The Coffee Crawl Sipping my way through New York City…one coffee shop at a time.

Years before Cafe Grumpy was in existence in Chelsea, there was an outstanding coffee shop called The Big Cup. It was the neighborhood hang out. Comfy couches and chairs lined the walls. Assorted magazines were scattered on the coffee tables for customers to enjoy while they visited the shop. The baristas who worked there knew all of the regulars by name. It was the Cheers of coffee shops. Then, when rent on the building skyrocketed, The Big Cup sadly closed their doors for business. After that unfortunate incident there was no neighborhood coffee shop in Chelsea (besides the corporate world of Starbucks). Then, when Cafe Grumpy opened its doors (I’m not 100% sure on the exact date), I felt a sigh of relief. “Finally, a coffee shop where I can enjoy a great cup of coffee in my own little world of Chelsea and feel a great sense of community.” Located on West 20th Street between 8th and 7th Avenues, Cafe Grumpy provides just that: an amazing cup of coffee and a relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy it in.

Originally from Brooklyn (Park Slope and Greenpoint locations), Manhattan as I pointed out above, was in desperate need of a coffee shop with character. Welcome Cafe Grumpy to the scene.When you first approach the store, you are greeted with their cute logo: a grumpy coffee bean. This is one of the most clever and ingenious logos/designs for a coffee shop I have ever come across. I was already excited to enter just from that. I’m easy to please. The interior is simple yet inviting: small wooden tables placed strategically in the front, side and back of the store; a sophisticated espresso machine and coffee grinder across the right side in front of a beautiful exposed brick wall. To further this relaxation classical music and instrumental jazz lightly sound throughout the entire space…love.

When I first took a look at the coffee roast selection, I was slightly overwhelmed. Although I tend to think of myself as a coffee connoisseur, I needed some help. The barista directed me to a listing of the coffees that they had available that day. From what I saw, there were 6 selections ready for me to enjoy. After reading every description (and honestly wanting to try every flavor), I went with the Fazenda Passeio. According to the Cafe Grumpy website this bean hails from Brazil and features notes of marzipan and hazelnut with a light vanilla taste in the finish. Back to my coffee: once the beans were ground and served in an oversized mug (my favorite thing to sip coffee from) I could instantly smell the hazelnut. It was absolutely delicious to smell and to taste. This cup of coffee I had today was probably one of the smoothest, most expertly roasted and amazing ones I have tried to date.

To accompany the coffee I had a slice of their chocolate chip banana bread. As I have pointed out many times, sweets are my vice (but a good one!) and I love all of them. This bread was no exception to that rule. Moist, decadent, large chocolate chips scattered throughout, a slightly crunchy outer layer sprinkled with sugar and this banana bread did just the trick. Please check out Cafe Grumpy if you ever find yourself in the Chelsea neighborhood (of travel there…or visit their 2 Brooklyn locations), you absolutely will not be disappointed.

I may as well turn this blog into the Cupcake Crawl! Every place I visit seems to have these delicious morsels of goodness. I was hanging out on the East Side today when I got a craving for a cup of coffee and a cupcake. After checking out google maps, I found that there was a relatively new bakery on East 7th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A: Butter Lane Cupcakes. After making my way downtown, the cutest little bakery appeared amongst wine bars, shops and town homes. As you can see from the picture to the left, Butter Lane’s outdoor appearance was inviting with good outdoor cafe-style seating with cute little yellow daisies in the window. I was very excited to check this out.

Once I stepped through its front door, the bakery greeted me with its Sirius radio station turned to a 60s light style of music: something perfect for a quaint shop such as this. I was also greeted with the smell of cupcakes coming straight out of the oven, ready to be decorated in sugar and buttery goodness. A few interesting things caught my eye before I was able to place my order. The seating area, although limited inside, was still welcoming. There was a framed sign dictating when the next cupcake decorating class would be held. I was especially excited about this, and well, who wouldn’t be?! I am definitely going to be coming back to learn Butter Lane’s style of cupcake decorating, and I can’t wait! There was also a little laptop computer set up with a sign above it reading, “Fan us on Facebook for your chance to win free cupcakes and also to receive a free shot of frosting right now!” Also, if you have foursqaure on your iPhone or Blackberry, and you are one of the first 10 customers to check in every day, you win a free cupcake of your choice! I just love this social media inclusion into the bakery. It’s fun and definitely brings attention. What you will also notice from the second picture are the many different varieties of frosting flavors to choose from…amazing!! My mouth started to water the instant that I read the peanut butter and banana flavor. Yum.

Once I made it to the counter and was greeted by a very pleasant counter person, I decided to try 2 cupcakes and of course a cup of coffee. As with any cupcake shop, I always try a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting for comparison sake. My second choice was a vanilla cake with espresso frosting. I have to say, Butter Lane’s cupcake definitely comes in very close to my favorite cupcake in the City. The cake was very light, moist and not overpowered with butter. The icing likewise was incredibly light and smooth and had a little hint of cream cheese mixed in with the butter and sugar. I was thoroughly impressed (and of course inhaled them within minutes). The coffee brewed here was Stumptown Coffee, which, if you have read any of my other posts, you know is one of my favorite beans in the City. After the delicious coffee and cupcakes, I definitely want you to check out Butter Lane: a great newcomer to the world of New York City Cupcakes.

I know it’s unusual for me to post another Crawl so quickly after another one, but since it’s so beautiful out today and I was craving a coffee, I decided to take off for another coffee crawl! Today’s stop brought me to a cute little neighborhood bakery/coffee shop called Sweet Heart Bakery. Located on 8th Avenue between 14th and 13th streets, it’s very easy to reach using the subway system: A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 and L trains are all within a one block radius. Even better, it’s so close to my apartment that I stop there literally every morning, without fail, for my morning cup of coffee.

Sweet Heart Bakery is a family owned and operated business and all of the employees let you experience that sense of family. What I mean by this, is that each morning when I go in I am greeted very warmly even if the coffee line is out the door. Once at the register and placing my order, the person working offers food in a non-pushy way to compliment my coffee. When suggesting these food items they use great descriptors such as “delicious,” “just baked,” “home-made,” “best you’ve ever had.” I just love how they take such pride in each and every product that comes out of their bakery. I would too, considering everything there really is delicious and sometimes the best I’ve ever had.

You will notice from the pictures which I took today that it is all food. I wanted you to really get a feel for how scrumptious all of the desserts and treats look. I will briefly describe and name each of the desserts in the order in which they are shown (from top to bottom) on my blog. The first picture is of the Red Velvet Cupcake (and in the background you can see the Oreo Cookie – yum!). If you’ve ever been to Crumbs for one of their giant cupcakes, picture that with a much more moist and delicious cake and you get Sweet Heart’s version. Amazing. the next picture is something new for them today: Banana Cream Meringue! I was thrilled when I saw it and almost swan dived right into the topping. The meringue’s peaks are expertly browned and give a great presentation for any customer craving something sweet (I wish I had tried this today….) The last picture of tasty treats is one of their hand-dipped chocolate shortbread cookies. I’ve had these before, and while the cookie is just a tad dry, the melted dark chocolate that coats one half of the cookie more than makes up for it. Also, if you simply dunk the cookie in a cup of coffee or a glass of milk the problem is easily solved! I recommend any of these three desserts if you’re craving something a little sweet. Also on their menu are muffins, cakes, scones, muffin tops and other cookies. For such a small bakery and storefront, Sweet Heart Bakery really pumps out a lot of great product.

For my midday snack today I had a small cup of coffee with milk and Splenda and a sugar-free blueberry muffin. Yes, sugar-free. Being that Sweet Heart is on the edges of the health-conscious neighborhoods of Chelsea and the West Village they must cater to us health nuts in order to secure business. They have successfully secured mine with this muffin. It’s about as large as the Red Velvet Cupcake pictured above and just as delicious. Plump and juicy blueberries pack this muffin and provide amazing flavor. Complemented by their delicious, smooth, very strong and HOT coffee, Sweet Heart Bakery provided me with an excellent snack on this gorgeous day. I actually wasn’t able to contain my hunger long enough to take a picture of the muffin and coffee before I enjoyed every last bite. Therefore, my last picture was taken after I finished everything. I know it’s not much help because you can’t see the muffin, but believe me when I tell you, everything at this little bakery is absolutely delicious.

Also…as a little side note, if you’re on foursquare on your iPhone or Blackberry, I’m currently the mayor here…so stop by and say hi!

On this overcast and dreary day here in New York City, I found myself wandering around Hell’s Kitchen looking for a great cup of coffee, a place to sit and enjoy that cup of coffee, and a tasty little dessert wouldn’t have been too bad either. Then, walking up 9th Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets, I happened upon Amy’s Bread. Being that I live downtown, I knew of their other locations in the Chelsea Market and also in the Village on Bleecker Street and 7th Avenue, but this one was different. It was more quaint, smaller, and had more of a “home kitchen” feel to it. You can see from the picture to the left that it just has that old-fashioned and comfy feel, something that every coffee shop and/or bakery dreams of having. Walking through their heavy wooden front door, it felt like I was being transported to my mother’s kitchen…a place that I remember well and love!

Inside its greenish-blue entryway, it was clear that Amy’s Bread was a great selection. There were about 6 other customers on the line waiting place their order! At 2PM in the afternoon, that’s impressive. In between lunch and the typical “3PM coffee pick-me-up” is usually the dead time for coffee shops. Not Amy’s. I was instantly overcome with the smell of coffee brewing and fresh bread baking in the back. Amy’s Bread bakes everything on site in each of their locations so that when it reaches us, the customer, it is at its freshest possible. Check out the bread picture on the right. I was incredibly tempted to try one (anything) of those! Notice the Brioche Sandwich Rolls in the front of the picture. They look amazing. I so wanted to get a sandwich just so I could sink my teeth in to that roll. Yum. I just love how everything is displayed in wicker baskets. It lends itself to that antiqued coffee shop feel very well.

After successfully bypassing the delicious rolls and breads, my eyes wandered down inside the case and they fell upon my biggest sweet tooth weakness. The Cupcake. While I managed to also pass this up, I had to take a picture of them so that you could also enjoy how delicious they look. The perfect way that the icing adorns the top of the cake combined with the oh-so-yummy sprinkles made the look of this dessert irresistible. The next time that I check Amy’s Bread out, I may have to treat myself to one of these.

For today’s coffee crawl however, I enjoyed a cappuccino and a dessert: The Applesauce Donut. So incredibly moist, dense and rich-tasting it was a shock to me that it could be considered low-fat. No way. Due to the substitution of applesauce for other more fattening ingredients, this donut was definitely a more healthy selection. Being that it was so tasty, it lasted for about 2 minutes before only crumbs were left and I was able to taste the cappuccino. Brewed using Illy beans, my espresso beverage was delicious. As a premier coffee bean distributor, Illy never fails to produce a good cup of coffee. My cappuccino was steamed perfectly by my barista and had just the right amount of foam on top. As a midday treat, Amy’s Bread did not let me down. And it won’t let you down either. So venture out to one of their 3 locations in New York City for your little slice of heaven, delivered straight from your mother’s kitchen.

I know, you’re probably thinking, “why did he go to the NBC cafe?” I actually went based on a recommendation and on the fact that it was recently remodeled and was supposedly “very cool.” Well, I traveled up to Rockefeller Center and braved the swarms of people, tourists, and Midtown employees to find myself standing in front of the NBC Experience Store (as a brief tangent, if you haven’t been here yet, you MUST check it out, especially if you’re obsessed with TV the way that I am). Located right in Rockefeller Center (near where the Christmas Tree is every year) at 49th street between 5th and 6th avenues, the msnbc.com digital cafe is an incredibly easy find.

Walking through the revolving doors of the Experience Store, quite the…experience…hit me. TVs showing NBC programs were found everywhere. Paraphernalia from every show imaginable adorned the walls, floors and every nook and cranny. Before I headed up the spiral stairs to the cafe, I took at look at some of the products the store had to offer. I was thrilled to see for sale: Golden Girls T-Shirts claiming “Blanche is my Nana,” Saved By The Bell cheerleading uniforms, The Biggest Loser scale, Heroes lunch boxes, really everything you could ever want from any of your favorite TV shows…this store had it. I finally made my way to the stairs and climbed to the second floor where my digital cafe awaited. As I walked up the stairs, check out the pictures of both the stairway entrance and the cool digital monitors that packed the walls. Quite the sensory experience. Clearly I’m fascinated with not only coffee, but also TV and electronics.

Once reaching the top of the stairs, a great surprise awaited me…Red Mango! If you aren’t from NYC, you probably aren’t aware of the yummy frozen yogurt goodness that is Red Mango. Check out their website and learn more. As a direct competitor to LA-based Pinkberry, securing the location inside the NBC Experience Store and the msnbc.com digital cafe is a great move. They will get many tourist eyes on them and get the word out about their brand. In addition to this yummy yogurt was a great seating area off to the left. As you will see from the picture, the view from up here is spectacular. It provides a view of the flags of the world and in the winter months of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and the ice skating rink. There is also plenty of seating available to relax and chill out. In addition, there were two interesting games out on the floor. Do you remember the old school Pac-Man and Galaga games? The ones where you would sit across from your opponent seated at a flat-paneled game playing with joysticks? I know you remember it. Well, this cafe had the digital touch screen version!! Amazing. You must go check it out.

Any coffee crawl wouldn’t be complete without a mention of coffee, right? Well like I mentioned before, I came to the cafe for the experience and not necessarily the cup of joe. However, they were brewing Seattle’s Best, which comes in many flavors, so it couldn’t be too bad! I had a small cup of Cinnabon-flavored coffee and it was pretty good, smooth just like you would expect this brand to be.

At the end of today’s crawl, I knew that I would recommend this to my readers. The atmosphere and environment are definitely worth the trip to Midtown. Check them out. Let me know what you think (and make sure you play on the touch screen video games!)