Brews and news

Well, friends, which do you want first: the good news or the bad news?

Psych! There is no bad news! Trick question!

1. On Monday, Sept 17, the Friends of NYC Coffee Professionals (which is a fake organization I just invented to describe Mike from Gimme! and Ed from Grumpy) are conducting a very important meeting to determine who can gracefully (or gracelessly) consume the most Kaffinator and eat the most cheese.

Spuyten Duyvil, 8pm. 359 Metropolitan Ave (at Hope St?), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.



Let's hope I don't get lost under the bridge this time!


2. The new location of Ninth Street Espresso is, of course, taking Chelsea Market by storm.

Since it seems like everybody else has already gone to see it without me, I decided to take the scenic route to work today and swing by for a shot.

Man, is that space beautiful or what? I've only actually been in Chelsea Market once before, about three days before NSE opened, and I'm still pretty awestruck by how nicely designed it is in there. I mean, hello, the fountain? The produce market? Knowing that Major League Baseball has an outpost upstairs? Sweet. Plus, there are baked treats everywhere you turn! I love baked treats.

Anyway, coffee.

Well jeez, it's just lovely. I mean top-to-bottom lovely. The shop, the now-oft-talked-about espresso map, the stations on the standing bar, the glassware, the whole shebang. Loved it. Mean it.



The two baristi (seen above!) were kind enough to humor my questions about the espresso they're pulling now (Counter Culture Coffee's 11th Hour Espresso—Brazil Fatima and Sumatra Lintong), and said that my broham Derek (seen below below!) was working later today. Pretty bummed I missed him, but I'm sure we'll cross coffee paths someday, right? Even if he is kind of an urban vagabond.





D-rock, that rips!


2½. I'm still trying to decide if I want to take myself to Coffee Fest or Disneyworld in November. True story! Disneyworld is, as one would expect, pretty expensive, but, you know, I could eat a turkey leg there.



Brilliant.