Saturday, November 28, 2009

Top Pot Doughnuts on 5th


So this place is kitty corner from my apartment building and sometimes I can smell the doughnuts calling my name. I tend to go here on Saturday mornings or early afternoons. It seems always to have tourists in it and in the mornings massive lines. I feel like I'm in new york with the line waits. Anyways, it's a nice generic coffee-doughnut shop, and they are good at making doughnuts. It is a local chain after all. But it has no soul, which might have to do with the adult contemporary music and so many families around me. Also this is not the original Top Pot Doughnuts. The original is in North Capitol Hill. In fact that one was two blocks away from my old apartment, but alas I never went. I'm not wild about doughnuts, rarely do I have a jonesing for one, but I do appreciate a good one. I've stuck with the chocolate varieties, the chocolate old-fashioned and the chocolate bar. Delicious! Also I was impressed that when I asked for a dry cappuccino during the big morning rush, the baristo made it bone dry, impressed but it wasn't my favorite, I want more co-mingling of the espresso with the foam. Anyway it is a nice standby, good family place, but hip and indie it does not feel, also a fair amount of good outlet tables.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

First Stop in Cincinnati, Roh's


So I decided to visit my good friend, Ryan, who lives in the great city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Many people asked why go there to the Midwest. Why? Because I can and it was cheap and I like my friend Ryan. And it turns out Cincinnati is a pretty sweet city. Reminiscent of Seattle at times, but with better jazz and chili. Anyway since Ryan knows how much I love coffee shops, he took me to Roh's Street Cafe, near University of Cincinnati's campus. First of all we went there at about 11pm and not many people were there as it was a school night. But I love a coffee shop that is open late at night, especially due to my predilection of starting things way later than I should. Roh's space is nice and open with couches to sit and chat on as well as tables to work at, a good place to catch up with an old friend as well as meet new ones. As we came into the joint, there were a couple of musicians playing a set, one was playing a mandolin, nice and low key environment. The baristos there it must be said here are fantastic. I was blown away by their coffee knowledge, of bean varieties and different roasters in Seattle as well Cincy. I just had to keep nodding my head as if I knew, since I must of since I'm from Seattle and a barista. It made me excited again to learn more about coffee and do more coffee tastings. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I ordered a cappuccino and Ryan had a grasshopper mocha, which I had not heard of, both were delicious. The cappuccino was not the best I've ever had, but maybe top 10. If I lived here, this would definitely be a mainstay for me. Oh traveling and cool coffee shops, how I love thee.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Beginning at Bedlam


So I've been thinking it over for awhile now. I've read many blogs recently especially on personal finance but also just on life post college. They say things about following passions and working and doing something you love. So that is what I'm trying to figure out. I like learning about personal finance cause I've always been straddling the line between frugal and cheap. And I love tips and top 10 lists. Also the other thing that is central to my life is coffee or more specifically coffee shops. In Seattle, you can't through a rock without hitting a coffee shop. We are home to Starbucks, which I love especially when I'm traveling it reminds me of home wherever I happen to be. Also full disclosure, I work as a barista for Starbucks as well. So although I wouldn't call myself a coffee connoisseur, or at least just yet, but I am one when it comes to coffee shops. Also there isn't one supreme one, but there many ones good for different reason. I will go further into this at a later date.

But now I'd like to tell you about where I am currently blogging from, which is Bedlam in Belltown. It feels like the living room of a big college house I used to live in. It's a good place for a conversation with a close friend as well as meeting with classmates to work on a project. The baristos (male baristas) are super nice. I ordered a cappuccino which had very dense quality foam although when I first saw it I thought it might not be the greatest due to the foam and espresso being cooperated into each otherfully like a Vivace cappucino. Nevertheless, plesently suprised by the loveliness of the foam. It has KEXP, a local radio station that plays lovely indie music of the Seattle persuasion, playing. Bedlam seems like what I imagine a neighborhood coffee shop should be, a meeting place yet a place you can also be by yourself, a true Seattle coffeeshop, where we are friendly but in moderation. I also enjoy the bike hanging from the ceiling. It might also be a good place for people watching as it is in Belltown and across the street from good bars, but I do enjoy Stumptown in Capitol Hill for that.

So my hope and plan is to write a post a week on a coffee shop and one on an aspect of personal finance that I'm learning.

(Photo courtesy of Bedlam's facebook page)