As I continued exploring Manhattan, searching for my favorite coffee, I ended up checking out Table 12 on Ave. A. I actually ended up hear when let down by the wifi at Ost Cafe, as it’s just across the street. 

Levine and I settled in to a corner table, pleased that the wifi was in fact working.

She ordered one of their fine teas, and I went for a caramel latte. The latte was pretty delicious—although I found it was too sweet to actually finish. However, as I’ve mostly been drinking coffee black for the last year, almost any specialty coffee is too sweet for me these days. 

They also have great food to munch on—Shira and I both had the gazpacho which was great. I also just realized that this place is open 24hrs, which is an added bonus…ya know, should you be looking for a good cup in the middle of the night…on Ave. A. My main complaint was the music…ahh, it was killing me. I think I ended up plugging in my headphones to my computer to try and block it out.

After getting some great feedback from friends on where to find the best coffee in the city, I kicked-off my tour at Ost Cafe. I talked my friend Shira, a freelance journalist and frequent coffee-shop visitor, in to joining me at my first stop.

I went for a cappuccino, not my usual cup, but I had read somewhere that they were delicious. Shira, recently off of coffee, went for a tea. 

Now, I’m making this up as I go, but here is my scale for review:

Scene - This spot offers an interesting combination of both comfort, where you feel like you can sit there all day and read or catch up with a friend. Yet, you can’t help but feel like the people are a little too beautiful and that somehow you’ve just plopped yourself down in the middle of a scene from a movie. It was certainly crowded, but everyone there seemed to be down for sharing their tables or space in order to help everyone fit in. It’s also one of the places where it’s easy to run in to someone you know…or if nothing else make friends with the people next to you. 

Internet - Unfortunately it was down while we were there. I should’ve asked before ordering my cup, because, while I was anxious for a taste, I had some work to get done. And really, I love nothing more than setting up in the midst of the coffee shop hustle and bustle and pounding out some work. I sat and read an issue of Vanity Fair that had been left on the table instead. In general, they do have it and it’s free. 

Social Media - Now, I know that social media has nothing to do with coffee, really, but since this is the world I’m involved with (I’m writing about this on Tumblr for goodness sake), I can’t help but pay attention to how companies, especially locations are utilizing the SM. That being said, what what I can tell, they are not on Twitter, which is too bad (I mean, then I could tweet them this post). I did check-in on FourSquare, but again, there were no specials and they don’t seem to be connecting with their FourSquare users. 

Coffee - Yes, it was delicious. My friends made a great recommendation when they called out this place. The cappuccino came in the perfect portion with foam that was so pretty I didn’t want to ruin it by taking a drink. Often I find cappuccino to be a bit too bitter for me, but with a touch of simple syrup it was perfect. What I forgot to look in to was whether or not they have the option for buying coffee by the lb.

Overall, I liked it. It’s definitely the kind of place where I’d come back to hang out (hopefully with working internet). It’s not terribly convenient for me to get to, but it was worth the hike. Definitely a spot I’d recommend to friends looking for a good cup of coffee. Feel free to share your feedback on your time at Ost Cafe!

A Search for the Best New York Coffee

As I look for ways to entertain myself in the city this winter, I was inspired by a recent issue of Time Out New York, as they ranked some of the best cups of coffee in the city. 

http://newyork.timeout.com/restaurants-bars/restaurants/633057/best-coffee-in-nyc

I must say, the little bit of time I spent living in the Bay Area sculpted my palate for delicious coffee. I think it’s no secret that San Francisco is known for having some great coffee. But when I moved back to New York, I was a little unsure where to look for quality brew. So this article from TONY has helped give me some ideas on where to look!

With that I’m going to embark on a bit of a tour and go check out all of the spots and feedback with my thoughts and hope to ultimately figure out where to find the best coffee in the city. 

In the meantime, I’ll just keep ordering my coffee from San Francisco.