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Formerly Café Powell, a café inside the modern Powell Hotel, Segafredo Zanetti replaced this location with just a window counter in October 2004. By later in 2005, it was a standalone, full-fledge café resident inside the hotel once again. (Later still, it shared what little space it has as a San Francisco Soup Company.) When Café Powell vacated the premises, they apparently took the tables and chairs with them - leaving only two small wooden tables. They once had a barista who rightfully complained about the over-extraction from the espresso machine (and he was happy that I didn't want it overextracted), but they must have since fired him in favor of employees with lower standards. (He used to re-pour an espresso that didn't quite meet his standards - obviously grounds for dismissal.) At my last visit, this location achieved espresso incompetence nirvana: the portafilter handles were left cool in the drip tray, and the management even got rid of their Segafredo-logo ACF cups for the exclusive distribution of paper cups. One thing that remains consistent is the terrible machine: the two-group Astra has always had temperature problems - serving espresso a little on the cool side of the temperature scale or, as I discovered more recently, scorching the crema on the surface. The crema isn't as pale as it used to be, but now it's a thin layer of medium and burnt brown with a hole in the center. And instead of a creamy smoothness to the taste, it now has a watery mouthfeel and tastes of diluted, bitter tobacco - you can no longer taste the typical Segafredo spice and woodiness. This is how brand names are destroyed. [CLOSED: Replaced by yet another Café Bellini in 2008.]
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