Stinky Cheese and Everything Inbetween

Friends, readers, countrymen, this is a tale of what happens when a chef, a teacher and a student get together.

This tale starts out like most others. We meet our adventurers in a dark alleyway drinking the elixir of the gods:

This concoction they call espresso would near force the intrepid connoisseurs to embark on another journey to lands they had already been to before. One man from the lands of the pyramids declared they conquer the lands of Waters upon Silver, which was one piece of land joined to the deserts of Lost Angels. From the ranks of many, two answered the call for they had been joined together by the laws of man in holy matrimony. The time and place was set to the dawning of the weeks end and this is when the story truly begins…

First the 3 adventurers set out to meet a well known friend who could provide the travelers with much needed Elixir:

This yielded much wealth to the travellers and they succeeded in acquiring the plentiful and much needed life-giving liquid from the 49th parallel of Middle Earth:

For 2 of the 24 hours of one day they stayed there gathering strength and substances after which they embarked to their true Mecca…Intelligentsia. Upon arrival the clan was met with a beast of a line to purvey the manna of the gods, but they soon vanquished it with the blessing of patience and bathroom breaks. Once they had acquired the liquids and baked goods they sat to feast and be merry:

The one adventurer from the pyramids exclaimed “This Americano is the best I have tried as of yet!”

Which was met with great joy from the other two. After the feast was done they walked out of the tavern and stumbled upon The Cheese Store of Silver Lake. Which offered up some of the finest cheeses known to man. The adventurers dined upon Blue, Cheddar, Robiola, Chocolate Stout, and a cheese which was supposed to taste like Red Leicster:

The feast was pronounced delicious by the travelers and to their surprised a well known figure appeared before them and began to talk. It was an actor from a television show the three were all fans of. The actor is known as Cutty on the show House. (All fancy talk aside we met Cutty and she was freaking cool because she actually talked to us first not the other way around but she didn’t want her picture taken which was understood by all of us so she let us take pictures of her dog which was alright with us)

Cutty's(from House) Dog

After the feast they all decided to travel to the Paupers Elixir Hut, a.k.a. Lamills Coffee shop, but they were all sadly disappointed by the service and overall quality of the elixir. The Chef Heroine of this tale decided to embark on a chocolate journey but was sadly disappointed when the chocolates were not what she had meant to acquire and in fact they had run out of the one she wanted which prompted the shop to not acquire any money from her on behalf of the chocolate. The adventurers were then brought the coffee elixirs which were honestly the most disgusting things they had had in a long time. The “micro foam” was lacking seriously and their specialty drink “Coffee and a Jelly Donut” literally made the adventurers sick to their stomachs. (Once again all fancy talk aside, Lamills was horrible and we were treated very very very rudely and they acted like we didnt matter and were treated so. In fact after Emily got the wrong chocolates and was then told not to pay for them but then charged for them. So we tell the waitress this and she goes off and the manager comes over and basically makes us explain ourselves when it was HER employees that screwed up and gave her the wrong product several times. None of us will ever be back and honestly, its so freaking pretentious in there that no one should go in there. Go to Intelligentsia instead, its cheaper and the people are alot nicer.)

Coffee and a Jelly Donut, This thing causes Stomach Aches. No lie.

Finally the adventurers embarked onwards to home with bellies full of goodness and cheese. The french would declare this a “Bon Jour” but we just called it Saturday. Bon Chance in all your coffee endeavors, Bon Chance.

The Best Laid Plans…

Wednesday, the 9th, was supposed to be Latte Art day but, like most plans, we ended up putting it on the back burner to visit an ERACEIE member who wasn’t feeling the best. This actually turned out to be an absolute blast and allowed us to drink some awesome coffee, smoke some awesome tobacco pipes and divulge in even awesomer conversations.

We first met up at our normal meeting place but soon departed to Redlands to meet up with Mike Colston and visit Augies once more. Chris decided to purchase this lovely ensemble:

TRES CHIC

After we left the very fancy store where Chris got his clothes, better known as K-Mart, we finally arrived at Augies where we were very warmly welcomed by Mike and crew. Coffee purchasing was underway now and we started off with some sandwiches and delicious espresso:

After the heavenly drinks, Mike, Emily and Justin thought it would be a great idea for me and Chris to go head to head and do Coffee Bombs, basically its 12oz of milk that you drop a shot of espresso into and chug. I was none too excited about that…..

Alas, the competition went on and Chris was crowned victor.

When the debauchery was over we decided to take the party out to the alley-wayand fill the air with good conversations, coffee, beer, and tobacco. Emily and Chris actually got some pipes and we all got to look like British Railway Tycoons:

Throughout the night we made plans to go the culinary mecca, pay for Mike to be in the barista competition and visit England once more.

All in all the night started like this:

And ended like this:

Augie’s Coffeehouse

This last Wednesday was a change of pace for the revolutionaries. We met at Augie’s Coffeehouse in Redlands to have espresso drinks (pulled by ERACE member and Augie’s employee Mike Colston), and a few accompanying sweets. I simply don’t get to post food pictures here often enough, so here are some lemon-lavender madeleines:

Or how about some triple-chocolate biscotti dipped in a capp? — heaven!:

Augie’s is such a funky, down-to-earth joint — always full of hip locals and good conversation. Here’s a little glimpse of the interior:

Mike treated us to his Black & Tan creation — a crazy concoction whose contents are still a bit of a mystery to me. Jason definitely enjoyed it:

Other highlights included an introduction to the Coffee Carbomb, getting to meet the Colston Clan, and contributing a little ERACE IE touch to the napkin wall art behind the bar. Good times! We hope to hold another meeting at Augie’s in the future — and hopefully more of you can join us (Redlands isn’t that far away, it just seems that way!). Until then…

VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN, MIS AMIGOS!

Our Field Trip!

A long time ago (June 18th), a group of ERACE members traversed Southern California to sample some of the region’s finest coffees. This is their story.

JONES COFFEE ROASTERS, 537 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA

Jones Coffee Roasters in Pasadena was our first stop. The humble facade outside cleverly conceals the space within–a space with a bustling central bar, pallets of beans stacked up next to a churning roaster, and enough coffee and espresso related doo-dads and thingamabobs lining the walls and shelves you feel like you are in a museum. This place makes you happy.

So the vibes are cool, but how is the ’spro, you ask? Well, our first round was somewhat below expectations. In fact it wasn’t until the owner, Chuck, appeared and had his training barista help us that we got good shots. I must admit, that fact makes me somewhat apprehensive about the quality I would get should I return sans entourage. My advice? Bring your friends and act as geeky as possible–and make sure you look around for this guy:

Chuck Jones–owner/roaster, and one of the most enthusiastic and generous coffee folks I’ve met in quite a while. He was stoked to share his current plans and future projects with us, as well as tales big and small of his many adventures. He genuinely cares about his business, and wants to share his passion with you. I am seriously anxious to work out going down to the Jones farm in Antigua, Guatemala someday–ERACE holiday, anyone?

Oh, and one more thing about Jones–the place will be even cooler once Chuck polishes this baby up and puts her on the bar (or sells her to me so she doesn’t look so sad…hmm…):

INTELLIGENTSIA, 3922 West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Our next stop was Intelligentsia in the uber-chic Silver Lake. A Chicago import, Intelligentsia has had to work for my love. They are in a super-hip area and have a world-class bar with a sleek design (serious time and money went into this place)–but I always feel like they have a bit too much of that assembly-line operation (a la that mermaid place whose existence we all ignore–albeit with MUCH better product). But if you want a good ’spro fast and without the fuss (but with all the glamour), this is your place. They also have a small complement of top-notch pastries (go early for those) and a large outdoor patio with misters (perfect for sitting and reading for hours). Next door is The Cheese Store of Silver Lake, and down the road is a super-hip raw eatery called Cru. Take a day to visit this block of L.A. and you, too, can be a super-hip Los Angelino.

CHOKE, 4157 Normal Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Just a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Sunset Boulevard, was our next stop, Choke Motorcycles (& Espresso). If I owned the Vespa I’ve always wanted, Choke would be my new home. Espresso and motorcycles in one place–unfamiliar concept but it works. Chris had one word to say about his macchiato: nirvana. My shot was good, but it was the groovy, funky atmosphere and decor that sold me; like the stir sticks and sugar packets in old oil cans:

The bar was fantastic; check out the vintage setup:

The barista wishes to remain unpublished, but he’s a great guy who knows his stuff–a motorcycle shop worth checking out even if you don’t own a bike!

LAMILL, 1636 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Lamill–our last stop of the day, and a more pretentious coffee bar setup you will never see. The equipment is state of the art, the decor is almost stifling, the menu is a novel (I was in heaven!). I expected an equally ostentatious display from the staff. Amazingly, however, Lamill’s was one of most hospitable stops we made! Add to that, the ’spro was quite delicious–the shots came on a bit harsh, but had the most lingering and delicious caramel aftertaste I have ever experienced. Jason had a capp and said the milk cut that initial bite–perhaps tweaking the blend in future could alter the bite for those of us who prefer straight shots. The head barista, Ryan Palmer, (who had moved to California literally the day before) was particularly gracious and accommodating. His knowledge on the Lamill selection was weak (I’m sure he’s an old hand there now), but his knowledge of the bean was not. He was kind enough to bring us a siphon pot of the El Salvador La Montana–Cup of Excellence #1.

Our only complaint was that we could not finish the pot–at this point in the afternoon the three remaining revolutionaries were beginning to feel a bit over-stimulated. The siphon was excellent, though, notes of rose and almond with milk-chocolate undertones–more akin to sipping a fine tea than to the way us revolutionaries normally brew our beans. A great experience, though, and such great people!

Well that was a brief summary of our grand adventures–I hope more of you can join us when we have our next adventure! Until then…

VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN, MIS AMIGOS!