|
This restaurant sister to the Tartine Bakery & Café opened in 2005. It has moved once and gone through several head chefs since then. It's a long space with an open kitchen and scattered lighting. They inherited the classic two-group Faema E61 machine from the bakery (which they replaced with a higher-output La Marzocco). But instead of Mr. Espresso here, they first used Blue Bottle Coffee. When Four Barrel, just a block north, started roasting operations, they switched again. They pull shots fairly high in classic brown Nuova Point cups with a medium brown, even crema that has a hint of congealed body to it. It has a straightforward herbal pungency characteristic of the evolving Friendo Blendo blend. While they once were one of the worst examples of Blue Bottle Coffee in the city, the switch to Four Barrel coincided with an improvement to a more balanced, legitimate cup.
|