Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I am eating a Pret cookie right now and it is good but needs some more salt. I think the success of this cookie resides on the fact it is in a heated case (though that doesn't explain that it is still good when it cools down after being brought to the SE office). CURSES! What have they done to this cooooooooooookie to make it good. And this thing is 300 calories too. I wish they hadn't told me.

There used to be a Hinck's in Ocean Township (Monmouth County) where I grew up, we would get our Thanksgiving turkey from them every year. Now we've probably resorted to Wegmans (less than a quarter mile down the road).

Though I am sad you won't be in Jersey City, I will DEFINITELY be there opening night.

@buddha ... My companion had her first ever Vietnamese experience that day. Clearly so glad I took her--and that we found this place, because everything was amazing. The spring rolls were so fresh, and the folks sitting at the table with us (2 people) had 4 orders worth! I've converted her. :) Next time, dessert.

@ravenouscouple .. I like how the filter almost acts like a cross between a pour over filter and a French press, with both the drip and the length of time it takes to drip from the filter... must be why the coffee is so potent!

my own roasted sweet potatoes. with chile powder and a shit ton of other spices. SO GOOD.

I also cannot resist an extra hot cortado from Joe the Art of Coffee. Or a chocolate chip cookie from City Bakery dipped in their own hot chocolate.

Gorgeous, Nick, as usual.

@Derekh - how have I never been to Bonbonniere!?! wow.

My first experience with coffee was generally the same. Though I inched into the real stuff from International Selects. And Dunkaccinos at Dunkin Donuts. And the 7-11 "French Vanilla." Until one day, probably my first year in college, when all of a sudden, it just tasted right.

We loved Denny's in Jersey too. I was always a little afraid as to what was actually in the coffee though. But it never hurt to throw a little syrup in there from the pancakes..

@gargupie @rstank: I knew you Queens folk would chime in... I have spent only about two hours in Queens in my life, and half of that at LaGuardia Airport... so I'm glad now I have some reasons to go out there. Makes sense, since most of the diners we're talking about are Greek (or Turkish) owned. Thanks!

@alastor: I agree about usually ordering the same thing, but do you ever find it varies though, depending on the time of day? while I usually am a breakfast person and eat something like a broccoli and cheese omelette, if I'm there for a weekday lunch, I'll probably eat chicken souvlaki. which still pairs excellently with diner coffee, I might add.

I find that certification means absolutely nothing these days, given there are much more direct trade relationships going on, which I'd much rather support.. I like knowing there is clear, open communication between coffee farmers and buyers. And this sounds spectacular. No matter what part of the food industry this guy works in, he clearly has passion and wants to bring quality products to his customers! I love it.

FYI you really can make a trip to Jersey City to eat dinner. I dare you. Jersey City is as close to Manhattan as Brooklyn. This truck is exactly ONE stop on the PATH train from Manhattan. [I just didn't go tonight because I already had leftovers at home.]

You should try putting it in the oven for longer to see if anything good happens to it at a high temperature. The flatbread part looks barely cooked. Though, if you do turn the oven up high enough it'll probably just turn to ash, which probably tastes just as good as its current form.

I would never mock anyone in a barista position. In the end we're all working towards a common goal as long as we're taking quality seriously. It's just hard to imagine training that many employees on a manual machine and have the consistency that is craved in coffee shops. I respect Starbucks baristas with all of my coffee being and I don't think any less of them because I work on a La Marzocco and they don't. We just have different methods of training and different business models.