but there are a few spaces up front to fit a group of four comfortably. A nice contrast from the clean and finished orange walls to the patches of exposed brick and unfinished spaces that appear around the shop.

There is a full menu of coffee products from lattes, drip coffee, french press and much more. Yes, I have had the soy latte about, I don't know, a dozen times so far. It's great! For the vegans, they're using the Pacific Barista Series Soy Blender milk. It's not sweet, doesn't burn and makes foam like dairy milk. That means in the hands of a trained professional, get ready for a sublime soy latte.

The winter months are nearly upon us. I can see myself hitting this place up for a small coffee (under $2 after tax) to start me up in the morning or get me through a tough afternoon. All coffee signs point to yes for this place. Keep up the good work.

Chinatown Coffee Co. is located at 475 H Street NW. It's open 7 days a week. 7a-8p on the weekdays, 8a-8p Saturday and 8a-7p on Sunday (fall schedule).

Coffee/Riot: Bourbon Coffee

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are self-identified coffee shops. I'll take on the dubious task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city. Of course its not a dubious task, but in order to really examine the reasons behind their greatness (as decided by me) of any specific location, I'll deliberately visit each one, including a couple I've never been too, on a quest to uncover what's so unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, well, suggest away. I know DC residents are sometimes fiercely loyal to their favorite coffee joints, so I'll mostly be heaping praise, and being posi. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst, Ebenezers Coffeehouse.

Wow. Haven't profiled a coffee shop in a while. But I have been logging visits and drinking lattes. Should be able to publish another one in a few days. Bourbon Coffee is a gorgeous shop on located on the retail level of the new USGBC headquarters building at 2101 L Street NW. The space space feels warm with earth tone paint, stoneware columns and African themed art, patterns and other accoutrement.

Bourbon's West End location is the first in the United States. The shop sells African coffee and was founded in Rwanda where it first appearing in 2006. As far as I understand there really isn't a middle man for the purchase of beans. The owners literally buy direct from Rwandan farmers and have personal relationships with producers. That's as "flat" as you can get in this business. I'm sure it makes for easier quality control as well.

I've had a soy latte by a couple of different baristas there and all were fairly consistent. Ha, first time in I ordered a medium, to stay, and ended up with quite a bit of coffee! The medium mug was huge! Good thing the coffee in it was good. Right now, Chinatown Coffee still makes the best soy latte in DC, but Bourbon's was good as well. Not burned (which used to be a common problem for me with soy drinks), and just the right level of bitterness. For this part of town, its the best thing going coffee-wise.

There is free wifi for the email challenged and enough couches to make a Sears furniture showroom jealous. You can order a soy latte, grab today's front page and bun up on one of the plush pieces of furniture in this place. VERY comfortable and accommodating atmosphere. I'm sure business types will call this place home for meetings every now and then. The staff was friendly as well and the other customers in the place looked content behind their computers and drinks. So, give this place a try. A good story behind its inception, a good product and very comfortable setting make it a place I'm sure to visit again, too.

Coffee/Riot: Ebenezers Coffeehouse

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are self-identified coffee shops. I'll take on the dubious task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city. Of course its not a dubious task, but in order to really examine the reasons behind their greatness (as decided by me) of any specific location, I'll deliberately visit each one, including a couple I've never been too, on a quest to uncover what's so unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, well, suggest away. I know DC residents are sometimes fiercely loyal to their favorite coffee joints, so I'll mostly be heaping praise, and being posi. On the other hand, I appreciate coffee of varying quality, so all you purist can start your own blog. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City, Tryst.

Well, the sheer existence of this place had eluded me until recently. I rode my bike to the Festival on H in September. On the way back to Mt Pleasant I passed Ebenezers Coffeehouse. I didn't stop that day, but I've been back more than a few times since then. Ebz, for short, seems to be a legitimate 3rd place. There is so much going on there, I almost forget that they serve coffee, but that's not a mark against it. Ebenezers is owned by a church, although several visits passed before I even noticed this fact. The National Community Church built and runs the coffee house operation and attatched venue. This is the church which has services in Union Station theaters each Sunday morning.

Ebenezers has a photo of the building in which it resides that was taken before its renovation in 2004. It didn't look like much of anything but an dilapidated abandoned shack on a sleepy corner of Capitol Hill. The corner, F and 2nd Streets NE, is one block from Union Station and literally overshadowed by two large, imposing government buildings, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Thurgood Marshall Courts Building. Ebenezers has ample outdoor seating, is roomy and comfortable on the inside, and has a surprisingly vast and modern performance space in the basement level. Te line is nearly out-the-door busy during midday hours and is an after school (or during?) hangout for the School Without Walls students (the school's on G Street). The staff gets an A+ for service and the clientele is all mixed up with high school students, government office workers, hill staffers, college students and laptop folks. Yes, they have free wireless.

Several times I've caught myself people watching or way into the newspaper, forgetting about my coffee, but I made a concerted effort the last few times out to actually taste the stuff. It's good. Ebz uses fair trade coffee from a roaster in North Carolina. The house blend is fairly muted, but its consistent. Nothing to call home over. The espresso drinks are good as well; again, nothing extraordinary. Ebz recently started serving lunch. The only vegan option was falafel, and although it certainly doesn't go well with coffee, I tried it out anyway last week. It was wrapped up in a pita-like bread and pressed, sort of like a panini. I gather all of the sandwiches are prepared this way. For the few dollars that it cost, it got by as lunch. I won't be abandoning other falafel places in lieu of this place anytime soon though.

Total two-thumbs up to Ebenezers. If I lived in Capitol Hill, this would be a usual hang out for me. As it is, I'm finding ways to hang out there now, although its not at all convenient. to Mt P. Add it to your next excursion too Union Station or Eastern Market.

Ebenezers Coffeehouse is located at 201 F Street NE. Two block walk from the Union Station Metro.

Coffee/Riot: Tryst

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are self-identified coffee shops. I'll take on the dubious task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city. Of course its not a dubious task, but in order to really examine the reasons behind their greatness (as decided by me) of any specific location, I'll deliberately visit each one, including a couple I've never been too, on a quest to uncover what's so unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, well, suggest away. I know DC residents are sometimes fiercely loyal to their favorite coffee joints, so I'll mostly be heaping praise, and being posi. On the other hand, I appreciate coffee of varying quality, so all you purist can start your own blog. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee, Open City.

I had put off writing about Tryst since I know so many people have strong feelings about this place. It enamors and infuriates equally. Laptop owners love it, but not on weekends. Its a great place to do homework, unless the band's playing. You can go there to people watch, or to be stalked. Ok, the last one was kind of a joke. But, Tryst is so popular its hard to make a case against it. Its a quintessential coffee shop and lounge. Its not familiar in the way Open City is; clean, sharp and out-of-town-visitor friendly. Its not as intimidating as a specialty coffee shop embedded in a trendy neighborhood (like Grape and Bean). I guess that's the rub, Tryst is so good at being all things to all people. And I'm one that really likes it.

Start with the coffee. Its great! Both Tryst and Open City use Counter Culture Coffee. Its almost a given now that a respected alternative coffee shop should serve fairly traded, organic etc coffee. If you have read the blog before you know that I LOVE soy latte. They make a great one here. The in-house latte is the size of your head and I often have a hard time finishing it before it gets cold. Similar to Open City, Tryst baristas make a mean soy cortado. They have a fairly sick tea menu as well. Great presentation when you order the loose leaf tea. If you do get a coffee and want to stick around, the downside is that there is table service. If you ever feel guilty about running a $3.00 tab for an hour sitting, don't come here. They serve alcohol so table table service is not optional.

The service is fine by my standards, but don't expect an in-and-out breakfast, lunch or dinner. The servers are usually oh-so-attractive, knowledgeable, generally kind and serve just fine: its just hard to find them on occasion. They definitely put the "wait" back into waitstaff. But the large letters on the front door do say 'lounge,' so I'm not inclined to complain. There is always some sort of art on the walls, many times begging the question "but is it art?" Check out the amusing bathtime photos of the staff behind the counter. The atmosphere is laid back. Couches and mismatched armchairs share room with community coffee tables and night stands turned place setting. Its a sort of free for all as far as seating. If you can find a seat and room for your plate or cup, great. If not, you may need to improvise.












There are no hosts so actually finding a seat is up to the patron and can be nerve racking. I never attempt to eat at Tryst with more than one person. Finding a seat for a group is especially challenging. On the other hand the lighting and single seating model can lead to a little privacy and intimacy; great when you don't want to be bothered by others, or just want to get away for a spell and bury yourself in food or coffee. The food menu is nothing special, but the salads are particularly full and filling and I've heard great things about the desserts, but few are vegan friendly, so I can't say from experience.

Tryst has much to offer and I can't get into all the nuance in one post. Its almost too perfect. Sort of like the smart know it all kid in class who was just nice enough, or attractive enough that you couldn't really get on his case. A tough shell to crack. I learned a long time ago if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Tryst is located at 2459 18th St, NW, just south of Columbia Rd.

Coffee/Riot: Open City

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are self-identified coffee shops. I'll take on the dubious task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city. Of course its not a dubious task, but in order to really examine the reasons behind their greatness (as decided by me) of any specific location, I'll deliberately visit each one, including a couple I've never been too, on a quest to uncover what's so unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, well, suggest away. I know DC residents are sometimes fiercely loyal to their favorite coffee joints, so I'll mostly be heaping praise, and being posi. On the other hand, I appreciate coffee of varying quality, so all you purist can start your own blog. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean, Crumbs & Coffee.

This post happened by accident. I usually end up at Open City on days like yesterday. Its just, I never plan too. Gorgeous out, 70-something degrees, orange sky and people, people, people, on the streets. No need to be in the house, I started out on a walk to no-where, beginning in Mount Pleasant. I figured, since I'd already been to Adams Morgan earlier in the day (buying movies at CD/Game Exchange), I'd make the trip across the bridge to Woodley Park, people watching along the way. Great place for it, eh. Anyway, yes, I end up in Woodley Park, home of a dozen or so quality, worldly restaurants, the "Adams Morgan" Metro stop, lost tourists looking for "Adams Morgan," conventioneers, zoo goers and a neat coffee shop and restaurant called Open City. I stopped there for coffee.

If you look closely, it's obvious that Open City is a sister business to Tryst and The Diner in Adams Morgan. All three have a generic, but organic feel. Safe, clean and comfortable. There's a curious narrative on the OC website explaining this aesthetic, in a round-about way. I pretty much agree. Stylistically it borrows from the best of what we think of an interesting and aesthetically pleasing cafe should be: close, intimate wooden tables, high ceilings, ton of outdoor seating, fans, low lighting, bustling energy. There is a latent sophistication to OC, even if the clientèle is mostly made up of townies, out of town visitors, tourists and college kids. You legitimately feel as if you aren't in DC while visiting Open City. It is a good feeling.

As for the coffee, it on par with Tryst. Not completely obvious if the two establishments share baristas, but I really like Tryst coffee and espresso drinks, and I feel the same about Open City. OC has a full menu, with full complement of breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch meals. After tinkering with the menu over the last three years, they've even added dedicated vegan options, which were scarce or questionably vegan just after the opening in 2005. The bar sports a 50-something inch television and today it was showing ESPN Classic. No one was sitting at the bar. OK, back to the coffee. There is so much going on at OC its sometimes hard to focus on the coffee. If you dine in, you are subject to table service, similar to Tryst. However, OC has limited seating for "waiting" customers outside the front doors. I usually order a coffee at the counter and sit outside, in the waiting area seats to enjoy it. Yesterday I ordered a soy cortado. So thick and bitter, it needs to be enjoyed while sitting down. Relaxed, able to savor. Perfectly drawn. So for the 10 minutes I was there, I relaxed, looking over the Omni Shoreham, Rock Creek Park and still imagined that I was in another place, anonymous, sophisticated happy. Then I remembered that I had to do laundry. Ugh, back to reality. Nice walk home tough, over the bridge and glancing the lights of 18th street, before settling back down in Mount P.

Open City is located at 2331 Calvert Street NW. Open daily until midnight, 1AM on weekends.

Coffee/Riot: Crumbs & Coffee

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are self-identified coffee shops. I'll take on the dubious task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city. Of course its not a dubious task, but in order to really examine the reasons behind their greatness (as decided by me) of any specific location, I'll deliberately visit each one, including a couple I've never been too, on a quest to uncover what's so unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, well, suggest away. I know DC residents are sometimes fiercely loyal to their favorite coffee joints, so I'll mostly be heaping praise, and being posi. On the other hand, I appreciate coffee of varying quality, so all you purist can start your own blog. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing, Grape and Bean.

When Crumbs & Coffee opened a few years ago, I was excited. This was well before the coffee shop explosion in Columbia Heights, but well after Starbucks moved into the previously haunted corner of 18th and Columbia. I thought "Finally a coffee shop which isn't a chain (Starbucks), doesn't have table service (Tryst) and doesn't shun wireless internet (Dos Gringos)." Sadly, the only remarkable feature was the free wireless. I tried to make Crumbs my coffee shop. I went on Sunday mornings with the paper. Once a month or so I took my laptop down to the shop and surfed or listened to music. I tried to eat there a few times (not much vegan food, just bagels). I generally did my best to support a new local business.













It never caught on, personally. The owner and a woman who I surmised to be his daughter worked there tirelessly for the first year or so serving up OK coffee and espresso drinks while trying various configurations of furniture (couch? no, no couch. well. maybe a small one. no. nope. no couch) and menu options. They finally settled on the ubiquitous coffee and lite fare model, with the full compliment of hot and cold coffee drinks plus sandwiches and salads. Recently they added a Dunkin Donuts-type line up of pastries and doughnuts. I was surprised, and while there recently they sold an impressive handful before noon. The coffee is sufficient, but I was a little miffed that you couldn't get a real cup to drink out of. Only paper to-go cups. Sad. I last went on a weekend and there were 8-10 laptops out, making use of the free wireless. Obviously this is the biggest draw. For the cost of a small cup of coffee you can plop down and surf the net at no additional cost for as long as you wish really. There are a ton of electrical outlets and the connection is fast.

I guess that brings me to the conclusion. Crumbs had potential. Its at a crossroads, in the heart of Adams Morgan. Its adjacent to the Safeway, under an apartment building and fronts onto one of the busiest roads in the Ward. But it's just so..... blah. Single laptop users don't engage in conversation. Its the quietest coffee shop I've been to in a while. I wish they had kept a miss-matched couch or two to liven the place up. And for the love of good coffee, buy some ceramic mugs for those of us who want to linger a bit and enjoy the coffee. If Crumbs had another gimmick, or actually made really great coffee, or some other distinguishing factor besides free wireless, I'd be more excited. But they don't. For now, its a perfectly nice, indie coffee shop with a decent selection of pastries and good service. All in all, not bad, just not quite on par with the other shops nearby or reviewed so far in this series.

Crumbs & Coffee is located at 1737 Columbia Road NW. Open daily until 9:00pm.

Coffee/Riot: Alexandria Edition; Grape and Bean

Coffee/Riot is a DC-centric coffee shop series on The 42. However, since no DC coffee shops have purchased a Clover, I went to the closest place that has: Grape and Bean in Alexandria. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos, M.E. Swing.

Grape and Bean

Well, this is a first. I rarely cross the river in search of food, drink or entertainment. The District will almost always suffice. But clearly this is a special case. I love coffee. I love espresso, espresso drinks and coffee straight up; no (soy) creamer, no sugar. Just pure black gold. Thing is, not many places brew coffee so good that it can stand on its own. We use a French press in my home and we also own a single service machine; it makes a 10 ounce cup, but its a Black and Decker, pretty run of the mill. Those will do for the morning rush out of the door, but this weekend I had something a little more special.

If you like coffee, you may know of a new phenomenon called the Clover. Its a single service coffee machine. The Clover brews one cup of coffee at a time, with each brew bearing the specific instrutions of the customer. Whether you like fine or course grind, water at 212 or 209 degrees, coffee steeped at 45 or 60 seconds, the Rwandan, or Sumatran; its all up to you, the customer. There are only 200 or so Clover machines in operation worldwide. None are in DC. The closest are in Alexandria, then Annapolis, then Lynchburg, VA. The machines are cost prohibitive at $11,000.00 per unit. However, the steeping and vacuum extraction process produces a product far and beyond regular dip coffee offered at most shops.













Grape and Bean opened only a month ago (Feb 8) and I was quite impressed. I'm usually averse to most of the stuffy, out-of-sync establishments on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. Grape and Bean was a nice surprise. We walked in on a wine tasting and were greeted by the very knowledgeable and nice employees, one of which turned out to be the owner. As the name implies, the shop specialized in fine wines and fine coffees. I went straight to the Clover and picked up a coffee menu. Yes, get used to it. There will be menus for individual coffee servings in the near future.













I chose a Columbian Microlot (microlot means its the beast of a region; usually a limited quantity, but extremely high quality bean). I later tried a Salvadorean lighter roast. They set me back $2.35 and $1.75 respectively for 10 ounce sampler servings. The Columbian was really some of the best coffee I'd had in several years. I drank slowly, trying to realize all the flavors of the coffee indicated on the menu. The Clover allows for the full flavor of the beans to come out during extraction. All of caramel, flowery and fruity tastes come alive. The quality difference is really quite astounding. I was less impressed with he Salvadorean, but it too was far superior to most drip coffee Ive had. Oddly, we left with only a bottle of wine; no coffee. No way I'll be able to duplicate the Clover's results at home with the same coffee, so I'll have to find it in me to make the long trip to King Street and visit this wonderful place again.

Grape and Bean is located at 118 South Royal Street in Alexandria, VA. About a 20 minute walk from the King Street Metro station.

Coffee/Riot: M.E. Swing

Coffee shops, cafes, whatever you prefer to call them, DC has its fair share of spots that serve up the caffeinated, addictive beverage in some form or another. Some are bakeries, others more restaurant-like, and others are self-identified coffee shops. I'll take on the dubious task of chronicling some of my favorite coffee spots in the city. Of course its not a dubious task, but in order to really examine the reasons behind their greatness (as decided by me) of any specific location, I'll deliberately visit each one, including a couple I've never been too, on a quest to uncover what's so unique and cool about them. If you have suggestions, well, suggest away. I know DC residents are sometimes fiercely loyal to their favorite coffee joints, so I'll mostly be heaping praise, and being posi. On the other hand, I appreciate coffee of varying quality, so all you purist can start your own blog. Previous Coffee/Riot posts: Sticky Fingers, Baked & Wired, Dos Gringos.

M.E. Swing

Good things apparently come in ugly packages. Not far off of the 42 bus line, and only one block away from the White House, lies the M.E. Swing Company. Its housed in an ugly 1970s era office building on G Street near a smattering of office-lunch spots like Subway and a few nondescript delis. Inside was a different story. The owners luckily kept many of the counter pieces, old roasting equipment and other accoutrement from the earlier incarnations of the coffee shop. The warm wooden-paneling and two-seaters with stools help take the edge off and give M.E. Swing a more homey feel. M.E. Swing specializes in importing and roasting high quality beans and there were several patrons who searched for their favorite roast by the pound during the few minutes I stuck around and observed. Mostly everyone patronizing looked to be a regular and I guess due to the location, everyone was apparently on a lunch break. There was one kid with a skateboard, but no tourists or out of towners appeared to come in.

In all fairness, I should have played to the strength of the place and gotten a regular drip cup of coffee, but I went with a soy latte. Not a bad choice I must say. The espresso was really flavorful and I plan to make another trip just for a plain shot of espresso and a cup of regular coffee. I rarely buy coffee by the pound, but I may try a small amount from this place. I always seem to get the coffee which tastes great at the shop, but looses all the flavor and aroma when put through my coffee maker at home. Then again, I'm not willing to put down a small fortune for any of the home machines either. Maybe after my cashing out my savings after I stop working at age 90, I can buy one of the $20,000 coffee makers sold in Japan. But I digress. M.E. Swing is one of those places which goes about its daily business as if it really doesn't need or want your approval. Its dedicated customers have kept the place in business since 1916 and are rewarded with a quality product and a staff that seems to know the craft, terminology and coffee business ins and outs. Now of only they could acquire a space with a little more umph and less ugh. They'll get another visit from this blogger however. Gotta try the drip...

M.E. Swing is located at 1702 G Street NW.