|
An espresso review for a restaurant where the cheapest item on the dinner menu is $210 may seem a bit irrelevant, but it is important for what it represents: a gold standard for food and wine. The question: given such immense expectations, how do they deliver on their espresso?
Two floors of dining in a stone house. The wait staff are serious, professional, and rather stiff. Chef Thomas Keller is a longtime fan of Equator coffee, but the superautomatic Schaerer was a bit of a surprise; the staff seem blissfully ignorant of what it takes to make a decent espresso. They serve espresso with a somewhat frothy medium brown crema that's not very thick, but it coats the cup well. It has a decent body and a more interesting and complex flavor than drip coffee. But otherwise, its modest flavor of mild spice and some herbal pungency does not distinguish it much. There isn't a robust aroma, a bold depth of flavor, or even a delicate sweetness to the cup that I would expect from a restaurant of its caliber.
I expect more than the same coffee service you can get with a $9 turkey club from Sellers Markets.
|