San Francisco, CA 94103
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Baked & Wired
Nestled on a side street along the Georgetown Canal, but certainly not undiscovered by the Georgetown student community, Baked & Wired Café provides its clientele with the 3 essentials: caffeine, cupcakes and internet access. It also helps students to achieve their two most favorite states of being...
Wired - Serving only Counter Culture coffee, a Direct Trade roaster based out of Durham, NC, Baked and Wired’s espresso drinks are some of the best in DC. But it’s not just these specialty beans that make B&W's drinks so tasty. The organic leche from cows milked just 88 miles outside of the district at the Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg, PA has a little something to do with the sweet, velvety deliciousness of these lattes. Only when you have the combination of the perfect beans, the perfect milk, and a loving barista, can you achieve a rosetta as pretty as the one shown here. I didn't even want to drink it, so as not to disturb the picture. But I got over that after first sip.
Baked - Sober or stoned, the wall of cupcakes is too enticing to ignore, so you may as well just give in and enjoy one of the most unique flavored cupcakes you'll ever encountered. (And you can believe I have encountered a lot of cupcakes) It was a tough call, but my pick of the day was the Elvis cupcake - banana cake with peanut butter icing and a chocolate drizzle - and, for the record, I picked good! But really, with their private bakery just down the block, and a team of four full time bakers, there aren't any bad eggs in the bunch.
Details
1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
Hours: 7am – 7pm weekdays, 8am – 8pm Saturday, 9am-7pm Sunday
Liz's Rating
Linger? – Not so easy to find a spot as most seats in the house are occupied by laptoids.
Cost - $$
Value – High
Taste – 5 stars
Mood – 3 stars
Wifi - yes
Wired - Serving only Counter Culture coffee, a Direct Trade roaster based out of Durham, NC, Baked and Wired’s espresso drinks are some of the best in DC. But it’s not just these specialty beans that make B&W's drinks so tasty. The organic leche from cows milked just 88 miles outside of the district at the Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg, PA has a little something to do with the sweet, velvety deliciousness of these lattes. Only when you have the combination of the perfect beans, the perfect milk, and a loving barista, can you achieve a rosetta as pretty as the one shown here. I didn't even want to drink it, so as not to disturb the picture. But I got over that after first sip.
Baked - Sober or stoned, the wall of cupcakes is too enticing to ignore, so you may as well just give in and enjoy one of the most unique flavored cupcakes you'll ever encountered. (And you can believe I have encountered a lot of cupcakes) It was a tough call, but my pick of the day was the Elvis cupcake - banana cake with peanut butter icing and a chocolate drizzle - and, for the record, I picked good! But really, with their private bakery just down the block, and a team of four full time bakers, there aren't any bad eggs in the bunch.
Details
1052 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
Hours: 7am – 7pm weekdays, 8am – 8pm Saturday, 9am-7pm Sunday
Liz's Rating
Linger? – Not so easy to find a spot as most seats in the house are occupied by laptoids.
Cost - $$
Value – High
Taste – 5 stars
Mood – 3 stars
Wifi - yes
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sweetleaf, LIC, NY
10-93 Jackson Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101
I may be somewhat biased, and feeling a little nostalgic at the moment, but I'm going to go ahead and announce that the best coffee in the world can be found in Long Island City at Sweetleaf. The tea and tunes are pretty rockin' too.
Long Island City, NY 11101
I may be somewhat biased, and feeling a little nostalgic at the moment, but I'm going to go ahead and announce that the best coffee in the world can be found in Long Island City at Sweetleaf. The tea and tunes are pretty rockin' too.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Roasting Plant
I am a little bit stumped by the sleek, yet friendly, Roasting Plant cafe in the Lower East Side. All, that's right, all of their beans are described as fair trade, but when I went to their website, I did not see anything about fair trade certification or the producers. All they mentioned was having an "eye towards fair trade practices". What exactly that means, I am waiting to hear back. Below is my inquiry to RP...
Dear Roasting Plant,
I visit your store often, and I am a big fan of your coffee and friendly baristas. However, I do have one concern -
I saw in the store that all of your coffees are fair trade, a rarity among cafes, and I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. Upon going through your website I was confused as to what you meant as an "eye towards fair trade". Does that mean you are a fair trade certified roaster? Does it mean you are not certified by transfair, but pay above the established minimum "fair" price per pound for all the beans you buy? Does it mean you are working towards becoming a fair trade buyer and roaster?
I was hoping you could clarify because, as is, I feel a little misled. If you are upholding the pillars of fair trade, you should shout it from buildingtops because it is my feeling that consumers are growing increasingly aware of and sensitive to theses labels and issues. However, if you are not really fair trade yet, I think you should be careful not to dilute your own reputation and that of the true fair trade systems in place around the world by misrepresenting your product.
I am curious about the specifics of who and where your coffee really comes from. If you know this info, I would love to hear more!
Thanks for your time, your feedback, and of course, the superb cappuccinos!
Kind Regards,
Liz O'Connell
Details
81 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002 (between Broome & Grand)
Hours: 7am – 8pm weekdays, 8am – 8pm weekends
Liz's Rating
Linger? – Usually you can find a spot to sit on the bench or ledge inside, or you can sit outside with your pooch by the doggy drinking bowl.
Cost - $
Value – High
Taste – 3 stars
Mood – 3 stars
Wifi - yes
Dear Roasting Plant,
I visit your store often, and I am a big fan of your coffee and friendly baristas. However, I do have one concern -
I saw in the store that all of your coffees are fair trade, a rarity among cafes, and I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. Upon going through your website I was confused as to what you meant as an "eye towards fair trade". Does that mean you are a fair trade certified roaster? Does it mean you are not certified by transfair, but pay above the established minimum "fair" price per pound for all the beans you buy? Does it mean you are working towards becoming a fair trade buyer and roaster?
I was hoping you could clarify because, as is, I feel a little misled. If you are upholding the pillars of fair trade, you should shout it from buildingtops because it is my feeling that consumers are growing increasingly aware of and sensitive to theses labels and issues. However, if you are not really fair trade yet, I think you should be careful not to dilute your own reputation and that of the true fair trade systems in place around the world by misrepresenting your product.
I am curious about the specifics of who and where your coffee really comes from. If you know this info, I would love to hear more!
Thanks for your time, your feedback, and of course, the superb cappuccinos!
Kind Regards,
Liz O'Connell
Details
81 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002 (between Broome & Grand)
Hours: 7am – 8pm weekdays, 8am – 8pm weekends
Liz's Rating
Linger? – Usually you can find a spot to sit on the bench or ledge inside, or you can sit outside with your pooch by the doggy drinking bowl.
Cost - $
Value – High
Taste – 3 stars
Mood – 3 stars
Wifi - yes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)