Showing posts with label Santa Monica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa Monica. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2009

CC: Urth Caffe

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject: Urth Caffe
Location visited: Santa Monica,CA

Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]


There exist but a few optimal ways of how I love to sip my coffee and by far, my favorite would be sitting on a covered outside patio in the midst of a warm sunny day. But in the world of coffeehouses, rarely do such spaces exist and when they do, such wonders are quickly filled by local and traveler alike.

Such seems to be the case of the Santa Monica location of Urth Cafe. The cafe sits in a hopping part of town and resides within one of the more unique buildings I've seen. Not only is the architecture kind of funky, but a good portion extends into a wall-less porch that takes in the California sun wonderfully. All together, the place really pleases the eyes and the amount of people packed into the place really spoke to its popularity.

As far as their coffee and tea, Urth serves only organic and roasts their own coffee. I had the coffee on tap, the Milano, which turned out to have a decent body but also a whole lot of bitterness common to an over-roasted coffee. The espresso didn't work out too well either, as it had decent acidity but also strong flavors of exterior oils. The teas are free leaf.

While sitting down in the lovely cafe would have made my Urth experience a little better (waiting for a table was not an option), I had to go and with only a mediocre coffee experience. Hopefully the day proved just an off experience behind the counter.

Therefore, if you're in Santa Monica and looking for fair coffee in a really nice cafe, stop by Urth Cafe.

Monday, March 02, 2009

CC: Caffe Luxxe

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject:
Caffe Luxxe
Location visited: Santa Monica, CA

Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]



As a lad I recall thinking of Californian beaches as odd places, especially since I held the NJ beach towns of Ocean City and Wildwood as a standard. I remember pondering the concept of having multiple parking lots near a beach as crazy and that it sounded mildly unpleasant to lift weights on a beach (the sand would surely chafe).

But now that I'm older, the uniqueness of the CA coast (both natural and cultural differences) holds great allure, especially in a town like Santa Monica. Granted I've only visited once, but the meld of boutique-lined streets and serene beaches is a beautiful and rare combination in the US.

One venue that caught my attention was Caffe Luxxe, a coffeehouse that aims to provide a European cafe experience, including quality coffee. The establishment sits in a row of shops with a black awning and a wooden bench. Within the doors, the cafe is set up in a monochromatic yet very swanky manner.

They roast their own coffee, providing only one offering. The drip provided a smooth coffee with a touch of raisins and a noticeable peppery zest. The espresso, pulled short and with what seemed to be trepidation (I think the barista was having a rough day), delivered a sweet tang with a velvety finish and a nice acidity, with only a subtle bit of char on the end. The tea is free leaf.

While my success with coffeehouses in other ocean-front cities exists, I would say Caffe Luxxe stood out as yet another unique facet of California beaches (or the towns that own them at the very least). If you happen to be in town, swagger your way over to Caffe Luxxe.