For Big Terr Southern, somewhere in the Great Firmament:
To Mr Steve Barnes [journo, reluctant punching bag, and editor of blog Table Hopping @ The Times Union]:
Travelled, no foul & no harm done (temper, temper!), to Caffe Vero today. As is my custom drove the scant few blocks, and I scarcely justify this action in light of cold weather, to an excellent coffee shop located as if by fortuitous miracle on a ground floor location. (How easy it is for so many would-be business mavens to overlook this essential detail for success.)
The select variety of pastries are good, nice design and implementation on the construction, but most importantly the coffee is great. Correctly roasted and brewed, and expert–yes, even lovely, dense, visual, not bitter–espresso shots. (This, your holiday missive from a Feller who has sampled and can critique the best in E and W Village, W Berkshire, Hudson Val and Cap Region java huts and purveyors, which mayhaps as they say counts for sumpthin’.)
Summarily impressed, at once I asked who owned the place. The owner was there this morning, a relatively young kid, named Kyle I think. What’s interesting about the story, and this is the reason I hip you to it, is he says they studied with the best in the country before opening the roasting company and studied with the best espresso people (or perhaps barista?) in the region before opening the ‘caffe’ on Lark Street.
This is a business that A. executed careful expansion with artisanal principles and 2. makes for good copy. So I suggest you may get good, communicable info on owner & partner (not on location) and help a food business operating at a fine-dining level of execution. One hopes the cute, attentive coffee elves in-shop execute to the same level of specification whether or not owners are on the premises, no disrespect intended.
