No Foam Please
All Things CoffeeArchive for May, 2010
Lola Savannah
On the recommendation of a friend in Austin, I went a little out of my normal routine to try Lola Savannah coffee. Too far away from home and office for a regular pit stop for me, but it does have an excellent location near 360 and Mopac. The only downside I can see is the extremely limited parking (not much of a problem first thing in the morning, but I’ve been to Grove Wine Bar next door and parking at mealtimes is tough).
Lola has a feel that is somewhere between bar and coffee house. The color palette is coffee house, but the bar setup implies you might want to have a glass of wine in the evening. The furnishings are a combination of leather seating and modern surfaces. There are coffee bags decorating the ceiling.
A view from the back of the coffee lounge
But down to the main event. The coffee. I tried a double cafe mocha, and it was fantastic.
A double cafe mocha
It was rich, but without getting overpowered by the chocolate (even at the bottom of the cup). The foam on top was just right (I noticed it, but it didn’t interfere with drinking). They took the time to do a little foam art as well (always a nice touch that says either “you’re special to us” or “we’re just that cool we can do coffee art and still make money”…). There are some pretty awesome looking desserts in the display case, but it is 8am. I had heard (via Yelp) that there were good breakfast tacos, but I didn’t see any, and this blog is about coffee anyway, right?
Bonus points for having power plugs scattered about inconspicuously. And more points for commenting on my shirt (a picture of a coffee cup running on empty with all kinds of warning / danger signs – a bit like your laptop battery display).
Yelp Reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The Lola website has a little “virtual barista” to recommend coffees to you if you’re not sure what to order. I’d recommend just consulting the barista though…
Dolce Vita in Hyde Park, Austin
Dolce Vita has been in Austin at least as long as I have, parked next to Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and the Duval Street Barber Shop (formerly Gaitan’s Barber Shop). I first discovered this place for the desserts (gelato and cakes mmm) but after I developed a taste for coffee it became a good stop for that too.
I recently stopped by and was surprised by the half-price coffee drinks before 11am! Take that, Starbucks. I didn’t take a picture of the scene, but there was a film crew shooting a coffee-conversation scene the day I stopped by. This place has a cool vibe and a nice area for sitting outside on the patio – shaded from the heat, but also sheltered against the rain. The inside seating area is pretty small, but if you want an intimate conversation, it’s perfect.
Drip Coffee
A Latte in a to-go cup
The latte was good but not remarkable – they don’t waste any time on decor or flair – just delivering a quick cup of coffee. I managed to resist the dessert display… but it sure was tempting.
Yelp Reviews again are mostly positive.
Illy Espressamente in the Palazzo, Las Vegas
The Palazzo has a plethora of coffee options – pretty unusual for a casino in Vegas, surprisingly (you’d think the casinos would want to keep the caffeine going!). There’s a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which was fairly unremarkable, and another shop upstairs that I didn’t get to try, and then there is the showcase coffee store- the Illy Espresso Cafe.
Illy Espressamente
This place looks fantastic – modern, sleek, and coffee-centric. And they made a great latte, and the next day, mocha latte. They also clearly served a lot of straight shots of espresso, and I was tempted to try that but just never made it back for a third dose. I was in Las Vegas for a convention, and this place did a great business as a result.
What was the downside? The cost. A large mocha (3 shots of espresso) was $8.75. That makes Starbucks look like a bargain. Ok fine, you could argue the Illy mocha was better, but I think most of that price was going to the high priced rent. At least the high prices came with a good ambiance, a lot of European clientele lending authenticity to the coffee experience, and a friendly staff that remembered you even though you’ve only been there once before.
Yelp reviews were generally positive, most of the negativity focusing on the price. I should have mentioned this place has a million varieties of gelato as well.
Yelp Review Filter on Austin Coffee
Yelp is known as a controversial force in the restaurant business. But most of the publicity (lately) has been negative. It also produces positive articles about the restaurants that are reviewed on its site, however.
I recently received a Yelp email reviewing coffee shops in Austin and it gave me a few new ideas to try:
- Austin Brevita
- Anderson’s,
- Geniune Joes
It also recommended Flight Path, which I’ve been to before (back when it really was on the flightpath, and it was so noisy when a plane went overhead that you couldn’t think).
I’ll have to try out the other locations (they’re on my list!).
