Coffee/Riot: Baked & Wired

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

My long time favorite Georgetown coffee spot, Baked & Wired is one of the few bearable places to sit and relax on the busy M Street corridor. Located on the quiet Thomas Jefferson Street NW, B & W serves up some of the best coffee I've had in the city. A sign near the cappuccino machine reads: "Yo! It takes time to prepare a quality drink... thanks for understanding." Hear, hear. They always come through on the quality part. And I've never waited an extraordinary amount of time for a drink. The new set up has you ordering your drinks at the coffee bar and crossing a threshold to pay for the drink. This, of course after you've had a chance to peruse the baked offerings.

Like Sticky Fingers, B & W is as known for its baked goods as it is for the coffee. While I drank my unbelievably savory soy latte at the small bar, customer after customer entered and tried to decide which cupcakes to take home. One woman expressed that she deserved a strawberry cupcake after a tough weekend; just one though. Another ordered 5 red velvet (which was the run away favorite that day) for a special occasion, I think a birthday. Mostly everyone who came in appeared to be a regular, although a few, unawares-looking shoppers stopped in and ordered coffee. B & W shares space with a design firm. The bakery recently expanded though and the share is less obvious. Looks and feels better for the change. There are now a few couches and more original art hanging on the walls, with the new bar making it even easier to hang out and read, study, or contemplate the art without being bothered. And like any coffee shop, the staff can make or break a visit. The staff at B & W are pretty awesome. I was treated very well, having my stupid questions about the mango ceylon tea answered nicely (it IS caffeinated). And every indecisive cupcake buyer was treated with patience and non-pretentiousness. A relaxing and simple visit made complete by the quality of the offerings and setting. Thumbs up.

Baked & Wired is located at 1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW. Its open 7 days a week.

Coffee/Riot: Sticky Fingers

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.

Sticky Fingers

I'm not sure there is a more unique set of circumstances that exists than the set associated with this place. After operating in a basement location in the no-man's land part of 18th St (near BP Gas, Jolt-N-Bolt) for a several years, Sticky Fingers Bakery, made a big splash after moving into the Park Triangle building in Columbia Heights. I don't have all the specs, but they must have tripled in square-footage in and helped anchor the retail options of the Park Triangle (Citibank, Pollo Campero, SCORE! Education, T-Mobile, OXXO Cleaners, others). They will be remembered as one of the local businesses to first populate the new version of 14th and Irving after this key intersection of Columbia Heights finishes its build-out. Some of the other indie businesses to stake a claim nearby are Nash Sports, Mayorga Coffee, Il Riconcito, The Heights and Los Rumberos.

Two of the biggest changes SF made after their move were in seating and coffee offerings. They are first and foremost a bakery. However, after adding a cappuccino machine and hiring trained, experienced baristas, some from other well-known local coffee shops, SF has become a destination for neighborhood people like me who really savor the idea of getting a cup of coffee or a latte and sitting in the corner with today's paper. They offer free WiFi and can seat about 20 customers comfortably, although on any given weekend afternoon, you'll see strangers doubling up at the same table and learning to make nice because of the squeeze. In the old 18th St location, there was seating for 5. No kidding. Six if one guy sat on the sofa arm. The staff are always friendly and one of the two owners is seemingly always there, baking behind the scenes. The clientèle are as varied as the neighborhood (its Columbia Heights!), but with a strong propensity for bicycle riding. You're liable to see as many locked up outside as there are people inside. In the good weather months, there's seating for another 8-10 people outside on the sidewalk. Unlike in Tryst, where table service ruins the idea of getting a quick coffee and lounging at your own pace, and Starbucks where your anonymity isn't always an asset, SF is small enough to be homey and accessible, but busy enough that you may run into friends, school mates, or your next door neighbor. Its a real community gathering spot in a neighborhood that is working out its identity in the midsts of massive change.

Sticky Fingers is located at 1370 Park Road NW. Its open 7 days a week.

Movie Night in Lamont Park, Tonight!

Tonight at 6:30 there will be an outside screening, in Lamont Park, of the 2005 movie Independent America: The Two Lane Search for Mom & Pop. This under the radar documentary chronicles a husband and wife team who drive across the U.S. in search of the small, independent businesses and anti-corporate culture. Along the way these former journalists try to abide by rules like not traveling on interstate highways (just the local roads) and only patronizing non-chain establishments. Most of the press on this has been pretty good and the filmmakers have their own blog as well. The movie night is sponsored by Hear Mt Pleasant, Mt Pleasant Main Street, the Latino Economic Development Corporation, and Local First DC. See an extended trailer below.