tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84866742012-01-24T17:02:18.949-05:00onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.comBlogger14531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-3547408339346349272012-01-23T09:35:00.000-05:002012-01-23T09:35:55.001-05:00

Making coffee at Kaffeemaccherei. Like many places around the world, ask the local coffee people about their "scene" and you get similar reactions: "it kinda sucks", "it's lacking", "we need help", etc., etc. It seems in Germany it isn't much different. Ask the Germans where to get coffee and they'll tell you that there's only one or two places serving decent coffee - little do they realize

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-50808632013670351842012-01-22T05:41:00.004-05:002012-01-22T05:41:01.447-05:00

2842 - perhaps not the fastest way to the Super Bowl. Somewhere along the line, I seem to have gone off and into the End Zone. Years ago, I couldn't stand football, or "football" as we called it (don't ask). Then, around 2004, I secured season tickets and started going to the games. Back then, the Ravens just didn't fare too well and by 2006, I was so inundated with work I ended up only

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-16290021510979597292012-01-21T18:43:00.000-05:002012-01-21T18:43:06.942-05:00

Aventius Doppelbock, Binkert's Bavarian Bratwurst and Herr Swengler's Kraut. One thing I know for sure after a week touring across Germany is that I don't know anything at all about German food. Sure, the sausage are ubiquitous and the Nurnberger sausage is the precursor to the American breakfast sausage link, but other than SigSauer and sauerkraut, I know nothing except that I enjoyed the food

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-70915012850985681842012-01-20T15:30:00.083-05:002012-01-20T20:14:26.541-05:00

Starting off with cold water. During last year's coffee industry trade show, I ran across a small booth with one guy. He was hawking a new drip coffee brewer that was supposed to deliver water at 200F - the ideal temperature for coffee brewing. We talked and I was very interested in bringing these brewers to our customers but they wouldn't be ready for a few months due to UL listing,

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-49442937772588744582012-01-18T10:09:00.000-05:002012-01-18T10:09:39.144-05:00

Just recently, one of my friends in New York City was dumped by his girlfriend (who is also a friend of mine), in that painful, bewildering time following a breakup, when men feel the gamut of emotions from elation, betrayal, anger, rage, intense love, regret and much more, he asked me for help. I've been there before (many, many times, it seems) and wanted to offer him the kind of tough love I

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-54402366441449833922011-12-06T23:33:00.000-05:002011-12-24T00:29:15.148-05:00

Just a leisurely cruise on the Autobahn. It occurred to me a couple of days ago on the four hour drive from Bamberg to Berlin just what this trip was all about. The night before, I made my way down to the Christmas Market in Bamberg and found an unlikely ally in the form of the roasted chestnut guy. Ended up hanging with him for most of the evening, talking story and learning the finer points

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Germany51.165691 10.45152600000005847.271573000000004 5.863749000000058 55.059809 15.039303000000057tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-7550054131571090232011-11-30T17:23:00.000-05:002011-12-04T04:37:45.704-05:00

Welcome to The Rainforest Lodge. At the beginning of the day, I said to everyone: "No hiking or trekking." I just wasn't in the mood. I'm not up to the challenge. But the girls wanted to go into the rainforest. Me? I'm not too keen on being in a place where animals and insects can crawl all over you. I enjoyed camping in the woods when I was younger, had my Land Rover and carried a gun. In

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Kampala, Uganda0.3136111 32.5811111000000440.21426109999999998 32.491281100000045 0.41296109999999997 32.67094110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-82124838200663004772011-11-30T17:16:00.000-05:002011-12-04T04:36:48.959-05:00

Oh yeah, just moving a tank. In three pieces. No problem. I've spent a week now on Kampala's slow-moving, traffic-jammed streets and the feeling of rocketing along Jinja Road at 100kph is slightly unnerving - especially when the pavement is pocketed with potholes, wavy surfaces, debris, people and the little Toyota Corona is packed with five of us and we're careening past hawkers, buses,

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Jinja, Uganda0.38435 32.54318999999998-5.1002955 25.07248699999998 5.8689955000000005 40.01389299999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-76090815181475595322011-11-29T16:03:00.000-05:002011-12-03T04:59:53.739-05:00

Barista Jonathan Ddumba presents to Head Judge Clare and sensory judges Miriam, Richard, Evelyn and Emma. A few weeks ago, I received a call from David Roche of the Coffee Quality Institute. He was calling to ask me if I would be willing to go to Kampala again to be the head judge and trainer for their barista championship. He said they had been asking for me personally. An honor. Not too

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-86994795355672820312011-11-28T02:13:00.000-05:002011-11-28T02:13:19.209-05:00

Outside the world looks grey, but it's still there. 5:52am The sound of a large explosion rousts my consciousness into awareness. As the rumbling from the explosion continues, I lie there in silence waiting for the building to collapse and crush me. For five long seconds, I'm scared. Outside, I can hear a cacophony of car alarms and the muted howl of wind. Nothing has happened. I haven't

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Kampala, Uganda0.3136111 32.5811111000000440.21344159999999998 32.491281100000045 0.41378059999999994 32.67094110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-78461133618696255012011-11-27T04:04:00.000-05:002011-11-27T16:35:15.973-05:00

The nightlight is kicking at Cayenne. It's nearly two a.m., the music is thumping, bodies writhe before us, a plate of grilled meat is half eaten, a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label is nearly finished, and for reasons I don't quite understand, I've been smoking a shisha the whole night when a crazy (but very friendly) central Asian dude comes up to our table to offer greetings and shots of

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Kampala, Uganda0.3136111 32.5811111000000440.21344159999999998 32.491281100000045 0.41378059999999994 32.67094110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-48185128218111025722011-11-24T22:46:00.001-05:002011-11-27T15:56:13.597-05:00

A little late to the party. I've spent a number of holidays away from home but none of them has revealed itself as poignant as Thanksgiving. In America, Thanksgiving is ubiquitous. In many respects, it's the most important holiday of the year as families make great effort to spend that day together. This is the second time I've been away from family and friends for Thanksgiving. It wasn't

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Kampala, Uganda0.3136111 32.5811111000000440.21344159999999998 32.491281100000045 0.41378059999999994 32.67094110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-42498581779936296012011-11-22T18:35:00.001-05:002011-11-23T16:14:04.851-05:00

Welcome to Great Lakes Coffee - the honorary Consulate of Greece. After eating a bit too much barbecue and partying together in Houston this past April, Andy invited me to visit his coffee factory the next time I was in Kampala (you know, because I always just happen to swing out to Africa). And since I was in Kampala, I gave him a ring and off we were running in a Euro-spec Nissan Patrol

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Kampala, Uganda0.3136111 32.5811111000000440.21344159999999998 32.491281100000045 0.41378059999999994 32.67094110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-19180749195107188072011-11-22T16:19:00.000-05:002011-11-23T15:35:17.419-05:00

Evaluating a cappuccino. Day Two of barista training for the Uganda Barista Championship consists of mock trials. Originally, I had planned to show videos of World Barista Champion Alejandro Mendez but the dual punch combination of the incessantly excessive and irritating "sports commentary" while reviewing the footage in my hotel room the night before and the poor 3G reception in wireless

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0Kampala, Uganda0.3136111 32.5811111000000440.21344159999999998 32.491281100000045 0.41378059999999994 32.67094110000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-42942987387208054632011-11-21T15:35:00.000-05:002011-11-21T15:59:31.678-05:00

The prize of Eastern Africa. With 20+C weather outside, Kampala is a lovely place filled with a cacophony of sounds, briliant sights and quite a bit of traffic. Making our way along the crowded streets is a demonstration of the mass humanity filling Africa's cities. Vehicles of all sizes, pedestrians and even the women balancing just about anything and everything on their heads. Today is the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-68931364844144711632011-11-20T09:57:00.037-05:002011-11-20T14:31:20.036-05:00

Poolside at the Kampala Serena Hotel in Uganda. After leaving my house at noon on Thursday, I finally arrived at my room in Kampala, Uganda at 3am on Sunday morning: a total travel time of 55 hours (including a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany). Finally got into bed around 5am and slept until 1:15pm to find myself in what is easily the highlight of my entire years worth of travels. My hosts here

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-40722170486830478922011-11-16T15:01:00.001-05:002011-11-16T15:11:02.714-05:00

Feeling the call to duty. It's been sitting on my desk for three days now. I don't even know why I bought it knowing that I was leaving for Africa tomorrow. I could just have easily waited until I return in December, but noooo. I've convinced myself that I can play just one (or two) levels and then I'll be done and can put the game away until I return...

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-34730038638765410472011-11-15T23:15:00.001-05:002011-11-15T23:16:08.973-05:00

Another round of Hepatitis A vaccinations. It's weird, because I've traveled quite a bit in my life but every once in a while I get hit with a bout of travel jitters. That slight heaviness of anxiety and trepidation that comes when you wonder if, maybe, this might be the time the odds catch up to you. It hasn't actually happened to me in years, but back in the day, there were times when my

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-50316789754481432542011-11-13T10:12:00.000-05:002011-11-13T10:12:00.240-05:00

Coconut, tutti frutti, tutti frutti and the mystery orange flavor.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-9705386987688719002011-11-11T10:09:00.000-05:002011-11-11T10:09:00.377-05:00

Assorted pork goodies in the window at Carnitas Alfonso. One of the nicest things about Mexico is that Mexicans are not afraid of pork. Seemingly everywhere you turn, it's pork this and pork that. Pork, pork, pork. God love this place. Of course, if you're Jewish or Muslim, you're kinda in trouble. Then again, I don't recall seeing a lot of pork places in Polanco where many of the Jewish

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-44773682624978481932011-11-10T20:54:00.001-05:002011-11-10T21:07:56.866-05:00

The sort of bolognese simmers on the stove. I'm hungry. But I don't quite have fresh ingredients on hand. Instead, the freezer is full of foodstuffs I've laid up for a rainy day, and since today was a bit rainy, it's time to put them to good use - and I've had sugo de bolognese on the mind. Problem is: I don't have all the proper ingredients for a traditional bolognese. Digging into the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-29071237285797114282011-10-25T11:06:00.000-04:002011-10-25T11:06:00.217-04:00

Tutti Frutti, Coconut and Strawberry ice creams. What's missing in Baltimore is an old school soda fountain kind of joint. Not so in Mexico City where Neveria Roxy still maintains the flavors of the past. Inside you'll find a nice selection of ice creams and sorbets, along with milkshakes, malts, sodas and more. All of this in the kind of retro-1950s soda fountain looking place. The thing

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-68178211789128303082011-10-23T03:25:00.000-04:002011-10-23T03:25:00.476-04:00

Oh, yes... It's odd to me when I think upon how the New Zealand All Blacks have not won the Rugby World Cup in 24 years. I always think of them as the greatest rugby team ever. The ones we idolize and strive to emulate. They were the baddest, toughest and most fierce team in the world. Or maybe that's just because I was always envious of their Haka. As a young captain on Hawaii Loa

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-48841681438720712392011-10-22T13:44:00.000-04:002011-10-22T13:44:00.179-04:00

2006 Arturo Fuente Rothschild Maduro. The problem with enjoying lovely cigars is that they tend to fly out of my humidor. I'm lucky in the fact that I was prudent enough to build a humidor quite a number of years ago. Through wreckless thinking and judicious use of my American Express, I was able to not only build the humidor but stock it as well. This happened in the mid-1990s, during the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-28455905327794254312011-10-21T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-20T23:31:01.563-04:00

Uh oh, Danger... As I was perusing the aisles of a local Asian market, I spotted something familiar, yet strange. SPAM Singles. Truth be told, I didn't grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. My parents immigrated here and we lived rather plainly throughout my youth. None of this farm-to-table nonsense. Cheap cuts of meat, lots of canned corned beef, canned vegetables and whatever else

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-47523364646130474322011-10-17T09:01:00.001-04:002011-10-20T23:04:07.302-04:00

Nick Rhodes waves goodbye to my childhood. In 1984, I was an unhappy child. I was fifteen years old, Duran Duran was on their worldwide Sing Blue Silver Tour, and my mom would not allow me to attend the concert at the Capital Center. Like many of my peers, I was a Duran Duran freak. They were my favorite band. I fancied myself as the American Nick Rhodes. I desired the Roland Jupiter 8

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-7602672379855644282011-10-10T16:41:00.000-04:002011-10-10T23:58:52.246-04:00

The small lobster roll at Lobster Express. A certain sign that you're in New England is not just the lobster house but the vast selection of lobsters available at the lobster house. At home in Baltimore, there's simply a tank and a price - say $10/lb for whatever lobsters they have in stock. Head out west to Portland and lobsters are pushing $50 each. Here lobsters start at $5.99/lb for the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-13543441091313314532011-10-09T17:10:00.000-04:002011-10-09T23:25:45.211-04:00

Grande Mocha Frappuccino. It's another weekend in Pawtucket, Rhode Island for the annual Mid-Atlantic NorthEast Coffee Conference (aka MANE) where we've talked coffee, discussed coffee, argued about coffee, theorized about coffee and even drank some coffee. So much going on but the essence is that the MANE is simply the best barista coffee event in the United States today. Where other

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-86310384195560531612011-10-05T23:14:00.000-04:002011-10-07T01:10:22.047-04:00

General ingredients for Sunday Meal. Yes, I can cook. It's times like these when I get myself into trouble. Perhaps it's time that I start to think like a normal guy: I don't know how to cook. I just want to sit on the couch watching The Game and talk player stats while guzzling six-packs of beer. Instead, I find myself on a Sunday late morning at the local supermarket looking for

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-77698514895337460272011-10-02T19:04:00.001-04:002011-10-09T23:08:15.972-04:00

I've returned again to New York City where I've secured a (relatively) cheap room at the Gran Hyatt Grand Central for a couple of nights and where I'm reminded that scale is a bit different in NYC. Thirty-three stories above 42nd Street and I can barely see out the winder and only the very top of the Chrysler Building...

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-11133095832387388132011-09-28T19:19:00.001-04:002011-09-28T19:20:13.148-04:00

Maybe that's your bag that didn't make it to Ka'anapali. Ever wonder how baggage gets lost in transit? Especially in this world of "high security", TSA screenings and everything designed to "protect" us from harm, you'd think they would be able to track your baggage with a high degree of accuracy - not to mention that they now charge you for the "privilege" of checking your baggage. In a

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-90676043113257377892011-09-24T21:42:00.007-04:002011-09-25T11:43:16.214-04:00

Everybody's working at Los Pambacitos. Right before we went to Hamburguesas Montaner, Ana asked me if I had tried pambazos. Of course, I've tried pambazos - that ubiquitous Mexico City bolillo sandwich that's sauteed in salsa rojo. Actually, I've never had it here, only at the fabled Fiesta Mexicana in Baltimore, but it's pretty authentic. But, as she noted, I hadn't had these pambazos. We

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-77075583136915115992011-09-24T20:08:00.000-04:002011-09-25T10:35:33.527-04:00

Bienvenidos a Hamburguesas Montaner. "Have you ever tried bandillos?", asked Ana. Bandillos. Something that only proper bandits ate? Sounded interesting. But she wanted a definitive answer but I had no idea what bandillos were and she had taken me to try so many different things that maybe I had already tried them and didn't realize it. Afterall, I could be a proper Bandito... In Colonia

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-34467603122155480362011-09-06T18:49:00.001-04:002011-09-06T19:05:02.970-04:00

Sometimes my day takes a slightly turn for the strange. After heading downtown to pick up some supplies, I decided at the last minute to swing by a local pasticceria for a scoop of gelato. Upon arriving and having a look at the gelato selection, which was looking a bit wet, I decided to just grab a cookie instead. That's exactly when the chef/owner decided that I must come try the new cookie

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-579262568972508022011-08-29T00:17:00.001-04:002011-09-03T00:39:46.554-04:00

French Heirloom Chicken ready to go. Perusing the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated, I came across their quick roast technique for roasted chicken and decided to give it a try. The key is to heat a skillet first, placing the chicken on the skillet and the dark meat to cook with conduction while the rest of the bird is heated with convection. Cook's Illustrated gives a different preparation

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-22039703106538060612011-08-24T09:24:00.001-04:002011-08-24T09:25:11.572-04:00

In certain circles, it's impolite to ask one's age. To my mind, the craft is about attention to detail. It's something I try to instill into each and everyone on our staff. Much of this manifests itself in details that the guest may never see or notice. Take this steaming pitcher, for example. Take a close look and tell me how old you think it is. It is clean. Polished. Shiny. If one were

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-65642267246838440172011-08-21T11:21:00.000-04:002011-08-21T13:24:22.957-04:00

Adding cold water to the coffee. I've been thinking about cold infusions lately. Infusions that don't require heat and are not destructive (changing) to the ingredients used. Heat up the ingredients and a change occurs. What ways can we move to infuse liquids while trying to capture the vibrancy of the natural ingredients? A technique developed by Dave Arnold at the French Culinary

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-37411070950360358702011-08-20T10:17:00.001-04:002011-08-21T01:28:25.927-04:00

One of the coolest things I picked up yesterday at the gem show was a calibration weight. Perfectly tuned to 100 grams, this weight is used to calibrate your scales and make sure they're in sync. At home and at work, I use gram scales all the time and the gem show is one of the few places where I can go, buy a gram scale and not have funny or "knowing" looks between me and the person selling

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-74995359849184182892011-08-19T21:27:00.000-04:002011-08-21T01:17:42.718-04:00

This is what I see at a gem show. I really must be a simple creature. All around me, I'm surrounded by gold, jade, emeralds, rubies, gold, silver, Rolexes, Breitlings and diamonds galore - all I can see are tools. Every few months or so, my mom enlists me to drive her to a gem show somewhere. Today, we're in Chantilly, Virginia - just a few minutes from Dulles airport and a nearly two hour

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-91413817183675909542011-08-07T22:45:00.001-04:002011-08-08T22:45:10.597-04:00

The Secret Weapon: Velveeta. At my core, I'm a very simple creature. I grew up in 70s and 80s America. An immigrant family, we ate cheaply and I grew up with very simple fare: Lipton iced tea, cheap cuts of meat and Kraft macaroni and cheese. For many years, I didn't know one could have a mac-n-cheese that wasn't orange. So, when I finally got around to learning about food and cuisine, I

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-46374156792221227112011-08-05T07:09:00.000-04:002011-08-05T07:09:00.126-04:00

Baguettes (or Ficelle) from (top to bottom): Bonaparte, Stone Mill Ficelle, Atwater's and Stone Mill 7 Grain. In Paris, I have my favorite baguette baker: Stephane Secco. Just a block and a half from my hotel in the 7th, in the space formerly occupied by the famed Jean-Luc Poujauran, is Secco and his brilliant bread. So in love with his baguette that I extended a trip to Paris in 2008 so that

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-8383427409991967742011-08-04T16:17:00.002-04:002011-08-04T16:18:55.387-04:00

Kiddie sized chocolate snowball with marshmallow. I guess this is one of those signs that an era has truly passed. We closed down main operations of Jays Shave Ice at the end of 2006. For the next four years, Jays Shave Ice operated during the Artscape festival in downtown Baltimore. 2011 was the first Artscape that we missed in eleven seasons. I was just tired. The company is still

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-49206346829825223462011-08-03T23:10:00.001-04:002011-08-04T00:28:26.422-04:00

Losing my mind in a sea of numbers. Sometime today I started to lose it. Calculating the various details and expenses of each menu item was starting to get to me. All around me a cacophony of activity carried on. Prepping, cooking, washing, cleaning, the clomp clomp clomp of people going up and down the stairs, the acrid aroma of roasting garlic, footsteps above my head signaling the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-58142679226448622102011-07-30T18:19:00.001-04:002011-07-30T18:34:20.957-04:00

Inside Blues BBQ and a peek at their pressure smoker. According to what I've read, Blues BBQ is the best bbq in Charleston. But read through the reviews and the comments and a bit of a controversy erupts. Evidently, Blues BBQ pressure cooks their ribs. To bbq purists this is akin to an uncircumsized Semite running through 1942 Berlin wearing a pig meat outfit. Putting that controversy to

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-4747468043956874052011-07-30T13:18:00.000-04:002011-07-30T17:57:07.782-04:00

Sesame Fried Calamari - tossed in spicy sesame garlic sauce. The difficult part of visiting any city is finding someplace good to eat. Truth be told, I'm really just like everyone else - I'm scared of finding something bad. This is the same mentality that drives the masses to eat at Applebee's, Cheesecake Factory, Panera Bread and Burger King, no matter where they are in the world. With the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-86927138180851053042011-07-29T18:25:00.003-04:002011-07-29T23:43:48.782-04:00

House Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette at Bluegrass Kitchen. Charleston, West Virginia. I never thought I would come here. Nothing against the city, it just was never on my list of places to visit though I must say that there's a certain charm to this place. Walking downtown, the old buildings look cool and I'm tempted to put a Spro here. Of course, there's lots of vacant shopfronts in

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-39874418803917446942011-07-29T13:44:00.001-04:002011-07-29T23:20:33.617-04:00

Someday someone will welcome guests to this place. I've been in the coffee game since the rough dawn of the "third wave" and I've heard all sorts of stories about baristas and their shops pissing off and offending customers of all kinds. However, what I haven't seen before is a shop that pisses off their customers before it opens. I'm in Charleston, West Virginia this weekend and was fully

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-71198218629259526562011-07-28T16:56:00.000-04:002011-07-29T10:57:35.389-04:00

On the I-68 heading through West Virginia.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-86247898008820390492011-07-28T11:52:00.001-04:002011-07-29T10:58:17.246-04:00

Scott and Jordan sporting hats they found at Dreamland. It's always nice to have visitors from the coffee industry. This morning, on to New York for the next leg of their East Coast Strada Tour, Chris, Jordan and Brian stopped by for a coffee and a brief hang, as well as an inspection of our trusty 3 group "Blackwell" Linea.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-72359277591696755492011-07-27T21:34:00.000-04:002011-07-29T10:52:29.236-04:00

Croqueta Cuadrada de Jamón con Fideos Crujientes - Iberian Ham Croquettes with Crispy Rice Noodles After last weekend's okay attempt at paella, Gigi's email about the paella festival going on at Taberna del Alabardero in DC both scared and excited me. Excited about the possibilities, I was also a bit apprehensive to be shown where we made our critical mistakes. But, since I was going to be in

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-50410786289767714082011-07-27T19:34:00.000-04:002011-07-29T10:34:09.681-04:00

Scott and The Boys latest album cover art. I'm in DC for the day to hang with friends and take the La Marzocco Strada EP espresso machine technicians course, ostensibly one of the final hurdles before La Marzocco will allow me to have one of the new machines for Spro Hampden. For as advanced and high-tech as the Strada EP really is, it's actually quite simple, and seemingly easy, to service.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-60403052654625682712011-07-25T11:14:00.000-04:002011-07-25T11:14:31.324-04:00

Several weeks ago, or was it a few months now? Some people had been haranguing me to put up the various certifications and certificates on the wall of Spro to show our guests just how much we've been recognized. Put up the newspaper and magazine articles too, I was told. They'll like it. Give them something to read. In my mind, all I could really think was: "poppycock." Don't get me wrong,

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-19154625566022278892011-07-24T21:46:00.000-04:002011-07-25T11:14:20.960-04:00

I am by no means a left-wing liberal. Nor am I some sort of right wing kook. I'm more of an American than a democrat or republican. I tend to be fiscally conservative, socially progressive, an advocate of freedoms (such as personal, speech and choice) and generally skeptical of government and the people who run it for us. While we're not in total agreement, my circle of friends, treasured

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-70672064456745560702011-07-21T17:24:00.002-04:002011-07-24T22:30:35.295-04:00

Losing my noodle at Diamond Ridge. I must have been crazy saying yes to round of golf during the hottest week of the year. Pushing 104F on the course, I was lucky to have my trusty styrofoam Chick-Fil-A cup for ice and water. Brutal really is the only way to describe conditions today. I've taken to using a new driver, one of those monster-sized concoctions with a very obnoxious "tink" sound

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-62412610590643125762011-07-17T08:56:00.001-04:002011-07-24T21:58:08.626-04:00

The party gets underway. The baptism of Ethan Kai brings everyone together for a night at Vallarggio. If you're familiar with Las Vegas parties, think Hard Rock Hotel's Sunday Rehab - East Coast Style. Lounge couches, tiki torches, open bar, large buffet and music: non-stop. Making Lechon Liempo Ribs. Scott and BrowserMetrics at the bar. An attempt to make pseudo lechon Volcan. The

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-45107305502675699102011-07-15T21:22:00.012-04:002011-07-24T16:24:11.980-04:00

Ciao Soups On! It's been coming for the past two weeks. I heard about it first through twitter. Soup's On, that venerable Hampden soup joint across from Spro, was closing. Known for using fresh, local ingredients, Cynthia and her team have been making great soups, salads and sandwiches for several years now and would be one of the few places that I would buy lunch from on a regular basis

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-81424527783220761102011-07-15T16:44:00.000-04:002011-07-15T16:49:06.013-04:00

Anime characters, Mexican Style.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-16630288501639431662011-07-13T14:05:00.000-04:002011-07-21T17:21:29.538-04:00

My keyboard is nothing like this! A few years ago while I was in Tokyo, I thought how cool it would be to own a MacBook with the Japanese characters on the keyboard. I never did get around to buying a laptop there and I never thought about workflow using an unfamiliar keyboard. Fast forward to 2011 and I'm using a friends MacBook to write posts to this blog - with a Spanish language keyboard.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-16622301912478824662011-07-12T17:03:00.001-04:002011-07-15T14:28:45.609-04:00

Hombre del Cobre at La Ciudadela. I had never been to La Ciudadela until today while we were on the hunt for a metate, that traditional Mexican volcanic stone grinder that´s ideal for grinding the ingredients for mole. It´s the famous artisanal market filled with things touristy and things useful for the Mexican local. One great thing to remember is that the prices here are muy barato (very

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-10225188368116469922011-07-11T23:01:00.000-04:002011-07-15T16:44:01.261-04:00

Las Salsas y Limon. Ever since my very first visit to El Bajio nearly four years ago, I've been kind of obsessed. I was so moved by her cuisine that when Carmen Titita Ramirez came to Washington, D.C., I had to go and listen to her speak. The woman is a tour de force of Mexican cuisine. According the interviews I've read, she looks upon nouvelle cuisine as rubbish, preferring to honor and

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-21179538500040014602011-07-11T21:15:00.000-04:002011-07-11T21:15:07.018-04:00

Up close and personal with the Pastor. My whole obsession with tacos al pastor must be reaching new heights. While walking down the block today, I noticed a trompero setting up his trompo with a stack of raw marinated pork. I had never seen the trompo up close at the start of the day and it was fascinating to see it live. Turns out that today is the first day of operations for the new Los

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-49718526873120525882011-07-10T16:35:00.000-04:002011-07-15T14:25:36.368-04:00

Entering the Tianguis de Obrero Mundial. In America, we have our Farmer's Markets. In Mexico, they have Tianguis. Weekly markets that move from place to place daily. Live in any neighborhood (colonia) in the capital and you're bound to have a weekly market that sets up on your street selling just about anything the hungry chilango could want. Fruits, vegetables, meats, kitchen utensils, meals,

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-59017119150195385722011-07-09T23:51:00.000-04:002011-07-11T14:01:32.482-04:00

This guy is one of my culinary heroes. I'm back in Mexico City and one of our first stops is to my all-time favorite taco joint, El Vilsito on Universidad. I've written about this place before and it's still the best Tacos Al Pastor anywhere. Soft, juicy marinated pork with a slice of roasted pineapple - I dream of making pastor this good at home. And this time I got to share it with a friend.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-24663070495919418612011-06-27T22:30:00.000-04:002011-06-27T22:30:12.968-04:00

Testing and vetting brew methodologies, January 2010. Lately, I've been thinking that it's time for me to start up a restaurant. A restaurant that can seat about 30-40 people and turn roughly 200 covers on a busy service. Without a doubt, it should be cutting edge, comfortable, casual but with serious ingredients and a serious approach to quality and service. I want this new restaurant to be

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-66524924819793603702011-06-24T11:53:00.000-04:002011-06-24T11:53:55.658-04:00

Cuppers pondering their future. Regular readers of this blog know that despite the fact that I travel around the world training baristas, judges and judging barista competitions (in addition to having been a competitor myself), I find watching coffee competitions to be insanely droll and boring to watch. At the SCAA Houston a couple of months ago, the coffee powers that be created a new

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-14318115698358851542011-06-18T13:02:00.000-04:002011-06-18T13:02:29.643-04:00

Two bottles of Gahara Vanilla Syrup starting their journey. So far, 2011 has been a busy year. I've been back and forth to Central and South America, as well as southern North America several times. My times at home have been short and it wasn't until last month when I actually had time to slow down and return to my roots, so to speak. In May, I was home for 22 days. Time to slow down.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-19356683089500865192011-05-26T20:51:00.047-04:002011-05-27T15:20:13.080-04:00

Geocache Number Two. While sitting at the local FroYo joint gingerly consuming an original with macapuno, lychee and mochi balls (my fave combination), I noticed an app on The Hawaiian Stig's iPhone4 called Geocaching. Just what is this app called Geocaching??? He patiently explained to my "soon to be unable to program the VCR" self that geocaching is essentially an electronic treasure hunt

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-33704866106742954302011-05-20T11:19:00.000-04:002011-05-20T11:19:19.837-04:00

According to Harold Camping, Christian radio rock star, evangelist and foreseer of the Apocalypse, The End Of The World starts tomorrow at sunrise just off the coast of Australia. From what I've gathered, a series of earthquakes will begin on Kirimati Island and spread across the planet as the sun advances and the planet is shaken. For us East Coasters, expect our earthquake to begin around 6pm

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-70680546262806543812011-05-19T11:46:00.001-04:002011-05-19T11:47:17.538-04:00

I'm big on customer service and working to provide the guest with a great experience every time they visit one of our locations. And sometimes I fail. Yesterday, I failed in a major - looking like a complete asshole kind of way. I've been running my own little company for twelve years now and I've made just about every customer service mistake one person could make. I've yelled at customers,

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-78172863020189136182011-05-09T15:07:00.001-04:002011-05-09T15:08:33.026-04:00

107.5 The Eagle in the Buick Regal rolling across Texas. Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac, A voice inside my head said don't look back, You can never look back. Despite the fact that I spent many years listening to alternative music such as Depeche Mode, Tackhead, SWANS, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and more, I'm still a product of the late 1970s and 1980s - which

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-21137270628792605792011-04-21T17:40:00.000-04:002011-04-21T17:40:31.552-04:00

Oh, my! 46.3 pounds... A couple of weeks ago, I come home to find a large and heavy box downstairs at Spro Hampden. It's big and nearly fifty pounds. Goodness. Then I noticed the label. It's the book I've been waiting for since 2009. The Modernist Cuisine During the 2009 StarChefs Conference, I attended a presentation by Nathan Myrhvold and Chris Young that was out of this world. These

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-75957670930392450662011-04-06T03:13:00.005-04:002011-04-06T03:17:56.862-04:00

I'm currently stuck in Mexico City after a mechanical problem with the airplane forced a two-hour delay, missing my window to connect on a flight back home to Baltimore. Granted, if I'm going to be "stuck" anywhere, Mexico City is about as ideal as it gets. To my own surprise, this blog was mentioned in the article about me and my little company, Spro Coffee, in Baltimore. For those of you

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-82565850144022502352011-04-02T23:47:00.002-04:002011-04-04T15:24:38.424-04:00

Don't let the signs fool you. This is THE place for Al Pastor. It's been about three and a half years since my first and last visit to El Vipsito (now called "El Vilsito" but I don't know why). Quite simply, if you're looking for Tacos El Pastor in the DF, this is the place to go. Nearly twice as expensive as other places, El Vilsito is rockin' when we arrive around 11pm. By 2am this place

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-13473782939336717582011-04-02T20:48:00.001-04:002011-04-04T15:18:27.768-04:00

iCostco, therefore, iAm. Mexico City. Just mentioning the name conjures all sorts of imagery. Old castles, sunken lake beds, ancient Aztec civilizations, tacos, quesadillas, Bella Artes, just to name a few. The strange reality of my visits to Mexico City: Costco. Yes, THAT Costco. The one of large warehouses stacked with all your home goods. In bulk. And whenever I'm here, I always seem

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-27298989149484539372011-04-02T19:06:00.031-04:002011-04-04T15:17:51.686-04:00

Where to eat. Somewhere to the west, about 35 minutes outside of Mexico City is a recreation area known as La Marquesa. Different "Valles" offer a range of outdoorsy things to do, like horseback riding, ATV racing, water slides and quite a bit more. There's even this thing they call Gotcha that looks suspiciously like paintball. Of course, things outdoors would not be complete without the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-41848931444920263032011-04-02T11:19:00.000-04:002011-04-04T13:57:30.953-04:00

Totopos goes into a pan. Admittedly, I'm a relative newcomer to Mexican cuisine but that hasn't stopped me from pursuing greater understanding of Mexican staples such as conchas, tacos al pastor and chilaquiles. Chilaquiles. Few dishes have so quickly grown to my heart and I'm addicted. Almost anywhere that I visit, if I find chilaquiles on the menu, I'm compelled to try it to see how it

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-1548601449544525312011-04-01T23:59:00.041-04:002011-04-04T13:18:07.806-04:00

Speeding it over to Polanco. It's my birthday and I've returned to Mexico City for a few days of what supposedly is R&R (rest & relaxation) but really is R&R (Run & Run Faster). The weather is lovely but the traffic is at its' worst. Everywhere we go, the traffic is jammed and very slow moving. If I didn't have mucho experience with Manila traffic, I might get a little crazy. As always, the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-23624056744135807892011-03-28T19:24:00.000-04:002011-03-28T19:24:33.682-04:00

"Like most pro skaters, I've always been frustrated that skateboarding's mainstream popularity derives primarily from contests, when that's such a small part of what we do. In fact, most pro skaters shun competition entirely and instead build their reps through video parts and skate-mag coverage. That's what makes the sport and the subculture so hard for outsiders to package: At its core, it's

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-44999855995994008262011-03-25T22:26:00.032-04:002011-03-26T20:05:27.950-04:00

Bread for salad and baba ganoush. Simon came to town to convert Dianna from his girlfriend to his fiancee. She said "yes." To celebrate, we met up at Zorba's in Baltimore's Greektown for dinner. Dai's parents-in-law and their clan treated us to some fantastic and classic Greek food. It was all delicious and the octopus was some of the best I've ever eaten. Grilled to perfection. The food

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-71766649673248993322011-03-25T15:20:00.020-04:002011-03-26T19:50:56.000-04:00

Totalmente a mano en Esteli. While in Esteli touring the cigar factory with Pete Johnson, I spied a box for the Verite 2009 line of cigars. He told me about his approach to using tobacco leaf from one farm and one harvest to create a vintage line in the manner of wine production. I didn't really understand exactly what he was talking about but it sounded interesting. Fast forward to this

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-89963268199315949922011-03-24T13:52:00.000-04:002011-03-24T13:52:21.434-04:00

abc2new's Charley Crowson lines up an interview. Over the weekend on Saturday we celebrated the One Year Anniversary of Spro Hampden's opening. It's been a fun, exciting and educational year for us. We've been learning how to manage multiple locations, manage a wide array of great coffees from many different roasters, and we've constantly been refining our service and preparation techniques.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-69019159765339837462011-03-22T14:51:00.003-04:002011-03-23T17:13:17.788-04:00

Comparing the coffee with cream and sugar. Years ago, I used to teach 6 to 12 year olds. It could be tough work, trying to hold the attention of youngsters for an hour at a time. But nothing could be more brutal than instructing high school teenagers. When people are young, like the 6-12 year olds, they're a little more intimidated by so-called "adults"- the respect is more inherent.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-39224987734266417812011-03-22T10:10:00.040-04:002011-03-23T10:54:52.014-04:00

The lights of the studio shine down upon us. It's 6:30 in the morning and both my alarm clock and iPhone are honking. For some reason, I always feel tired before media appearances, no matter the media. This time, it's off to Channel 2 for an appearance on Good Morning Maryland and I need to shower and get myself ready. It's nice to be recognized by the media and it seems that every time we

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-32141458004478003122011-03-17T23:54:00.000-04:002011-03-18T01:55:33.832-04:00

I received a rather interesting phone call today. It was an industry friend calling to tell me that the coffee company he works for no longer will sell my company coffee. Turns out that the company he works for is unhappy with the way we have been representing their coffee at The Spro. The company? Counter Culture Coffee. Evidently, there are three reasons why they no longer will sell to us:

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-20277064314194992752011-03-14T18:24:00.000-04:002011-03-21T15:36:46.044-04:00

The espresso machine at Tatuaje HQ, Hollywood. After a morning in the valley visiting old haunts Location Sound and Birns & Sawyer (where I've spent way too much money on production equipment), I've found my way to Hollywood for a visit with Pete and Andy at Tatuaje Cigars. It's interesting to come full circle with Tatuaje. I first tried Tatuaje through The Porn King and Marvin during a

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-88636305411959293212011-03-14T14:21:00.017-04:002011-03-23T23:24:09.517-04:00

House Blend Salad - baby lettuce, feta, chicken, mushrooms, walnuts, fresh berries, sun-dried tomatoes, and served with raspberry vinaigrette. Cesar Salad. Chilaquiles Diablo – tortilla chips pan sauteed in our diablo salsa sprinkled with queso seco, mozzarella, red onion, cilantro, a scoop of guacamole & sour cream. Tuna Burger Chicken Curry Royal – eggs scrambled w/chicken, snow

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-40827440463315696062011-03-13T19:15:00.020-04:002011-03-23T23:39:51.321-04:00

Menus Intelligentsia. When it comes to interesting interior design in the coffee business, I think Intelligentsia has done some truly interesting things over the past four years. From Silver Lake to Venice Beach and now the new Pasadena location, the design has been interesting and even innovative. Unlike the Venice Beach location, Pasadena doesn't go overboard with the Gee Whiz design

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-37763341574238791232011-03-13T16:04:00.024-04:002011-03-23T23:14:03.366-04:00

Tuna with soy sauce dressing. Sometimes even chain restaurants get it right and the Shin-Sen-Gumi chain is one of them. Great tasting Japanese cuisine all across the L.A. area. We've been to the Gardena location before and this time the girls were in the mood for the shabu shabu teriyaki combination of their Monterey Park location. Enjoy. It was tasty. Sukiyaki. More meat. Ian ready

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-91223383461949072382011-03-12T20:44:00.016-05:002011-03-17T23:49:13.954-04:00

Lucy looks to see what ramen she wants. Al and Polly lately have been raving about a new ramen place in Gardena. Knowing that I'm a fan of a good ramen and that we have no ramen to speak of in Baltimore, they insisted on bringing us there. Of course, I'm only too happy to comply. Located in the very Japanese marketplace not too far from the 110 Freeway (and the Hustler Casino), Mottainai

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-6417135062242207742011-03-12T14:41:00.034-05:002011-03-17T02:56:53.714-04:00

Ana, Lucy and Polly on the way to The Factory. When Polly called to tell me that we were all meeting at the Cheesecake Factory I could hear the apprehension and apology in her voice - as though I might lash out in disdain for choosing a national chain restaurant. "There's going to be like thirty of us," she reasoned. My initial reaction was to bemoan the choice, but I understood the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-63540052614280898312011-03-11T18:37:00.009-05:002011-03-17T02:32:37.037-04:00

It might not look like much but soon there will be strawberries. Driving along the 101 South back to Los Angeles, I'm again struck by the immensity of the agriculture here on the West Coast. Miles and miles of crops - as far as the eye can see. Our ability to maintain a continuous food stream for our nation is staggering. As we make our way south of Salinas, it's fields of lettuce. On one

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-19020542232246356052011-03-11T17:36:00.004-05:002011-03-16T17:42:05.383-04:00

They say "Tacos", she says "It's like a Quesadilla."

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-16827308209403260252011-03-11T14:35:00.034-05:002011-03-16T17:41:20.422-04:00

Purity Apple Juice and Fizzy Lizzy Raspberry Lemon. Ana wanted to see Carmel, so on the way there I fantasized about sitting on an outdoor verdanda, sunlight streaming across my face and eating some kind of hot sandwich (maybe a burger, crabcake or fish thing) with fries and a Coke. I don't know why I thought this way, but it's kind of how I remembered my previous visits to Carmel (back in the

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-42272386623704690182011-03-10T22:33:00.004-05:002011-03-16T17:19:15.501-04:00

Seared Ahi Tuna with sesame crust. The problem with short trips is that you feel like you're trying to cram too much into too little time. Thank goodness Ethel and Matt were willing to come up to Napa to hang for a couple of hours. They asked where I wanted to eat and since I only know The French Laundry, I left it up to them to select a nice place that's kid friendly. So after homework and

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-11581362873669923802011-03-10T18:31:00.007-05:002011-03-16T17:16:25.968-04:00

Bread for olive oil and balsamic. Jackie and Michelle. 2007 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon. Ana. Aaron and Jackie. A little Bolognese. Some fries.

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-71312358570063710692011-03-10T15:29:00.005-05:002011-03-16T17:12:42.307-04:00

Red Velvet Cupcake. Aaron called to tell us that they were at Model Bakery in St. Helena. I knew nothing about Model so when we arrived, Aaron and Michelle "encouraged" us to try the english muffins - labeled "the best" muffins in the world. Honestly, I'm a Thomas' English Muffins kind of guy. Give me that fork split goodness, burn it in a heavy toast, slather it with butter and I'm very

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-7948461010699546722011-03-10T14:43:00.049-05:002011-03-16T17:08:19.533-04:00

The tasting room at Paul Hobbs. Before jetting out to California, I was caught up in a bit of a conundrum (not Caymus, they're pretentious and arrogant) - what wineries to visit in the Napa Valley? I first started visiting Napa back in 1988 when the valley wasn't encroached by the development and tourism it is today. Back then, a trip to Robert Mondavi was still a small and relatively casual

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-2202516073707165372011-03-10T11:54:00.017-05:002011-03-15T21:52:10.023-04:00

Pom Cooler - St. Germaine, Prosecco A set of condiments: maple syrup, butter, ketchup and Tapatio hot sauce. World Famous Boon Fly Donuts. Buttermilk Griddle Cake. Applewood Smoked Bacon. Chilaquiles - scrambled eggs, chorizo, black beans, cheddar cheese, flour tortilla chips, salsa verde & pico de gallo. Breakfast Flatbread - two fried eggs, bacon, caramelized onions and

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-24973912992046834842011-03-09T23:20:00.000-05:002011-03-14T12:47:55.298-04:00

Patatas Bravas - crispy fried potatoes with allioli and salsa brava. I had been following the writing of Chef Brett Emerson's exploits for quite some time and the last time I was in San Francisco, I emailed him to see if his battle to open Contigo had been won. Sadly, I was a couple weeks too early and would miss his new restaurant and went to another Noe Valley institution: Incanto. Two

onocoffeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11781160488678845826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486674.post-53538353900185759472011-03-09T19:20:00.000-05:002011-03-14T12:18:28.961-04:00

Across the agricultural plains along the I-5 North. For reasons that now escape me, I thought driving from L.A. to San Francisco would be a good idea. I had never done the drive before and thought that it was a drive worth doing. Then, once I arrived in L.A. and started doing the calculations: one day up, one day in Napa, another day back, and I started to realize the folly of my ways. I

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