Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I like La Colombe Torrefaction (on Rittenhouse Square) enough. They serve La Colombe, they don't have Internet or the distractions it brings, they have lots of tiny tables so it's not too hard to get a spot during the week, and the people you get in there are pretty interesting.

But they don't have anything but flipping cow milk. What the flip? I mean, it's not flipping Dunkin Donuts - their baristas have all the insufferable air of pretense you can handle, so get some flipping soy milk.

So I will build my own coffeeshop. It will have:
The beans of LCT.
The milk alternatives of Grindcore.
The tea selection of Steap.
The food and snacks of Soy Cafe.
The seating arrangement of Tuscany Cafe.
The staff of Good Karma on 22nd.
The metered Internet access of Mugshots.
The location of... my block.

The only thing that's missing is the expert preparation of a professional barista. Nowhere in Philly have I found this.

First off you changed your avatar and confused the hell out of me!

Second, DO IT!

LC was soooooooo the Philly coffee snob place to go for coffee. I went in their once years ago and my husband was totally confused by the lack of a menu. I worked in a B&N cafe once, so I tried to explain to him the basics. He was baffled and just told me to order for him. This was way pregan so we had cow milk of course.

Grindcore is def my new fave place as far as coffee shops are concerned. I love the atmosphere and the coffee is good. Not great but good.

We liked the Soy Cafe but not for their coffee.

The place on 17th and Locust (attached to the Prime Rib) is good. I forget their name. It may be something simple like the Coffee Bar?

We used to love beyond love this place in Rittenhouse that closed a few years ago. Moon something? Someone help me, my memory is shot today.

I would kill for a properly made Latte. Every time I see the baristas at Starbucks making Lattes I want to yell at them. A Latte is 3/4 liquid and 1/4 foam. I want my foam damnit!

But it still looks like me... in the morning.

When I'm done with school, and if I go back to a big boy job instead of academia (therefore, a presumably more-lucrative career) then I do plan to start a cafe/co-working space on the side, hopefully here or in DC. For now, I might just try to find a place to work as a PT barista so there's at least one person in town who actually knows how to make a latte. And it's not even that hard.

You know, I never had noticed that there's no menu at LCT! I wonder if that increases or decreases the amount of Starbonics they have to put up with. And yeah, I like Coffee Bar (and that is indeed its name) as a place to study and have a drink, but I've actually never had coffee in there.

The coffee at the Coffee Bar is pretty damn good actually. No edibles for vegans that I've noticed. But I have only been in there like a total of 3 times.

Oh and the Moon place I used to love was called Crimson Moon. It was rad, I miss it.

I also love La Colombe. I've always been able to find a seat there. Just a great place to people-watch or read a book. I try to plan ahead and bring soy milk with me, which is pretty annoying and not always possible!

My favorite Philly coffee shops are Grindcore House, Chapterhouse, and Ultimo. I also love B2, but more for their yummy winter tea lattes than the coffee. I'm also looking forward to the arrival of Shot Tower coffee at 6th & Christian in the upcoming week(s).



I would call that an extra-foam latte! Not a weird request at all, promise. A lot of people order no-foam lattes too, which blows my mind!

Oh snap they let you do that?! Wait, do you mean just for "creamer" or do they actually make your latte with your soy?

I forgot about Chapterhouse! Good call. Also, I like Red Hook - sorta near where Shot Tower will be, right? Interesting...

That's how I learned how to make a latte. Is that wrong?

In my experience, A quarter-foam latte is indeed a bit heavy on the foam. For my tastes, a latte and a beer should have about the same amount of foam/head, although that's not exactly an exact or professional measurement.

We should pull together as a Philly PPK team and all ask La Colombe to offer soymilk!

Also, in my very non-expert opinion, I agree with philadelphegan on the amount of foam that should be in a latte--1/4 does seem a tad heavy.

3 words. Chestnut Hill Coffee. Also, the Starbucks in Chestnut Hill just got a Clover.

No doubt. Shame it's not in Philadelphia. Okay, okay, it is technically in Philly, but that's a haul for me, personally.

Today's unnecessarily-pricey lunch plan: Hummus and tomato on a Kibitz Room bagel, and stopping at Coffee Bar on the return trip. Though I'm now jonesing for a trip to Chestnut Hill...

They must train people wrong or differently at Barnes & Noble. Cause I def remember being taught that a Latte had 1/4 foam and a Cappuccino had 1/2 foam.

I just realized how much I miss Breves. I wonder if I can get Grindcore to make me a Breve with Soy Creamer?

Well, not to get all coffeesnob on you (...buuuuut...) Barnes & Noble isn't exactly your traditional espresso cafe is it? One problem with defining a cappuccino is that it has to deal with those mustard American fast-food sized cups (like the one sitting on my table at Coffee Bar right now, btw). A capp is one-third of each, resulting in a 5-7oz drink. So, in a sense, half milk and half foam at 2oz each would be fine, with a 2oz pull, but a "venti capp" is an abomination. All the other drinks are variations on the theme, some of which will get you laughed or screamed at for ordering in a traditional italian cafe, particularly depending on the time of day.

Well put! And I agree, B&N is not a real cafe or coffee house. But they do abide by the Starbucks rules and mentality of coffee. Not that those are right either.

If I go to Italy and ask for a Capp with Soy, will they kick me out of the country?

Also, how is this for timing! Barista Throwdown anyone?

http://phillytnt.wordpress.com/

Ah, I meant to use as creamer in my drip. I can't even order a latte unless I can see the steam wand and trust/know the barista. I once ordered a soy latte at a certain Rittenhouse-area cafe and watched as they dipped a milk-encrusted, non-purged steam wand into the soy. I couldn't drink it. Traumatized for life.

I had a salad while I was there - walnuts and mandarin slices and something else. Not a total let-down, but not really a $6 salad. But yeah, the coffee was really good.