Café Integral, New York

Coffee fanatic Petitesoeur had read about this place on Serious Eats -- a one-man vertically-integrating coffee roasting operation run by 24-year-old César Martin Vega.  He imports the coffee (all from Nicaragua, where his family is from), roasts it, delivers it (on his bike!), and serves it cupped to order at his Café Integral, located within American Two Shot -- a clothing store in Soho.

When we arrived around 6-ish on a Friday, César was at the counter.  We think he was closing up, but he still cheerfully talked to us about the 3 varietals of coffee he had on offer.  He positively exudes a passion for coffee.  We opted for the Maragogype, which he brewed for us using a Sowden Softbrew.  The softbrew is like the French press in that it lets the water circulate evenly with the grounds - immersion brewing.  However, rather than pressing out the grounds, the softbrew has a much finer mesh sleeve, which you pull out of the pot leaving a cleaner brew than the press.  To me, it seemed a gentler process, much more like the delicate process of brewing tea.  You can read about more about why they like it at the Cafe.

Intrigued by the other blends we bought a sampler set.  He sells his coffee in 12-ounce Ball jars - which are refillable and more sustainable than paper bags.  For the sampler, you get three 4-ounce Ball jars - one of each varietal.  Petitesoeur took home two, and I took home the jar of Maracaturra, which was very a delicate coffee. I could drink it black (and I am not generally a black coffee drinker).

The softbrewed Maragogype we had at the Cafe was a nice smooth cup, and we loved chatting with César about his business -- so much so we ended up being late meeting our friend for dinner.  But it's absolutely fantastic what he's doing all on his own -- definitely an enterprise worth supporting!

Café Integral at American Two Shot
135 Grand Street
New York, New York, 10013

LAMILL Coffee, Baltimore

Another fine addition to the Four Seasons in Baltimore is LAMILL Coffee, originally from LA. While the coffee is excellent, an added bonus is that pastry chef Chris Ford is responsible for most of the items on the menu.
He is certainly fond of making seasonal macaroons that are larger, usually a whopping 2-3 inches in diameter. I've had flavors like cinnamon brioche and red currant in the past.
One time, I tried his dense rich bacon cheddar scone as a savory alternative.

One of my favorites is hot beignets with your choice of dips. I end up getting the Meyer lemon curd all the time.
I recently tried the everything cookie, similar to Momofuku Milk Bar's compost cookie, it's got an assortment of items baked in it. What I could tell was chocolate chip, oatmeal, raisins, popcorn, potato chips, and pretzels.

 

I also recomment the delicious cinnamon brioche.

200 International Drive
Baltimore, MD

Blue Bottle Coffee and Little Green Cyclo, San Francisco

Having been to Blue Bottle in Brooklyn, we figured we should go to the source in SF.  We went to the branch at Mint Plaza, just a short walk from the end of the Market Street cablecar line (yes, we did the touristy thing - I even hung off the side).

After seeing the cold brew set-up in the Brooklyn store, this one was not nearly as impressive.  But we got a cup of joe and head outside to grab a bite from the food truck parked on the plaza.

It was Little Green Cyclo - serving Vietnamese banh mi and other snacks.  We each got a banh mi -- mine was Five Spice Grilled Chicken, Redneckhunter's was House Made Pâté w/ Truffle Oil & Pork Roll.  They were huge - we really could have shared one.  We were also tempted by the Sweet Potato Tater Tots, tossed with basil and mint, with tamarind plum dipping sauce.

A nice cup of coffee, beautiful weather, a cellist playing in the plaza, people watching -- couldn't ask for more...

Foodie day in Williamsburg

Petitesoeur and I had a lovely summer day snacking our way around Williamsburg. We started off at Blue Bottle Coffee, the Brooklyn outpost of the Bay Area roaster, for some cold brew to kick-start our day.

I got the New Orleans with chicory, milk, and sugar, along with an olive oil semolina buckle with Brooklyn Winery Riesling poached peaches and almond lavender streusel on top. Petitesoeur, much more the coffee purist, went with the Kyoto black, along with a buckwheat buttermilk biscuit sandwich with Tasso ham from Marlow & Daughters, housemade strawberry jam, and raw milk cheddar from Smith's Farmstead.

They had a very impressive cold-brew-drip set-up -- "perhaps the longest and most theatrical drip bar on the eastern seaboard" according to their website. We also got to watch the barista masterfully hand-pull espressos on their restored 1958 Faema Urania lever espresso machine.

Properly caffeinated (perhaps a little too caffeinated in the case of petitesoeur), we head off to explore some more, hitting our next string of foodie destinations on Bedford Avenue.

The first was Radish, where we admired the wonderful and fresh prepared foods we weren't yet hungry enough for, but ended up getting a homemade blueberry basil soda.

Further on down the block, we hit the Bedford Cheese Shop. The smell that hits you upon opening the door is just heavenly! We spent a good deal of time in there, taking in the overwhelming selection. Incidentally, if there were a prize for cheese writing, it should go to the Bedford owner for his hilariously colorful descriptions.

When I saw this funky pretty little cone of cheese -- called Crocodile Tears -- I knew I had to come back to get it. I decided on that along with a Farmer's aged gouda that was wonderfully sharp, nutty and caramelly, and also picked up some Anarchy in a Jar strawberry balsamic jam. Next stop on the block was kitchen supply store Whisk where I stocked up on more of my beloved Bacon Marmalade.

Finally we started getting peckish, so we head down to Nha Toi for bahn mi. It was a tiny little joint with just a couple 2-tops with low Asian-street-stall stools, a window counter with a handful of high stools, and a few benches on the sidewalk - perfect! We ordered the summer roll with pickled vegetables -- so pretty! -- accompanied by 2 delicious sauces (so good I brought them home with me).

We also split a banh mi with bì heo (shredded pork and skin with roasted rice powder). It was so big we only ate half of it between the 2 of us (with the other half packed up to bring home to Redneckhunter). And now that petitesoeur's coffee buzz had finally calmed down a bit, she left with a Vietnamese iced coffee for the road.

Our final destination was Maison Premiere for their $1 oyster happy hour. Now a lot of places in the city do $1 bluepoints, or one type of oyster, but at Maison Premiere, every oyster from their extensive menu is just $1 -- all the better to serve up absinthe, Pimm's and other cocktails. I let petiteseour choose a sampling: 2 each of Madaline, Caraquet, Quilcene, Triton Cove, Gigamoto, Elkhorn, Oakland Bay and Skookum.

Before:And after:It was lovely sitting in their back garden slowly slurping oysters and amusing ourselves by people watching. Petitesoeur finished off with a palate-cleansing cocktail -- an Old Hickory: Dolin Blanc vermouth, Carpano Antica, Peychauds and orange bitters.

Finally, it was back to the cheese shop to pick up our cheese, now that we were heading home and out of the summer heat. Petitesoeur got a slice of ricotta cake, imported from Sicily. We were going to go back to Blue Bottle to eat it (I guess she needed even more caffeine!), but since they were closed, we just had it on a sidewalk bench. It was divine - definitely the best ricotta cheese cake I've ever had. Smooth, lemony - I'm still craving more... The perfect ending to a great day!

Blue Bottle Coffee
160 Berry Street
718-387-4160

Radish
158 Bedford Avenue

(718) 782-2744

Bedford Cheese Shop
229 Bedford Avenue

1-888-484-3243

Whisk
231 Bedford Avenue
(718) 218-7230

Nha Toi
160 Havemeyer St.
(718) 599-1820

Maison Premiere
298 Bedford Avenue
347-335-0446

Mailano in the Gramercy Park Hotel, NYC

It was a great spring day, and petiteseour and I had stopped in to Mailano, at the Gramercy Park Hotel, for coffee and dessert.

It's a great space right by Gramercy Park with big windows letting in lots of light, a nice casual yet upscale atmosphere. Excellent service as well - the same sort of attentive but unsnooty feel.

We got a small French press pot (a very generous small for $6 - at least 3 cups out of one pot). I got affogato with chocolate gelato and petiteseour got a ricotta pannacotta with blood orange.

The adjacent hotel is a sight to behold - it's definitely worth wandering around the lobby bars and lounges. (Check out the slideshow on their website).

Mailano at Gramercy Park
2 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10010-5405
(212) 777-2410

Cafe Myriade, Montreal

On our way to see the Miles Davis exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, we stopped in for a morning coffee at Cafe Myriade nearby.
Fougoo & Redneckhunter shared a French press. I noticed they also had the option for making your coffee using the vacuum pot and mentioned that this was the same as as Spro Coffee in Baltimore and Comet Coffee in Ann Arbor. Turns out one of the employees had lived in Baltimore and knew about Spro Coffee. Small coffee world.

1432 Rue Mackay
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 939-1717

Cuba De Ayer, Burtonsville, MD

I've been a big fan of Cuban food since back when Fougoo used to live near a great place, La Rosita on the Upper West Side. Sadly La Rosita is gone now, but I'm happy to have found a good Cuban place down here in Maryland.
I've driven by Cuba De Ayer restaurant in Burtonsville, MD a few times, so I decided to drop in for lunch.
I ordered the Lechon Asado, slow cooked pork marinated in mojo criollo, a sauce of garlic, onion, chile, and citrus. It was delicious. I got side of sweet plantanos maduros and Moros Y Cristianos, black beans with rice.
I could not resist finishing off the meal with a cup of cafe con leche.

15446 Old Columbia Pike
Burtonsville, MD
(301)476-9622

Spro Coffee Hampden, Balitmore

I think Baltimore finally has caught up with the idea of good coffee places. Spro Coffee opened up a branch on the Avenue in Hampden in March. They got a lot of press because they have a cup of coffee that costs $13 from Aida's Grand Reserve coffee.
When I went I opted for the $4 cup, I liked that you can select how it is prepared. I chose the vacuum pot, and had the coffee black. It was very nice.
I will try that $13 coffee someday.

851 West 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410)243-1262

Comet Coffee, Ann Arbor, MI

Visited my friend Chupacabra in Ann Arbor, MI. He is one of the biggest coffee snobs I've met, and he took me to his favorite local coffee shop, Comet Coffee, in the Nickels Arcade one morning.
We had some delicious pastries- a pain au chocolat, and a spectacular almond croissant loaded with marzipan.

However, their coffee was pretty spectacular. They really take pride in how the coffee is prepared as well as their beans. All cups are freshly ground to order. I had a wonderful cappuchino, and Chupacabra had a double espresso.


16 Nickels Arc
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 222-0579

Susan Feniger's Street in Hollywood, CA

While visiting LA, we went to Street in Hollywood, chef Susan Feniger's restaurant that is an upscale place makes multi-ethnic street food.
I went in a bit skeptical about the concept. It reminded me of the one-off No Reservations with Tony Bourdain where he had the "At the Table" format and for some reason had some "nightlife queen of NY" participate. She mentioned that she would never eat food from a cart. Well the idea of this restaurant made me think that this restaurant is catered to her prissy type of eating.


After my dinner here though, I think more highly of the restaurant- I like the idea of a meal that is a mashup of cuisines from around the world.
We were first given Millet Puffs. These tasted like rice krispie treats met with Indian spices. A really pleasant starter.

Since we had a large party, we ordered a large number of diverse appetizers.
I picked the Sauteed Black Kale with Refried White Beans. It was served with an anchovy butter and olive bread. I liked the take on beans and greens, plus the anchovy butter.
Our table also like the Lamb Kafta Meatballs. They were really spicy and they had, on the side, cheese in grape leaves smothered in a date sauce.

The Argentine Ricotta Ñoquis simmered in brown butter on a celery root puree were light and heavenly.
We also tried the Smoked Whitefish Salad, the Ono Sashimi, and the disappointing Burmese Lettuce Wraps. All in all, the appetizers alone could be enough for a good meal.


For a main course, I ordered the Tastutage Fried Chicken. It was chicken marinated in soy, miso, & sake, fried up in a rice batter and topped with spicy kewpie mayo. It was basically Japanese fried chicken.

By far, the best entree, was Coprock's Beef Tenderloin Schnitzel. He described as probably the best schnitzel he ever had. It was beautifully pan fried in a wonderfully seasoned breading. The meat was I would say a nice medium. It came with sweet & sour cabbage, a parsnip puree, mustard cream sauce and fried cornichon pickles.

Just prior to dessert, we were served glasses of Vietnamese style coffee, and then we got Turkish doughnuts. They were soaked in a cardomon rose syrup and served with a dollop of sour cream.
Street was a fun dining experience, and definitely worth a trip back to LA.

742 N. Highland
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 203-0500