Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Espresso on Ice Is Not OK, and Other 'Restaurant Policies'

Posted by Erin Zimmer, July 16, 2008 at 6:45 PM

Photograph from Greencolander on Flickr

Just outside Washington D.C. in Arlington, Virginia, local mini-chain Murky Coffee will not serve espressos on ice. “I’m sorry...it’s against our policy.” According to Murky Coffee, diluting the espresso will compromise the integrity of the coffee, and that's "not cool," as one barista told an agitated customer.

"Touching a waitress’s chest is not okay. Pouring the coffee onto the floor instead of the cup is not okay." But according to blogger Jeff Simmermon behind And I Am Not Lying, requesting ice should be okay. Once the skirmish reached popular blogs, Murky Coffee owner Nick Cho responded, arguing for the "craft of coffee." While Starbucks or another corporate coffee chain might serve the ice without flinching, he doesn't want Murky Coffee's top-notch beans to taste like a "ghetto latte."

Who are these mythical coffee gods we must please? Should customer satisfaction always win? Or did Simmermon cross the line when he left this passive-aggressive note on a dollar in the Murky Coffee tip jar? The coffee debacle recalls a classic moment in Five Easy Pieces, the 1970 film where Jack Nicholson reminds his waitress, "you've got bread, and a toaster of some kind, right?" So why can't you make some darn toast? Nicholson probably wouldn't settle for ice-less espressos either.

31 Comments | Tagged: Arlington, coffee, espresso, rules, Virginia

White Chocolate and Cinnamon Babka?

Posted by Erin Zimmer, August 24, 2007 at 12:15 PM

And it has streusel crumbles on top? Hm, Zabar's doesn't have that one in stock now—or ever. But D.C.–based online bakery ShoeBox Oven does. Since pickin's are slim in the District, babka-wise, ShoeBox wants to become the missing Babka Buff. Sure, the Jewish delis out in the Maryland suburbs sell a good standard loaf, but within city limits, selection is limited to Dean and Deluca's one location.

Krishna Brown—the aproned, and more oftentimes overalled, lady behind ShoeBox—has been experimenting with recipes lately. At first, people told her babka and danish doughs were interchangeable. But Brown flat-out disagrees. "That's like comparing cat and man," she says. "They may have the same blood, brain and skin, but are completely individual creations."

Brown has a butter totem pole all sketched out, and babka dough sits at the bottom, underneath danish, croissant, and cream puff doughs (all way more buttery). After some fiddling, she's settled on a recipe she likes. Maggie Glazer's Lithuanian Yeasted Coffee Cake" recipe from the Blessing of Bread Jewish cookbook, but the coffee cake nomenclature is a bit of a turn-off for Brown.

Continue reading »

5 Comments | Tagged: Arlington, babkas, bakeries, ShoeBox Oven, Virginia, Washington D.C.