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| Blue Bottle, Williamsburg |
Every morning I look forward to my simple pour-over. It isn't fancy, but it beats by a long-shot the k-cup machine that is our only other office option. In addition to being terrible for the environment, k-cups just don't make very good coffee. There's also a very real pleasure in coming in every morning, boiling water, heating my milk, and watching the coffee drip for four minutes. I'm not kidding when I say I look forward to it.
But for those who can't or won't make their own coffee, rest assured that's no reason to go without.
Starbucks of course is everywhere. They provide valuable wifi and bathroom services and will happily (grudgingly) even give you a free glass of water. (NYC tap water is excellent. There is no excuse for buying the bottled stuff.) I also, very occasionally, like maybe once a year, admit to enjoying a matcha frappuccino or gingerbread latte. About the rest of their offerings, the less said the better.
I will give Starbucks credit for one thing though -- well, a combination of things. Starbucks taught America the difference between a cappuccino, a latte, and an americano, and that paying over $4 for one was not extreme, and in doing so helped create and foster a new coffeeshop culture. Without Starbucks we might not now have Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Brooklyn Roasting Company, etc. It's a sort of Microsoft effect, where they built something everyone had to have, and as soon as everyone did, they became uncool.
In any event, the question stands: Where should you go for coffee in NY? (Because you should, definitely, go for coffee in NY.)
If all you want is a basic cup of coffee, maybe with milk and/or sugar, keep an eye on the sidewalks. Every morning until about 11 or 12, silver carts set up on the street corners. They offer coffee, pastries, and other snacks, and some have grills for breakfast sandwiches. These are not to be confused with the halal lamb/chicken-over-rice carts, the hot dog carts, or the smoothie carts. They are silver, disappear after lunchtime, and charge $1 for a small cup of basic coffee. It won't change your life, but it's cheaper and better than either Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. |
If coffee is the drink of NY, iced coffee is the drink of Summer in NY. It is not going too far to say that on certain mornings, it is veritable manna from heaven. And you can get a perfectly cromulent cup from the silver carts ($2 for 16oz), but if you want to step things up a bit there are a few alternatives: + Blue Bottle New Orleans + Miscelanea Cafe Helado con Horchata + El Rey Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Any place that does banh mi will also have this on the menu.) + Toby's Estate Espresso Julep + Stumptown Nitro + Cold brew (At pretty much every serious coffeeshop these days.) |
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| Milk Bar |
I'm not a big drinker of espresso on its own. It has its place (namely, after a multi-course meal with my father), but generally when I'm drinking espresso, I'm drinking a cappuccino. Still, this does not happen often. Just as there exist iced coffee mornings -- humid, hungover -- there are the "sweet mornings of perfect repose" meant exclusively for cappuccinos.
Cappuccinos are not an everyday drink, nor are they a cardboard cup drink. They must be unhurried, luxurious, possibly topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon, enjoyed near a window, preferably with a cat and the crossword puzzle.
My favorite cappuccino in New York is at Brooklyn's Milk Bar. They also do a killer avocado toast, and sometimes Michael Cera comes in to buy scones. Yes, it's in Brooklyn, but so are a lot of the best things in NY. If you're looking to make a day of it, it's within easy striking distance of the Brooklyn Museum, Botanic Garden, and Flea.
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RECIPE: Lamb Burgers. The lamb is cooked in the pita, which makes things both easy and incredibly delicious. I like a shmear of goat cheese on top as well.
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