Espresso on Ice Is Not OK, and Other 'Restaurant Policies'
To some espresso is like heroin, a way to fix. Those people should not go to boutique coffee shops, or get pissed when the get called out for disrespecting a person's life's work.
To some espresso is like heroin, a way to fix. Those people should not go to boutique coffee shops, or get pissed when the get called out for disrespecting a person's life's work.
I miss Linzano salsa with a vengeance, a condiment served at almost every restaurant. Linzano is like CR ketchup, but it's mildly spicy and full of flavor. Great on eggs. And sandwiches. And on empanadas.
Stop in a rural town bodega and buy a chocolate covered frozen banana.
Well, there's last week's Minimalist, or another oven method from Alton Brown.
I'd direct you to Bittman, who visits Valencia to experience "true" paella, and we learn that all you need is chicken, rabbit and rice. Watch the included video for great inspiration and technical guidance, then make the paella from things you find tasty.
Big fan of the Breville Ikon blender. It's quiet, powerful, and very cleanable. I've just been very impressed with it.
You could always go to the Chipotle Calorie Calculator to figure out the counts. After measuring my burrito, I freaked out and thought of abandoning Chipotle altogether. Mostly, though, I figure it's good for a once in a while bloating instead of a regular fattening.
Essentially your options are this, a) buy an inexpensive commercial pan and replace it regularly, or b) buy an All-Clad pan for a premium and never replace (it has, after all, a lifetime warranty). I like to buy things once, so I went with All-Clad, and I've been very happy with my decision. The pan just works, and will work forever.
Buying water was never PC, per se, but it was endemic of american fad culture and rampant consumerism. It's bad for the environment not only because of the bottles, but because the weight of the water itself requires trucks to be loaded half-full. Worse still, we're transporting ship-loads of water from one part of the world to another, and generally not from a part of the world with enough water to support itself, or to a part of the world that needs supplemental water sourcing. The water itself is mostly just filtered tap, so it's water you've already paid for in municipal water fees, it's just had the fluoride you paid to have added to it removed.
And no, just because you recycle your bottles doesn't mitigate their effect on the environment. There are no known organisms that break down plastic, so every piece of plastic ever produced is still with us on this earth. Buying more plastic, especially routinely, should be avoided when possible.
According to my food scientist pal, two of these situations are not room temperature. Putting it more clearly, milk is generally safe left out for 4 hours in the range of 40-70 degrees, or for 2 hours at above 70.
Not everyone wants to make a "ghetto latte" - some people just want a stronger iced coffee drink. An americano is, by definition, more diluted than espresso, and that makes for one weak iced drink.
The whole problem could have been avoided if the barista had simply said, "We don't serve espresso over ice here. But how about an iced Americano instead?" (And as the customer found out, he did enjoy an Americano the second go-round -- he just didn't know he could order it the first time.)
This is far better than the provocative "This is against our policy." You can still preserve the integrity of your business while offering good customer service.
One incendiary comment leads to another -- both coffee shop and customer were at fault for passive-aggressive douchebaggery, and for blogging it out of proportion.
I would actually be more likely to frequent a business that sticks to their guns like this. Similarly, there is a restaurant in L.A. that does not cut their pizzas, and offers zero substitutions on anything on the menu. There are plenty of places that pander to bullshit requests, and people should go there instead. Would I reject a request for a welldone steak? Depends on how badly I needed the business. If I'm a hopping neighborhood joint and I'm getting the good stuff, Marin Sun Organics or something like that, hell no I'm not going to insult the life of that animal or the farmer by serving it well done. Money is not a substitute for integrity.
@gabbs -- i think you're onto something! that's the only way in which this whole thing makes sense. otherwise it seems irrational from a quality perspective that they would offer an iced americano and not an iced espresso.
"Customers are not entitled to have whatever they want at any time, just because they're customers."
But reasonable accomodation is key to return customers. The publicity generated by this non-incident is massive.
I am ambivalent on the immediate subject. But I find myself deeply uncomfortable with the phrase "ghetto latte". Yes, it's Googleable, but that doesn't make it any more excusable.
Can we be a little kinder here, please?
My issue is that this place does make iced coffee beverages, and one with espresso no less. Why they are making a fine distinction on this one point is beyond me.
But hey, it's there right, and their business. Just don't expect to see me there -- I'm one of those awful iced espresso drinkers, because between the hours of breakfast and dinner, I like my coffee -- all coffee -- chilled. That's just the way I am.
@ Gabbs. I was wondering if that was the case. When I want an iced latte, I order a double iced espresso in a large cup and then add a little cream myself: usually saves about $2, which certainly adds up. I've always felt a bit guilty about this, since it is really exactly the same thing for cheaper. Then again, I tip well and buy often.
@LunaPier The ghetto comment irked me too. I can't believe people still think its ok to talk that way.
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."
The problem with the ghetto latte from the owner's view is not taste -- it's cost. It means the customer is saving money by not paying for milk and instead filling his/her cup with free milk or cream from the bar.
Someone said maybe the shop doesn't sell iced drinks -- not the case, if you read the full story you'll see that they offer other espresso drinks iced including iced Americanos. The difference is that this customer didn't want the extra water. Hence, leaving space in the cup and allowing him to make a ghetto latte (which he apparently had no intention of doing). I suspect this is the main reason the shop has this policy and not because they are worried about the taste.
coffee snobbery is stupid and pointless. i mean, if you don't want to serve it on ice, that's your business, but if you tell the customer it isn't going to be 'right' and they say, 'that's how i like it' i mean, why do you really care? I don't know, coffee couture just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. who decides what tastes best? isn't espresso basically sludge in the italian place that it began? why isn't that 'right'?
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