Don't go Brekka-in' my Heart

Brekka Bakery on Fraser is the other coffee shop in my scope of view that has been under consideration. Breka Bakery looks like a place that is so close to having it right for a cafe. They are close but for some reason it still has not hit home for me. They do serve espresso - I mean really, what self respecting European bakery claiming to be a cafe wouldn't? - but again they are using Lavazza style beans which is very European, but I still find to have too much of a burnt smokey flavour for my preferences. The baked goods are wide in selection, but truly when I have one, I always expect it to be better. I see these creamy desserts that could balance the smokey coffee taste and then I pop the baked good in my mouth and...It's baked but really not that good. I must give it credit for the breads that they create. They do produce some tasty breads that look good and come in a variety of densities and flavours which they will thin or thick slice for you on the spot. Perhaps they should just stick to Brekk-in' bread with friends.

Out of 5 slices of European style baked bread

Scene: 3 When you look around the options you have on Fraser - Starschmucks not withstanding -it is slim pickin's. This place actually has some decent seats and there is a variety of people who go there from families, hipsters, locals and students. Perhaps it is developing a bit of a following after it renovated a couple of years ago. Who knows? Maybe they will evolve into the neighbourhood establishment where people will actually head to as a destination. Ahh, who am I kidding?

Grub: 3 Mostly because of the bread. The place does serve the odd counter dish like Mac and Cheese for kids but it really is a bakery, everything from cakes, tarts, buns and breads. All of them baked. You judge which ones are good.

Coffee: 3 It's okay. I would almost say 2 but I know there are those people who love the flavour of Lavazza and the coffee is not necessarily utilitarian. If you are looking for a place to sit, have a coffee or read the paper, see the odd neighbour and maybe have a brownie, this could be your place.

Euro Breads, Bakery and Cafe

This is one of two cafés on Fraser that one can go to for an espresso that I know of. It is around Fraser and 27th Avenue and could be easily missed if you were not looking for it. The cafe is a decent size but appears small because there really is not too much to it. It has a few chairs and tables inside and out, but for the most part the cafe saves its room for the stand up glass door fridges and display cases. The people in there are friendly but are not really interested in having you stay, nor go. They are there to bake the goods and maybe serve some coffee. I would say out of the three things that they claim to be, they are definitely a bread place. They have an entire corner dedicated to breads they make which area combination of wheats, seeds, gluten and gluten free breads. They also have a Georgian flat bread that is worth noting. I have to say that one of the things I do like having when I go there is their Borscht. It is hot with a dollop of yogurt, and served with a piece of flat bread. Yum! The rest of the baked goods are okay by my standards (actual baked goods not including cakes) but I couldn't say that there was anything other than the breads that stand out in my mind. Kind of the same way the store front blends in with the rest of the neighbourhood.

Out of 5 European Slices of flax seed gluten fee bread
Scene: 2 pleasant enough and not disruptive. The people are very unobtrusive mostly because they don't really care if you are there or not. The people who go are usually locals or the odd person who happened to be on Fraser and found themselves needing a coffee. It's actually not a bad place to go and quietly escape to read a book or do a crossword.

Grub: 3 There are good select items, but for the most part the baked goods are inoffensive, and you know that they make it one the premises. I only sometimes wonder about the freshness and turnover, since the place doesn't always seem very busy.

Coffee: 3 I'm not crazy about the grounds. I think they use the Lavazza or something similar. The beans always taste a little bit over roasted and a bit burnt, but they serve it the way you ask for it. It isn't the fastest service in town either, so don't think you are going to be able to et out of there in under 10 minutes if you think you are just passing through - and that's if you are the ONLY one in the store.

Cafe Hermosa Needs Menos Cosméticos Y Mas Café

Along 7th near the bike path there is a little coffee shop on the corner that would seem like a great little place to stop, get your coffee and be off to where ever it is you are going. In fact I did just that because it was on my way and seemed so convenient. I should have known better. It actually is not as easy as one might think if you were not on you bike or on foot, but that wasn't the problem. I went in hoping for a little perk me up in the afternoon with a little snack thinking that this might be just what the blood sugar ordered. When I ordered my coffee, I thought that it was poorly made. Made close to the specifications, but for the most part tasteless. I also ordered a couple of baked items which they were out of which relegated me to a muffin. I thought, "Muffins aren't a bad thing-" unless of course you are going to be slapped for twoonie and handed over a Costco Blueberry Muffin. Hello!? How could a cafe with all of the packaging of somewhere that had their act together get the important stuff so wrong? I don't know if I want to risk having to go back to see if they got it right. Maybe in time I can go back and try to see if they can make it up to me but for now I wll travel that extra block and a half to Main street and go to Gene, where they got the coffee to taste good and look pretty.

Out of the five cups of starch found in a single Costco Muffin
Scene: 1 No one was in there at the time which should have said something to me in the first place. Secondly the person who was working there looked as though she didn't even want to be there.

Grub: 1 No selection. No more with the Costco muffins.

Coffee: 1 It wasn't good. It just wasn't good.

Turks West

I happened to be walking along 8th Avenue when I realised that Turks from the drive had opened a Turks on the West Side. The Co-Hosts decided to try it on for size and I have to say it was a nice fit. The cafe could easily be missed from the street as it is tucked in from the sidewalk and on a second floor. However, when you walk in you realise that you have stumbled upon a great little cafe that has floor to ceiling windows that look on to a nice little deck over looking the park, mountian views and a nice little section of the city. The place is quite cozy with its wall sofa style seating and its little tables. Strangely the majority of the people we saw in there were men who either work in the area or are just passing through to get their caffeine fix. You can get your little baked goods from the cafe but nothing more. They sell their classy coffee travel mugs and bags of Milano beans but for the most part the cafe is just that. A cafe. The purpose is clear. They are there to serve coffee and you are there to drink and enjoy it.

Out of 5 Travel Mugs
Scene 4 - The place actually doesn't feel like there is any kind of "scene" per se, but rather a great unobstructed view of scenery that highlights some of Vancouver's best features. Aside from that the staff seem very friendly and the place is comfrtable enough to talk in and hang out.

Grub 3 - It has your standard baked goods that go well with coffee. You pretty much couldn't go wrong with your choices. They even have yogurt and granola if you really wanted it.

Coffee 4 - It was actually quite yummy and it looked good. I thought the espresso was pulled a bit too long evident by the white crema on top, but for the most part, the barista wanted to make sure that the coffee was made to your liking. They use Milano beans which you can purchase straight from them.

The Edge - Sharp, But Could Be Sharper

I was recently accused of not having a cup of coffee for 5 months. On the contrary, I have been searching out some new coffee shops to explore. One of those coffee shops is the Edge on 8th and Yukon. When you enter it is laid out like a sleeker Bread Garden of old. It has display cases but in the background you can see a grill menu which serves breakfast and lunch in a little seating area to the side. The place has huge front windows and has a deck out front. It also has a little coffee bar stool counter that you can sit at if you are just darting in. I liked the fact that despite the dark modern colours used in the design, the place is relatively bright. I wasn't too crazy about the half service: order at the counter, you take a number and then they bring it out to you. The people are friendly and easy going, but the half service thing makes it feel a little bit like a cafeteria. It is a great place to sit down, read a paper, meet some friends and prepare to do some serious shopping at any of the box stores down the street. This place is a "I need to get a coffee and maybe a bite with my people before we head out" kind of place.

Out of 5 coffee grinding blades

Scene: 3 The locale is kind of funny right now because of all of the construction that is going on, and the box stores nearby. But as my Co-Host pointed out, the Olympic Wa-h-illage will be opening nearby so this place could be getting in early to season the edginess a bit before the games. The ability of bevies on the deck in the summer time could also amp up some scenery points. the staff seem cool but I think the place still needs to step out of a bit of the contemporary minimalist and get some art up on the walls.

Grub: 3 It has decent choices for the food, and what is served is good. The Edge Breakfast is the 2 eggs, choice of meat, hash and toast for $8. Not bad but could be better.

Coffee: 4 When I took my first sip I knew that it had that familiar flavour. I was pleased to find out that the shop served 49th Parallel beans which are my favourites! They even sell them whole bean by the pound.

Sunshine Diner Remains on the Sunny Side

The Sunshine Diner is one of those places that people love when they find it, and it soon becomes a destination spot when one thinks of breakfast or an old fashioned milkshake. The place is set up like a 50’s diner that sticks to the theme of Elvis, Marilyn, Coca Cola and American cars. It has a little patio area, tables and booths where people can meet and eat comfortably. Despite the fact that Sunshine is located in Kits and is frequented by people in the neighbourhood, it does get play from all kinds of folks. Everyone from construction workers to business people will go there. It kind of looks like Sesame Street when they sing the, “These are the people in your Neighbourhood” song.

The food is good, not profoundly terrific, but it is a diner after all. It serves up all the usual breakfast goodies served as a dish or a la carte. You have your picks of Eggs Benedicts, omelets, and assorted breakfast specialties. Our favourite is the 2 BIG Pancakes, if not for the ability to fill but the fact it has a fun name. Mind you, in our minds Bert’ still has the most buttery Pancakes to date. The servers are nice to you even if you loiter as long as they are not too busy.
If you haven’t already tried the Sunshine Diner, then you had better make your way over. Even though they moved into their newer fancier building up the street from their old location, they have still managed to maintain their feel good friendly neighbour appeal.

Scene: 3 – Despite the range of visitors who are there and that if you live in Vancouver, you have to know that this place exists, there really isn’t any good people watching. Ultimately you are in a diner with 50’s décor, which would be great if you were filming a scene from Happy Days. Unfortunately there is no Arthur Fonzerelli to provide that level of cool.
Grub: 3 – The food is diner food. It’s greasy but it’s good. I wouldn’t say that I would go there if I were a vegan or on a Weight Watcher’s – unless of course you were going for the high score.
Coffee: 2 It’s utilitarian with no chance of an espresso – I don’t think. Even if they did, the servers ain’t no baristas. The coffees, however, are bottomless.

Not Much to Roar About at the Lion's Den

The Lion’s Den café can be seen behind the little pie piece median from the intersection of Fraser and Kingsway. It is a little hole in the wall with a big personality. I couldn’t help but be constantly surprised once I stepped through its doorway. At first sight, you cannot help but be accosted by the Jamaican Bob Marleyesque décor which is literally crowned with a taxidermy lion over head. The person behind the counter was, I believe, to be a wildly outspoken Japanese woman who told us that we had to serve ourselves our own coffee, because she could not take care of us all day because she was by herself and she was hung over. As we served ourselves coffee from the eclectic thrift store mugs, we couldn’t help but notice that the menu was a fusion of your diner breakfast, Jamaican dishes nicely rounded out by your option of Japanese delights. We opted for the standard eggs, hash and bacon (which we were promptly told that there may be too many of us in the café and that there may not be enough bacon for everybody!) to set at least a baseline for food. To our surprise when we looked past the dumbwaiter window, we couldn’t help but notice that the kitchen was a kitchen one might find in a rental suite with about the same quality utensils. While we waited, we noticed a steady flow of people until the second staff member arrived. The actual breakfast was a decent enough home style breakfast and the wait wasn’t nearly as long as expected. It actually appeared that the place, despite it quirks, had a steady routine of abuse customers, take their orders and give them enough service that they might come back. Would I come back? Would I be a regular? Not on your life. But it’s kind of like after being hit in dodgeball. You are briefly stunned when it happened, you realize it was fun while it lasted, but everyone’s gotta have a turn.

Out of 5 Jamaican Lion Roars Mon

Grub 2: The food we had was alright but I have to say that everything else looked pretty sketchy and peering into the kitchen didn’t instill any sense of reassurance.
Scene 3: It was kind of interesting who went in there. There were workers, a couple of people who appeared to be tourists, and a few other random folks who were in and out. Strangely t seemed like it was mostly men in there. I doubt you would see any Kits types in there.
Coffee 1: The coffee was terrible. I think they had an espresso machine in there. In fact I am pretty sure it was a Saeco Barrista from Starbucks that looked like an alley cat after a night out with the Feline Fight Club.
Note: If you every have a hankering to play two person head to head table top Pac Man from the early 80’s, this place uses one of those exact machines as their tables by the windows.

One of the farthest coffees the show has tasted.

We have a special over land and seas correspondent, Anna Williamnova, in Moscow who is giving us a feed, or shall I say a slurp, into the Russian coffee scene. This is our first international review, but certainly not the show’s last. Na zdorovia!

1792, Moscow
This corner restaurant/coffee shop is named after some historical event, which might have something to do with a German poet or the French revolution. The décor is simple with dark wood tables and some comfy chairs at lower tables. The coffee is also simple, you have a choice of espresso or Americano only. No cappuccino. No latte. However, coffee is included with all of the very tasty breakfasts, ranging from blini with sweet or savory fillings, omelets, and steak and eggs.

Grub: 5 revolutionists. Tasty, not too filling, and lovely looking, especially the ricotta griddle cakes (pictured).
Coffee: 4 German poets. Espresso shots have a creamy foam on top and are very smooth. If you ask for milk with your Americano, you'll get a small personal pitcher of hot milk.
Scene: 2-3 historical events. You can sit forever, but like almost everywhere in Moscow it's smoky. The music ranges wildly from techno, to Nina Simone, to Phil Collins. Sometimes perfect, sometimes grating.

Metro: Sportinaya

Mazel Tov on the Matzah

If you’re feeling a little fress and are searching for a place to fill the void, head out to Solly’s. I can’t say that I have ever thought, “Hey let’s go there for a breakfast show.” It’s more like, “Do you want to go for a soup and sandwich and pick up a babka and a half a dozen bagels for tea later?”

Solly’s offers a scrumptious soup and sandwich offer, and for a little bit more they add a beautifully tart kosher pickle. Solly’s also offers a comforting bowl of matzah ball soup that sooths even the most restless of tummies. For dessert there are a variety of sweet baked goods. I prefer the mini babkas and the cinnamon buns. As for the coffee, they use Seattle’s best. It is all set up as a self serve utility station. You have to pay for refills but if you are there more for the baked goods and need to have that second cup, I guess you’ll just have to ante up. The shop seats about a dozen people inside and about as many outside, but the place always seems to have a line of some kind - people running in to pick up their favourite goodies, and then running back out before they are busted for their illegal parking job in the neighbourhood. One other note of interest is the shop’s support of youth art. Children are able to display a small number of pieces in the shop and people can comment on the work. The kids can even have a little art opening where they can invite family and friends to their art opening.

Out of 5 Matzah Balls floating in chicken broth
Grub: 5 - Yum! The food is delicious. You only need to be there early enough so your favourite treats do not run out.

Scene: 3 – Everyone in the ‘hood knows Solly’s. It’s an establishment. It has its stream of regulars. The people watching is fine, but you do have to wait a little while to get a decent seat.

Coffee: 2 – Seattle’s Best is okay coffee, but let’s face it. It’s utilitarian. It’s self serve. And you have to pay for refills. Not high on my list for going for a coffee. Lunch, yes. Coffee, not so much.

La Petite Patisserie Francaise Avec Saveur

This little Café along the Arbutus corridor has that little flavour of a French Patisserie where the bakers are French and the flakey pastry melts on your tongue like warm buttery snowflakes. We ordered a couple of coffees and pain au chocolats and sat down to take in the people watching We witnessed several people wander in, who were obviously French, ordering away their daily baked breads and sweets, bien sur en francais. The coffee was a deep dark roast with the right amount of water, but what made this coffee special was the cream. When asked if I wanted cream the lady behind the counter reached into a refrigerator and poured out a dollop of cream into a small creamer. As I poured the cream into my coffee, the cream was slow and smooth and swirled in my coffee like a white mist creeping through a midnight sky. I dipped my finger into the creamer and a tasted a buttery goodness that made me wonder why anyone would have ever imagined of making margarine. The coffee was good, but the cream made it better.

Out of 5 Dollops of Cream

Scene: 3 – It is a location that is made for the locals which does make it a little bit more difficult to visit if you are driving to it. The décor is plain and the seating is not that conducive to lounging for very long, and the people watching is sporadic and brief, but the French language does give a slight feeling of pretending you are in a foreign country.
Grub: 4 – Everything looked tasty and tasted even better. Everything is a little bit pricey for a bakery but I suppose that is the price of having everything made by a Boulanger Francais.

Coffee: 4 – It was the cream that made it. Need I say more.

Great View. Shame About the Coffee

They say that every cloud has a silver lining and the windstorms of 2006 that eliminated a large portion of the trees around prospect point made way for a 270 degree view over looking Burrard Inlet. Absolutely beautiful. The point that you used to have to wheedle your way through the crowds in order to take in the view has just been expanded into a glorious place to sit and enjoy a coffee. It’s just too bad that the real devastation that has taken place is the fact that you can’t get a decent cup of coffee up there. The coffee that we found came from the bar associated to the Prospect Point Café restaurant in the little tourist complex. The coffee came from one of those machines one might find at a self serve gas station. The coffees are tailored for someone who doesn’t know what coffee is and wants to drink something that is bland enough not to offend, but can say that they had “a coffee”. The restaurant inside seemed to have a pleasant décor with smatterings of wrought iron, vintage stain glass windows a whole whack of wood surrounded with eye candy views. The food was a bit pricey but listed something that could satisfy almost any tourists. It’s just a shame about the coffee.
Out of 5 blown down trees

Grub: 2 – The baked goods sold at the counter were pretty borderline. They had your packaged chips and cookies and the actual “baked goods” were probably a couple of days old from a wanna-be Bread Garden.
Scene: 5 – Great for people watching and when you get tired of that you can take a look at the view from a top of the cliff point. If you get tired o that you can walk away and make your way down to the Seawall. Just be prepared to walk, and either pay for parking or park outside of Stanley Park.
Coffee: 1 – Do your self a favour and don’t drink the coffee. It’s an experience you can’t give back. There might actually be another place up there that is a little independent. Just make sure you stay away from the auto coffee machines.

Polly Wants A Coffee

The Blue Parrot on Granville Island offers a wide selection of sandwich bar items to have with your coffee. It probably has some of the best spaces to sit and enjoy the views on Granville Island, however, there are very few spaces ever available. If you are lucky enough to find seating and have the time to wait for your order, then you can sit down to some mediocre sandwiches (taking into consideration the fact that you are on Granville Island and have the choice of many different foods) and some coffees that you were misled to believe that you custom ordered. Despite the coffee, food and service, there is no denying that they have some prime real estate in that little locale. You almost forget about what you are putting in your mouth and become fixed on the people watching.

Out of 5 Parrot Feathers

Scene: 4 – How can one argue that when you have kick ass seating on a beautiful day on GI, with people streaming around you that you are in a bad place. The seating is old school wood chairs, some of which are those 70’s captain chairs that so many of us had growing up. The only problem is that because there are so many people who are looking for seating, one cannot help but feel that you cannot linger for long. The people are hit and miss. Mostly tourists, but it just means that the scenery is always changing.

Grub: 3 – The food is actually pretty good, but it does pale in comparison to everything in the market that you almost have to pass in order to get to the Blue Parrot. The fare is nothing out of the ordinary but there really isn’t anything that you can turn your nose from.

Coffee: 3 – Not quite utilitarian, because it does offer espresso. The people behind the counter probably have the best of intentions when they make your coffee, but they slump miserably in the delivery. Everything seems to be served in a pint sized mugs with either too much water, too much milk or both – despite your requests. However, although I have not tried it myself, I have been told by several people to try their hot chocolate. Some advice I think I will take up the next time I’m in the Blue Parrot’s cage.

The McDeal on the McCoffee

When I kept hearing strange murmurs about McDonald's having great coffee, I had to try it myself. It seems as though Mickey D's has taken a page out of Timmy Ho's by asking what you want in your coffee before you receive it so they can given you a false sense of having a custom made coffee. I took cream with no sugar and waited for my little morning liquid supplement to arrive. When I first tried it, the thought of McDonald's "Too Hot Coffee Scandal" ran through my mind. "Will I burn my tongue immediately and be unable to taste the coffee or will I hate it right off the bat?" I have to say my pessimistic views tainted my perspective before The coffee hit my lips. I peeled back the lid and took my first few slurps.

At first I thought the coffee was too hot and too bitter, but as I started slurping down a little bit more my opinions started to change. Perhaps it was some caffeine kicking in, or maybe the cream was finally mixing in with some of the coffee, or I secretly really wanted to like the coffee. Whatever it was I found myself enjoying the little cup of joe. The taste mellowed out and the little cup of coffee that could did it for me.

I actually picked the coffee up in a Bacon and Egg McMuffin with a hash brown for about 5 bucks. The McDonald's on Main near terminal is sketchy at best but serves your McFare the way you McExpect it.

Out of 5 McStars

Scene: 1 - Stay out of there if you can. There is a swanky McDonald's higher up Main around 30th, but the McD's on Main and Terminal is a semi convenient locale for commuters and a great place to go if you have collected enough cans and bottles to buy a McMeal.

Grub: 2 - Okay. It is a bit of a guilty pleasure but I know the food is not good for me which is why I can only rank it as a 2 at its McBest.

Coffee: 2 - Utilitarian. But, as far as brewed utilitarian coffee went, this wasn't bad. In fact it was better than the utilitarian swill I have at work which makes it a really high two. However, let's face it, a 3 means it has to be as good as a mediocre Americano. So until the McAmericano comes along this McRating stays.

True Confessions of True Confections

Cake and Pie. What more is there? Why would there have to be? True Confections offers a smorgasbord of mile high cakes and deep dish pies. There are the odd assortment of other desserts but I don't really know why they bother. I have to say that I am a pie person. A Chocolate Banana Cream pie to be precise. The layered creamy goodness over a layer of bananas topped with chocolate shavings. Yumness on a plate. The cakes and pies can eat like a meal so if you decide that your are going to visit the join on Broadway and Alma or their downtown location, make sure you eat light dinner. Something to note with the Alma locale is to bring a sweater in the event that you sit near the windows as it can be quite cool in there. It's pretty hit and miss with how busy it is in there. It can be filled with anyone from university students to a little family outing. The place is plainly set up with the display case as the main focus of decoration.

Out of 5 Layers of Cake

Scene: 2 - I have to say that I never really go there for the atmosphere or to even people watch. It's great for the catch up time with a friend, or just to eat a slab of pie.

Grub: 5 - When it comes to this kind of food, there are few dessert places that offer this kind of quality and variety. It has found its niche.

Coffee: 3 It serves up all the regular coffee types, but don't really make it to order. Their coffee is too watery, the milk seems scalded and they charge for refills. In other words stick to serving the cakes and pies. They do however, serve a nice variety of teas, and they can't go wrong with boiling water.

Salt and Pepper Needs More Spice

From the outside it looks like a part of the Best Western Hotel Restaurant, and for the most part, it is. The inside has that “family restaurant” feel but with less style. It is pretty sterile inside and the front deck faces Kingsway. I thought that I might be able to sit there a while, pick up a wireless signal and do a bit of work. However, not only is the décor not something to look at, but the furniture physically doesn’t allow you to sit there for long. I sat on the bench near the front door and I have sat in church pews that were more inviting.

The food was actually pretty good. It was your $6.50 breakfast with 2 eggs, bacon (3 strips) or ham, pancakes or toast and hash browns with a cup of coffee. The coffee was utilitarian, but the bacon crispy and the eggs made to order. The service was also commendable. The lone waitress appeared to run a tight ship. The food arrived promptly, the coffee refilled quickly and the service unobtrusive. If you are in a hurry and want to stop in for a quick breakfast to get you going this is definitely the spot. It is definitely better than a drive though, but not quite a sit down and stay a while.

Out of 5 Dashes of Salt

Scene: 1 – Some locals- and I don’t mean Main street hipsters – perhaps a hotel guest maybe two and aside from that dead zone. Next door there is a little pub type of area but I can’t imagine it being much of a place to hang out. I overheard a couple of people trying to figure out why the place doesn’t draw in a lunch or dinner crowd in spite of the menu options. Anybody could look around and see that this place some character, and I don’t mean the kind you will find in Best Western chains across North America.
Grub: 3 – Pretty good breakfast stuff for a fair price - shame about the locale. The portions are modest but what they lack in quantities, they make up in service.
Coffee: 2 – Utilitarian. I have to say it is actually closer to a one because it was a little bit watered down.

Sorry, it must have been another Barney I know.

Deja vu? And I'm not just talking about seeing a second Bean Around the World on Main street just off Broadway. I'm talking about the fact that BATW is right next to Cafe Barney just like the BATW location on South Granville. The two joints took over the restaurant and cafe formerly known as Monsoon and Soma (Soma has a new location which opened fall '07 in the old vegan bistro formerly known as Hatch).

Cafe Barney has a clean décor like a Pier 1 showroom. It's seemingly more spacious and airy than its predecessor. The staff seem like it is going for hiring the Main street kind of gals and it is serving up a lot of the same fare that it has at its Granville location. To be honest, although the restaurant has history on the Granville strip, I wasn't all that impressed with this Cafe B. In the huevos rancheros I had,it claimed that it had fresh salsa but it was jarred salsa with some tomatoes cut up and added in, and my co-host seemed to be a little bit overwhelmed by the amount of sausage in her omlette. I know that I am treading in areas that I don't normally go but I have to say that my first impression of Cafe Barney was a little bit disappointing.

Will I go back again? Of course I will. The food was not so bad that I was repulsed into never returning. I just won't get the huevos rancheros again. The place has just opened in the past couple of months so they must have a few kinks to work out just like any other joint.

As for the coffee? I didn't actually have any. It looked just like any other utilitarian coffee I've ever had, even at Barney's on Granville. I'll just have to come back and have a second look at the cafe I thought I recognized.

Out of 5 soft poached huevos

Scene: 3 Very nice people. Our server was accommodating and attentive. As far as the rest of the staff? After working in restaurants when I was younger, I was always told having conversations about your social life out amongst customers while doing prep work was tacky. I can now see why.
As for the clientel, the people in there seemed mostly like the people who I mentioned who would search for this kind of food. Maybe they were people from South Granville who were playing tourist in the SOMA area.

Grub: 2 Like I said it wasn't repulsive. The menu had some variation but pretty straight up like a Pier 1 showroom. If you are looking for your up front no surprises, non vegan, non obscure vegetable prepared on a regular stove, then this place would be great.

Coffee: TBA – I'm going to assume it's utilitarian. I doubt that I will go with an americano the next time I go there even though it is probably offered on the menu. If I feel like an americano, I would rather walk the extra ten meters and go to BATW next door.

Gene, Gene the Coffee Machine

Gene is one of the latest little coffee shops to open on Main... or is it Kingsway? It can be found on that little pie wedge of a block that points north and overlooks downtown framed by Main and Kingsway. It is actually the ideal little location for those who are waiting for that #8 Fraser bus or for those who have just made their latest purchase from Pulp Fiction a few doors up.

The folks we saw in this place were young hipsters sipping their straight espresso shots and working on their Macs. They went well with the decor of 180 degree view through the super tall windows, the minimalist industrial feel of the pipe fixtures and the institutional furniture - and by that I mean the chairs and stools that can be found in any elementary school. All of the accessories had very clean lines (I actually really like their saucers with the off center cup well). It appears to still be a work in progress, but it is shaping up to be a very cool place. We are hoping that they will be able to get a permit for the steel tables and chairs outside to create that Euro feel.

The Americano I had was smooth (there was a potential danger of the barrista adding too much water which was quickly averted) with a little bit more of a bitter taste than what I usually go for, but very good nonetheless. I don't know where they get their baked goods from but the 'power muffin' that I had was filling and tasty filled with a variety of nuts, dates and chocolate. I am sure that there will be more food items on the menu once th place has finished up a bit more and got its feet wet. Maybe they should star getting baked goods from the people at Re-Entry? Hmm?

Note: I had to laugh as we left the cafe. If you remember to go out the Main Street exit, check out the little handle sign. It has a clipped out picture of Sean Penn with the caption "Don't push me!"


Out of 5 Sean Penn Punches

Scene: 4 - It has great potential to be a very happening place and not just because a community center is opening across the street from it. The views are spectacular, the people are almost too hip but the place is still shaping up.

Grub: 3 - There really wasn't a whole lot to offer but what we had was great. Hopefully, as I mentioned before, the place is still in the midst of getting its act in order.

Coffee: 4 - The coffee was great. However, indicate how much water they put in the americano if you are particular. The coffee was a little bit too cool when it was served which can kill the coffee if you're not careful. Otherwise I would definitely go back again. In fact I know I will when they get a little bit get a bit more grounded.

Coffee@home with the Saeco Barrista from Starbucks

Over the Christmas I was given two huge bags of coffee from an Ultimate Frisbee team that I mentor appropriately named the Icecaps. I have been using these beans for the past two months making my own espresso on a Saeco Barrista or Rio Profi - yes, the espresso machine found on the shelves of every local Starschmucks. I have been experimenting with the long and short espresso, the milk steamer, the facility of machine use and, naturally, the beans.

Overall the machine has been consistent in pressure and ease operation. The downsides to the machine are the cheap accessories: the wimpy little coffee scoop, the absence of a tamper, the wimpy drip tray and this faux drawer that they think you will store stuff in. If you can accept the cheap periferrals because you will are planning to buy more quality accessories from Starschmucks, then you'll be fine. I actually take the whole tray set out to make room for a proper cup when pressing the espresso to minimize the loss of any crema. It means that my coffee won't necessarily look pretty, but the taste is preserved.

The mlk frother is adequate but the steam pressure doesn't always keep its strength for very long. If you don't clear the steamer well in the beginning, you may fill your milk with an extra shot of water that will dilute the flavour in your drink. I actually picked up the 'cheating' trick from my wife who throws the milk in the microwave to help warm up the milk (she likes her coffee hot) to alow the frother to froth and not just to warm the milk up. The draw back is the little milk skin that forms with higher fat content milk and that ever precarious point of scalding the milk. When frothing, choose a container that allows for the milk to swirl around to avoid splashing, and start the frother deep for even heating. If you are trying to froth the milk slowly pull the conatiner lower until you hear that sound created when you are hocking a loogey while clenching your teeth - an unappetising description but an accurate one.

When dealing with the pressure when pressing the espresso, the machine is able to draw out decent flavour. You just can't over pack the grounds in the filter holder, nor can the grounds be ultra fine. Either one can throw off the water pressure leaving you with lifeless watery espresso with no crema and a mediochre taste, not to mention 10 minutes of your life you will not get back. When the pressure is turned on and the water is making its way through the grounds, a smooth darth caramel coloured stream should flow steadily in two thin lines. The trick is to pay attention to when the colour starts to fade which indicates when to shut off the water pressure. You can try to milk the crema but the flavour starts to deteriorate when the crema turns from caramel to a vanilla white. The white just means that you are pulling water through dead grounds. Unlike higher end models of Saeco Machines, this one leaves it up to the "barrista" to measure the length and the quality of the pull.

I guess my overall impression of this machine is a good one. People love to come over and have a coffee and talk about the minutia of the espresso machine.

Out of 5 Starschmuck accessories
Quality of Machine: 4 People I have spoken to who have this machine swear by it. It's a good one. You pay a bit more but if you make coffee from it consistently it wil pay itself back quickly. I've had mine for over a couple of years and it remains as good as when I got it. Watch the handle on the filter. If you try to tap out the grounds after pressing your espresso, the handle may come loose. You can't really do that big banging thing they do it cafe's. This is afterall the "home model".
User Friendliness: 3 It is easy to use but you have to do some experimentation to get good quality coffee out of it. Once you know how you like the espresso, the more likely you will be able to make better customed coffees for you and your loved ones. If people don't really pay attention, but they think they know what they are doing, you just get watered down espresso that doesn't really qualify as an espresso drink.
Overall design and look: 3 Like I said, the little drawer is cheesy, the accessories are lame, and the water resevoir is a little bit awkward to fill. The look is nice because you can get it in different colours, mine is black which is neutral enough to go with most decors.
Overall satisfaction: 4 Despite the quirks in the design the machine is decent. Good quality pressure is what you should care about, and getting to know the machine is half the battle. Although the machine is not prefect I love that little kitchen appliance just the same.