coffee shop – Page 2 – A Jumbled Little World

Northside Social cappuccino review – a Murky connection

Northside Social – Coffee and Wine

3211 Wilson Blvd

Arlington, Virginia 22201

Read about my planned cappuccino tour around the DC area.

Northside Social Exterior — Northside Social has ample seating inside and out.

I think it would be fitting if I start my tour of DC cappuccinos with the place where DC’s most famous espresso bar finally gave up the ghost. Before Northside Social came into existence, its store front was occupied by a different coffee shop named Murky Coffee. Murky was owned by Nick Cho, who is famous for both bringing world class coffee to DC (the land of Starbucks and Caribou) as well as telling a customer who had requested an espresso over ice (coffee sin!) that he would “punch him in his dick” if he ever came into his store again. Unfortunately, Murky closed just before I arrived here in DC; apparently, although Nick Cho is serious about his coffee, he isn’t serious about paying bills, wages, and taxes. I’ll have more on this in upcoming posts. Several cafes in DC have a connection with Murky.

With that in mind, Northside Social is a very different place from what Murky was. I was lucky to visit Northside with a friend who lived in Arlington when Murky was around, so he had some perspective on how much it has changed. Murky was very utilitarian, with crappy chairs and extension cords everywhere. It also pretty much only served coffee and typical indie coffee shop fare (muffins, scones, etc.).

Northside Social is a different story. The new owners have made the interior very attractive, with lots of comfortable seating. The space is also very large for a DC area cafe (it occupies a large converted house), with lots of smaller rooms where one can find a bit more quiet. Most importantly, Northside Social specializes in a wide variety of wine and food along with the coffee. I had a cranberry turkey sandwich along with my cappuccino; it was made with fresh bread made in-house and was delicious. My friend had a scone (also made in-house) which he thought was also delicious.

I ordered the “classic cappuccino” (they listed this as an option on the menu – this will get you a proper 6oz drink). They serve Counter Culture Coffee (a roaster out of North Carolina), which is the most common brand of beans in high-end coffee shops in the DC area. Most coffee geeks agree that they rank among the best coffee roasters in the country. So, Northside Social is certainly starting with excellent coffee.

The cappuccino was a mixed bag. The presentation and microfoam were excellent (because I was a little delayed in taking the picture, some bubbles started to form around the periphery – the original presentation was better than

Northside Social Cap — A lovely cappuccino

the picture would suggest). However, the underlying espresso was a bit bitter, and lacked complexity. Given that I know they were using high quality coffee, I think they probably over-extracted the espresso. It was quite unfortunate given everything else this place has going for it. My ratings are as follows (all are out of 5)

Smoothness: 3.5

Presentation: 5

Strength: 5

Complexity: 3.5

Foam: 4.8

Mean Score: 4.36

SD = .87

Northside Social has a pretty good cappuccino. I will almost certainly be back in the future, hoping that they don’t mess up the espresso next time. They seemed capable of producing great espresso here (if perhaps inconsistently), and the other amenities of the place make it a pretty wonderful cafe.

Next week I travel up to Friendship Heights to see how they make cappuccinos in the basement of the venerable bookstore, Politics and Prose.

A tour of DC cappuccinos

A couple of years ago I started a project to try a cappuccino at every legitimate coffee house in Madison, WI. I ended (only missing a few places) that project a few days before moving to the Washington, DC area; now I would like to try a similar thing here in DC. I learned a lot from my first project in Madison and I hope to share some of my experiences with DC coffee houses. I’ve already explored a great deal of DC’s coffee scene but up until now I have not done so in a systematic way; this is what I will do on this blog in the coming months.

I like cappuccinos; that is primarily the reason why I will review those rather than other espresso drinks (or even drip coffee). However, there are other reasons why cappuccinos are a good test of the quality of a cafe. Most espresso drinks consist primarily of prepared espresso and milk in various forms and quantities. The best way to test a cafe’s espresso is to drink it straight; however, this will give you no indication of how well that cafe prepares milk. Alternatively, trying a latte will give you a good indication of how well the cafe steams milk, but the high milk to espresso ratio makes it very difficult to make an assessment of the underlying espresso. A cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 foam; this composition allows the nuanced features of the espresso to come through, while retaining the silkiness and sweetness of the milk (that most people prefer).

One problem with enjoying cappuccinos is that excellent ones are a relative rarity. Everything must come together: the cafe must use fresh, high quality beans, the barista must use the proper amount and perfect fineness of grind and must tamp the espresso with a certain amount of pressure (and only use one application of pressure), the machine must be at a certain precise temperature to produce a good extraction, the barista must use the proper amount of milk and be able to use the steam wand to produce a good amount of microfoam. A problem (or many of them) can arise at any point in this process, producing a cappuccino ranging from good to terrible. Large chains, such as Starbucks, have been able to produce espresso drinks of decent quality consistently by using “full-auto” espresso machines; these machines grind and tamp coffee by themselves, producing espresso at the push of a button. This means that the barista need only froth milk effectively, largely avoiding the possibility of truly terrible espresso drinks. However, this automation never seems to produce truly exceptional espresso. Fortunately, most cafes still use “semi-auto” espresso machines, which require a barista of great skill…and keeps things interesting.

The bottom line: there are a lot of terrible cappuccinos out there and hopefully I can help you avoid them. There are also certainly some amazing ones, that I hope to find (and keep all to myself!). Just as I did in Madison, I will be using several criteria in my assessments of cappuccinos. Most importantly, understand that my score is of the drink itself and not other qualities of the cafe (price, food, ambiance, other happiness producing properties…); I will comment on other features of a cafe but these will not be included in my scores. The criteria are as follows, only slightly modified (and hopefully improved…) from the reviews I did in Madison (all rated on a 5 point scale):

Smoothness: Bitter cups will get a low score.

Presentation: Cappuccinos should be in a 5 -6 oz cup; milk art is always a plus.

Strength: A sufficiently robust drink will get a high score, a milky one will earn a low score.

Complexity: If the cup seems to have hints of several flavors, it will score highly.

Foam: A cappuccino should have a layer of finely frothed milk (microfoam).

The following map shows the cafes that I will visit; once I visit a cafe I will change its icon into a cup and a link to the review will be included in the title. The latest reviews can always be found at this blog, under the “DC Cappuccino Reviews” category. DC has far more cafes than Madison does, so I must be rather selective about the places I chose to visit (or I’ll never finish!). Essentially, if I have found any indication on the internet (mainly yelp and google searches) or by word of mouth that a cafe has good cappuccinos, I have included it on my list. I have also left off the large chains, as these are typically very similar to one another and thus not very interesting (see my review of the cappuccino at a Madison Starbucks). This is only a preliminary list and I will add cafes to it as I get new leads.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=201189551063676516414.000499bd5cd0e01391673&ll=38.904927,-77.040939&spn=0.213736,0.274658&z=11&output=embed&w=400&h=400]

Finally, I will also take some time in each post to talk about the neighborhoods in which the cafes are located. So, if you are a tourist wanting to know more about DC and you have a hankering for espresso, my reviews should be a good starting point.

Ok, now that all of that is out of the way, first stop….North Side Social in Arlington! I hope it’s good!

Cappuccino Review #14 – Escape Java Joint

Escape Java Joint

*UPDATE* – NOW CLOSED

: You really have to search for the part with the coffee.

942 Williamson Street.

Madison

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

The Willy (for Williamson ) St. area is Madison’s most eclectic. It is full of students and hippies. They have their own currency and the towns largest coop. So, it isn’t all that surprising that the coffee shops in this area are a bit odd. Mother Fool’s (which I reviewed earlier and has some of the best cappuccinos in town) is also there, but Escape Java Joint certainly takes the cake in the ‘strange’ department. Trust me, just go there.

I wonder if someone tried to take these awesome chairs....

The place consists of several areas that are completely different (a couple separate buildings really). When we went we sat in the huge outdoor area; they even have their names imprinted on the chairs. There is no menu, but just have a chat with the guy behind the counter and he’ll try to figure out what you might like. And he will check up on you several times to make sure your drink is good; it shows that they at least care!

Anyway, the cappuccino was decent. Their smallest was a 12oz, so I ordered it dry. It actually reminded me a lot of the cappuccino from Michelangelo’s on

State st. Their scores turned out to be the same (in all regards). I enjoyed the drink, and the strange environment added to the entire experience. So I’m a happy camper. Here are the numbers, all copied and pasted (out of 5):

Presentation: 3

Smoothness: 4

Strength: 3

Complexity: 3

Foam: 4

Correctness: 3

Mean: 3.33/5

SD: .52

So….go there. It is cool and you will have fun. Oh and they have music there a lot; one of their giant rooms has a stage.

Cappuccino Review # 13 – Froth House

Froth House

11 N Allen St.

Madison

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

Some coffee shops I really want to be great; they have a certain feel that makes you really like them right when you walk in. Froth House is just that sort of place. It is the perfect neighborhood hangout where you expect to run into someone you know if you live in the area. It also helps that it is my neighborhood coffee shop, located by the corner of Allen and Regent next to the Regent street coop, a wine and beer store, a book store, and a number of other small businesses. Basically it is a little town center on Madison’s near west side, which is pretty cool.

The Froth House also has one of the better patio areas I have seen, and they serve food and drinks directly back there through a back window of the store. Throw in the frequent musical acts and it makes their implementation of the patio one of the best in town.

But how is the cappuccino? Sadly not so great. Because the 12 oz is the

smallest size they serve, I ordered a dry cappuccino. I got a drink that was filled to the brim of the cup, not a good sign. The foam was of an ok quality, though there was way too much of it. However, the drink itself was actually quite bad; on my first sip I tasted some coffee, but soon it degenerated into mostly milk (or rather, bitter milk). It was essentially a latte, and a weak one at that. Ok, the numbers: (all out of 5, as usual).

Presentation: 3

Smoothness: 3

Strength: 1

Complexity: 1

Foam: 3

Correctness: 1

Mean 2/5

SD: 1.1

On a more positive note, their Nutella latte is delicious, and their breakfasts are great too. Just don’t get the cappuccino.

Cappuccino Review # 12 – Indie Coffee

Indie Coffee

Sort of easy to miss along Regent street

1225 Regent St.

Madison

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

Indie Coffee is the only coffee shop near the middle of the University of Wisconsin campus. So, during the time that I’ve worked in the psychology department at the UW (which is located in that part of campus) I’ve gotten several cappuccinos to go from there. I remember them as being decent, but I never before tried the in house version of the drink; so, the shop was pretty new to me. First of all, their food is excellent. Taryn and I shared two wraps: a turkey walnut one and a vegi wrap with cheese and a whole host of great vegetables. They were the among the best food I’ve ever had in a coffee shop. They match up to the crepes at Bradbury’s; they were that good. So, get some food if you go.

I ordered a dry small cappuccino because the smallest size was a 12oz. The drink came in a coffee mug with the foam stacked to the top. So, the drink had more foam than it should have. There was a little design in the top of it (you can see this in the

The mark in the foam looks zen or something...

picture), so it was a good looking stack of foam. The drink itself was great. The foam was pretty smooth and the strength was good, though perhaps a little too far on the wet side. However, the coffee was quite complex with hints of meat coming through; I could tell that the underlying espresso was quite good. So, overall, Indie Coffee makes a really good cappuccino. I just wish that they had a 6oz option like some of the other top rate coffee shops. Here are the numbers (all scores out of 5):

Presentation: 3

Smoothness: 5

Strength: 3

Complexity: 4

Foam: 4

Correctness: 3

Mean: 3.67 / 5

SD: .82

Taryn had a cup of the house blend coffee and said that it was decent; apparently it was a tad on the acidic side, so you might like it if that is your sort of thing. So, the cappuccinos and coffee at Indie Coffee are pretty good; but the food is what you should come for!

Cappuccino Review #11 – Electric Earth Cafe

Electric Earth Cafe

546 W. Washington Ave.

Madison

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

Electric Earth is down West Washington ave. a ways from the capitol, across the street from the greyhound bus depot. Taryn and I checked it out during a farmer’s market day, when pretty much all of the downtown and state street are overflowing. It is far enough (away and on a road unfamiliar to tourists) so that it wasn’t busy at all. There was a small sign saying that they are now under new management (so they don’t take old gift cards), so perhaps the place will be quite different now than a few months ago. Neither of us had ever been here, so we have no means of comparison; but, keep that in change if you remember the old Electric Earth.

The shop itself is actually quite large. There is a small amount of seating in the room by the counter area and then a huge separate room. In the second room there was a small stage with a large window behind (a nice view of the street actually), so perhaps they have live music here at times (though I don’t know if this is true). So, it seems that the building itself has potential.

I ordered a dry small cappuccino because their smallest size is 12oz. It came in a coffee mug with a foam top of course bubbles. Although the foam tasted fine (when

doesn’t it?), it wasn’t smooth at all and didn’t add anything. The coffee itself was actually quite disappointing; it had very little in the way of nuance. In fact, it had a slight burnt taste; this really started to bother me as I drank. I didn’t really want to finish it; the cappuccino was honestly that bad… Ok, I’ll just put up the numbers (all scores out of 5):

Presentation : 2

Smoothness: 2

Strength: 3

Complexity: 2

Foam: 2

Correctness: 3

Mean: 2.33 / 5

SD: .52

Taryn had a Chai latte and she said it was pretty much mostly milk and honey but very soothing; she liked it. So, if you go to Electric Earth, maybe get the Chai but don’t bother with the cappuccino.

Cappuccino Review #10 – Michelangelo’s Coffee House

Michelangelo’s Coffee House

114 State St.

This picture was taken from the outdoor seating.

Madison, WI 53703

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

Michelangelo’s is one of the nicer coffee shops on state; the interior is quite warm and friendly with normal tables along with some large recliner chairs if you feel a bit more leisurely. They also feature board games; a plus if you want to spend some time with coffee and scrabble.

I ordered a small dry cappuccino because their smallest size is 12oz. The drink I got

was filled with course bubbled foam all the way to the top. The cup was also quite a bit more narrow than it should have been, so at the end I experienced the all too common problem of having to lick the foam out of the bottom of the cup; I have no pride. Other than it not being the smoothest I’ve enjoyed, the foam was tasty and nice. The first few sips of the cappuccino were quite good. The coffee was not too complex but it was otherwise well balanced and tasted quite good. However, as the large amount of foam eventually mixed with the liquid of the cappuccino the drink became more milky; that is not what is supposed to happen. So, here are the numbers (out of 5):

Presentation: 3

Smoothness: 4

Strength: 3

Complexity: 3

Foam: 4

Correctness: 3

Mean: 3.33/5

SD: .52

I would go back to Michelangelo’s because of it’s atmosphere and games but otherwise if I’m on state I’m still going to walk toward campus and get my cappuccino at Steep and Brew. So, this is it for my State St. reviews; they were generally pretty decent though they certainly don’t match up to the offerings of downtown or the near east side.

Cappuccino Review #9 – Steep and Brew

Steep & Brew

544 State Street

Madison, WI 53703

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here

I am partial to certain coffee shops in Madison, sometimes without a whole lot of justification. Steep & Brew is one of those places; if I’m on State St. and want a cappuccino then I’ll be headed there. It might be because it was the first coffee shop I went to when I initially visited Madison. A friend who I was with ordered an espresso and didn’t quite know what this tiny cup he got was all about; I think he expected something like a latte. We were very young.

But actually since I’ve been here so much I know that Steep & Brew does serve a good cappuccino and has a great college town study atmosphere. It is the perfect place to go and get some work done, with plenty of tables so that there is almost always a place to sit. My best cappuccino experiences here have been during the weekday mornings but I went for this review on a weekday afternoon; so, keep that in mind.

I ordered a small cappuccino; their smalls are actual 6oz cappuccinos, so I didn’t have

to adjust my order. I got a nice looking drink in a proper cappuccino cup. The foam was smooth though there were some course bubbles. The first sip was of a classic cappuccino nature; the balance of the coffee to milk was almost perfect. The coffee was not as complex as some others, but otherwise a very pleasant espresso. It did however have a bit of a bitter bite that detracted slightly from the overall flavor; I notice that the cappuccinos in the morning don’t have this problem, so take that for what it’s worth. Overall the cappuccino was very good; the numbers are below(out of 5):

Presentation: 4

Smoothness: 4

Strength: 5

Complexity: 3

Foam: 4

Correctness: 5

Mean: 4.17/5

SD: .75

Taryn had a Chai latte and noted that this was ok, though perhaps a little weak. So, to wrap it up, Steep and Brew has a very good cappuccino though it doesn’t match Mother Fool’s or Bradury’s.

Cappuccino Review #8 – Peet’s Coffee and Tea

Peet’s Coffee and Tea

800 Langdon St – Memorial Union

Peet's in Memorial Union on the UW campus.

Madison, WI 53706

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

This semester saw the opening of a coffee shop in Memorial Union (the UW main student union) called Peet’s. The shop is next to der Rathskeller (the performance area and bar) but the part right by Peet’s has been remodeled and now sports comfortable coffee shop style seating. Peet’s is a chain of coffee shops, and this is the exact feel you get upon walking into the Memorial Union location. Well, actually the climate was more akin to the part of a school cafeteria that they try to dress up as if it were an independent store; the workers looked just like union employees except with ‘Peet’s’ on their aprons. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but just be prepared for it if you go.

Before I ordered I inquired about the size of the small cappuccino. It is 12oz. Ok, this is pretty normal, so I asked for a small dry cappuccino. What happened next actually impressed me quite a bit. The barista (she seemed new) made the cappuccino in the 12oz cup and, as it should have been, the drink didn’t come even close to the top. I get the impression that most baristas are told to fill the cup to the top (why would anyone want a half full drink?!), and she was no different. So, the puzzled barista asked the other barista there what she should do about this half-full cappuccino. The other barista told her to ask me. This may seem incredibly simple but I sure appreciated it. I told her that the drink looked good and I actually got a well proportioned cappuccino. It is probably worth noting that they only have paper cups regardless of whether you are taking your drink to go or not. I assume this is because almost all of their customers are taking their drinks to go and dishes add another unwanted dimension to their business (the seating area is also out of sight of the store front, so they are also probably worried about theft). So, I sort of understand the lack of real cups.

The foam was just ok; it was mostly course and not very smooth. The coffee itself was

uninteresting, though not bad. One redeeming factor is that the cappuccino was certainly strong enough; it was not a glorified latte that is so common in chain coffee shops. In fact the drink bordered on being a bit too strong and overly bitter, though I’m not usually one to complain about that. It is perhaps fitting that I was actually reminded of Starbucks; I suppose most large chains are similar in this way. Taryn just had their drip coffee and said it was quite good; when she ordered it they had to prepare a new batch, so that probably contributed to its deliciousness. Taryn’s friend Rachael had the chai latte and said it was a little weak and that the foam had the consistency of “dish soap”….so there you have it. The numbers for the cappuccino are below:

Presentation: 2

Smoothness: 2

Strength: 3

Complexity: 2

Foam: 3

Correctness: 4

Mean: 2.67/5

SD: .82

So, if you are on the east end of the UW campus and want a cappuccino what should you do? I would say walk a few more blocks to state street…..though I guess it all depends on how lazy you are. But, if you just want some drip coffee then maybe Peet’s is a good bet.

Cappuccino Review #7 – Cafe Soleil

Cafe Soleil

25 North Pinckney Street
Madison, WI 53703

website

For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.

I had never heard of Cafe Soleil until someone replied to my blog entry about the cafes I was planning on visiting. I’m glad I learned about it, because it certainly is one great coffee shop. It also makes me wonder whether I’m missing an entire host of other places that I’m simply unaware of….hopefully not.

Anyway, Cafe Soleil is downstairs from the french restaurant L’Etoile, which is one of the best (and most expensive) restaurants in Madison; they also have the same owners. Like L’Etoile, Cafe Soleil prides itself on using locally produced ingredients and using sustainable practices (they brag about their use of florescent lighting and how their to-go coffee cups are biodegradable….). One should also be aware that Cafe Soleil is a morning affair; so, if you want to go you need to show up before 1pm. I suspect the owners don’t want to have to run both a cafe downstairs and a restaurant upstairs during the evening. It seems that Cafe Soleil does benefit in one way from the connection with L’Etoile; they have some truly awesome food. On our visit, we got the almond marzipan croissant while waiting for our cappuccinos; it was interesting and pretty much perfect. We also stayed for lunch and got a couple of sandwiches, served with their home-made potato chips. Everything was delicious.

The cappuccinos, though good, did not quite match up with everything else. Both Taryn and I ordered a ‘6 oz cappuccino’; I thought it a good sign that this was on the menu.

There seems to be some sort of design in the foam...though I'm not sure what it is...

This cappuccino was sort of an odd experience. The foam was certainly good, and the first sip was very smooth. However, there was something that made it somewhat inferior to the cappuccinos at Mother Fool’s and Bradbury’s. Taryn thought it was somewhat weak, though the underlying espresso was good enough. She suggested that we ask for a double shot of espresso on our next visit (this was on option on the menu) I, however, though it was plenty strong but that the espresso was a bit dull. Typically our perceptions of cappuccinos seem to converge, so I’m not sure what the truth is. I scored it as if my assessment were correct, but that’s just because this is my blog; I may in fact be wrong about any imperfections. Taryn liked the cappuccinos at Cafe Soleil more than I did, so maybe one should take my rating with a grain of salt (I suppose one should always take my raitings this way). All scores are out of 5.

Presentation: 4

Smoothness: 5

Strength: 4

Complexity: 3

Foam: 4

Correctness: 5

Mean: 4.17/5

SD: .75

I strongly recommed a vist to Cafe Soleil, especially because their pasteries are among the best in the city. Their cappuccinos are also very good; so you should get one while you’re there. And some fine day I will actually be rich enough to come back at night to visit L’Etoile…when I get that job in finance perhaps…