Thursday, April 29, 2010

Caffe Calabria


Rosetta Cappuccino

It's morning and I'm slightly groggy. I wasn't expecting to spend the night in San Diego, I feel worked and there's still the two hour drive back to Los Angeles. Dennis and I hit Caffe Calabria for morning coffee and pastries.

One problem with traveling is that it can be quite difficult to find nice coffee spots. Hell, it's difficult to find a nice coffee spot in your own city, much more so when traveling. That's why it's fortuitous to find a place like Calabria where the coffee is quite good and the technique agreeable.


Our Spread: Cappuccino, Macchiato, muffin and almond croissant.

Since my morning excursions to the St. Veronique bakery in Paris' 7th Arrondissement, I've been searching for similar almond croissants. Much like my continuing search for conchas, my search for almond croissants has typically been less than exciting. And while I think we offer a killer almond croissant at Spro Hampden, I don't usually eat them because why eat your own product and, therefore, your own profit?

Which leaves me to sampling almond croissants elsewhere and the almond croissant at Calabria is pretty darn good. Smooth, lightly sweet and very tasty. I think of having another but the thought of trekking down to Mexico for tacos pushes us forward.


Inside the almond croissant.


Roasting chick - very hot.

Thursday Morning Espresso




In the morning, I spy a strange espresso brewer on top of Cheryl's fridge. It's odd and oddly compelling. One where you place hot water in the chamber, lock the portafilter and press the handles down. I think about trying it, but I don't think she has a grinder. I don't even know if she has coffee in the place. Ah, forget it. I'll just go back to Calabria.