Somewhere between Store-Bought Bagels and Prosciutto on Ciabatta Lies My Brand Loyalty

I had the chance to make my first dives into two new coffee places this week, and relative to the java and fare that I can get elsewhere, I found them somewhat lacking.

• Edgehill Studios Cafe in Edgehill Village markets itself as "music row's favorite cafe." It has a good open layout with lots of table space and free wi-fi for surfing and keyboarding. Parking is an adventure at crowded hours. I dropped in to pick up some breakfast between 10:00 and 10:30 only to discover that they had stopped serving breakfast. But wait. This is music row, right? The musicians I've known here are not farmers; they stay up and sleep late, so how can "music row's favorite cafe stop serving breakfast bagels before 10:30? Anyway, I settled for just a bagel and cream cheese, and I was given what looked like a small store-bought bagel and a tiny tin of cream cheese not packed on site. The third strike was that the cafe couldn't make my breve because they were all out of half-and-half. A coffee joint out of half-and-half? That's a gastronomic foul in my book, even with so many drinkers watering (literally) their javas down with skim milk. I bet they keep the hazelnut flavored syrup overstocked. The espresso fell a little flat for me. All of those early-rising musicians can have their favorite Edgehill Studio Cafe.


• Drinkhaus (in Germantown) opened with a lot of hyper-local fanfare here, and so I was looking forward to my first walk to a coffee shop this morning. I'll confess my bias right off and admit that I'm rooting for a neighborhood place in this walkable community to succeed. The place is small-to-cozy but bright and clean. Its size restricts it to a shop either to get coffee and linger at non-peak hours or to get coffee on the go. I was fortunate on both accounts this morning, but Drinkhaus seems to have the potential to feel claustrophobic if a half dozen patrons hit it at once.
  
  The espresso is fair trade, which made buying my double 8 oz. breve a pleasure this morning. What let me down is that even after I called the drink by name the barista asked me what kind of milk I wanted in it. Doh! And she asked me size I wanted. Double-doh! Once I got the drink things got better and it was a fair trade for me as I paid about 35 cents less for it than at other establishments. That average-guy solace was offset by a menu that looks a lot like the aristocratic neighborhood that Germantown is fast becoming: prosciutto with honey and pear on ciabatta (did I spell the Italian correctly?), and no bagels.
  
  The tipping policy is not exactly worker-friendly, either. Even in our check-card-based culture, there is no place for the tip ticket. Customers have to leave cash, which means that customers who tend not to carry cash don't tip even though they may want to. There's really no excuse for not providing a tip line on the bill for the sake of convenience. It ain't right that Starbucks omits a tip line, and it ain't right that Drinkhaus does likewise.
  
  In the final analysis, I will be going back and supporting Drinkhaus, because the concept of fair trade coffee with good flavor in the walkable community is an appealing one. But they haven't yet impressed me enough to pull me away from regular excursions to Crema (my personal favorite, which had attempted to locate in Germantown before Drinkhaus only to be stopped by the neighborhood association's failure to vote to allow commercial development in the same mixed-use building) or to alter my pit stops at Fido or J&J's on the way to work.

CORRECTION: John Horton points out in the comments that it was the Summer Street Lofts homeowners association (not HGI) that was vested with approving commercial use.

Cavalcade of Capitalists: Cheesecake Factory Serves Highly Contagious Infections with Dessert

From DMI's panel discussion on paid sick leave:

I'm all ready to go to Green Hills for some factory cheesecake now.

Coolest Coffee Bar Design

It has to be Crema's use of solid-wood antique doors laid end-to-end as the side-paneling for their bar. What makes this bar-skin the coolest is that the skirt boards are notched to accommodate the weathered iron door knobs, which sit suspended an inch or two off the floor. After closing, when the skirt boards become mop boards, it probably doesn't make swabbing the floors easier, but it is definitely a subtly charming appointment during open hours.

Zackies Hot Dogs Owners Soon to be Living in Salemtown

According to the Salemtown e-mail list, the owners of Mike's famous hot dog establishment, Zackies, bought a Salemtown house and will soon be moving in. Welcome to S-town, Brandi and Mike!

Now, the rest of ya'll go buy some dogs underneath the Summer Street Lofts! They have a mortgage to meet.

Crema Coffee Naming Contest

Crema owner Rachel Lehman is issuing a challenge to all java lovers, and she is offering what looks like a very fine award: free coffee for a week.

Here's my idea: Joe Talk Thai

Family Wash Gets Its Beer PUD (Almost)

Last year the Family Wash lost its beer permit due to a clerical error. Tonight the Metro Council approved a bill on second reading that would allow the beloved East Nashville restaurant to serve regular beer again (in a weird twist of the the law, they can serve beer with high alcohol content without a beer permit). No public opposition has been expressed to the bill, according to CM Mike Jameson. Hence, it look like the bill should easily pass third reading. This is a good thing. The Family Wash is one of our favorite dining options and they should have their beer permit back.

Coffee Cold War Between East Coast and West Coast Posses

Dunkin Donuts is in the hizzay. Double D goes west to take on a shrinking Starbuckz. But with 63% beverage-booty, the Dunkin booth ain't going to be all jelly-filled like Tenn-to-the-See-Eee's Krispy Kreme. You know what I'm sayin?

Starbucks Shrinks

No indication in the news that Starbucks is going to close some of its shops whether Salemtown is going to lose its one and only coffee bar. I have learned from the bucks baristas that the construction in far north Salemtown is a new Lexis car dealership.

The Best Places to Eat Breakfast or Brunch around the North End

Here are my favorites (with apologies to the vegetarians):

1. Muddea's (MetroCenter/Clarksville Pike) -- fried chicken and waffles! They also serve other breakfast fare like eggs and biscuits. Both the waffles and the biscuits are some of the best I've had in Nashville: crusty and ever-so-slightly sweetened (and I gobble them up even though I don't have a sweet tooth; it is a good example of "less is more"). They pipe in jazz to breakfast by. Very diverse crowds.
2. Germantown Cafe (5th and Madison; Sunday brunch only) -- shrimp and grits! The frittatas and the french toast are the ones I usually angle for. Your late morning Reuben fix can be realized here. And you cannot beat the view of Downtown. Whenever we go, we usually look like sweat-shirted slobs compared to bulk of patrons who seem to view the Cafe as demanding more dressy than drab style.
3. Monells (6th Avenue) -- family style! They pile so much brunch food of different varieties in front of you that I really can go no more than 2 or 3 times a year. You want to carbo-load before the Music City Marathon? This is the place to do so. It is carbohydrate heaven. The atmosphere here is the best of the three: you are seated inside a historic and kitschy Victorian Germantown house.

Is It Zackies Night?

The 3-year-old and I are sort of becoming regulars every couple of weeks now at Zackies hot dog establishment down in Germantown at 5th Av. & Madison St. Tonight was an exceptionally fine night to sit on their street-side patio and down a Chicago-style (brightest green relish I've ever seen) and my own favorite, a dog with their fresh cole slaw and spicy mustard. People-watching across the street at Germantown Cafe is almost as good as the celery salt. It's becoming a daddy-daughter ritual of sorts with the young one requesting Zackies consistently now when she gets out of school (she likes her dog with just catsup and a side of slaw). When mom is otherwise detained, how can I resist that kind of pressure?

New East Nashville Veggie Cafe

This clicked across my web clip feeder this morning. I have not tried it, yet, but the website says that the proprietors support organic produce from local farmers. The grand opening was scheduled for November. Anyone else tried it, yet?

S[hangri-La]-town

I don't know how things are in your neck of the woods, but it is pure Shangri-La here in the North End. Our front yard grass is nicely party-bruised from our Oktoberfest pre-soiree last night. I got started sluggishly this morning, but once I started drawing beer as a volunteer at Germantown's Upper Tent at 9:30 while sucking down a triple breve, I was good to go. Then I had Mad Platter's out-of-this-world reuben for brunch at 11:00 in the cool shade. That hit the spot. I'll spend the rest of the day toting my big stein of Paulaner around the streets of G-town sans live blogging. Hope to see you there.

Teeny Tiny Restaurant Review

Rosario's in Edgehill Village has the best guacamole that I've had in Nashville. Hands down. Run. Don't walk.

OktoberItaliano

Dropped by Lazzaroli today for some authentic Italian take-out.

Ordered manicotti (which was picked up hot at 5:00; downed with a good Cab graciously gifted by Kate O' & Karsten). Found out about this strong recommendation in today's Tennessean.

Heard Tom L. say that they are planning a big spread right on 5th in front of the store for Oktoberfest. Dreamed of a Little Italy-type setting. Enjoyed the thought that Oktoberfest would be spilling farther down 5th toward S-town.

It's Your Standard Café

I stopped by Downtown's Standard Café (8th Av N) this morning to sample and to judge breakfast. Calling it breakfast is charitable, because I basically had a choice between pastries and what looked like grocery caliber (Sara Lee?) bagels. I chose the latter, so I cannot comment on the pastries. If they are from Provence Breads, then they would get a nod. But the bagel tasted, well, of the wrapped-in-plastic-vintage of store-bought bagels.

The espresso was much better; edgy and strong. It lifted the experience as did the impressive modern metal art filling every open space and tall wall in the place. Standard Café (run by the Standard Restaurant across the street), is a good place to go if you are in west Downtown and want a quick espresso and to linger around some interesting art (the sign says that the Café is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). Only grab a bite there if you have no other alternative. It is, after all, more of an art gallery with café-as-afterthought. Disclaimer: I have not tried the sandwiches, but they were putting them together by hand when I was there.

Parking can be had, but be careful: the two small lots immediately adjoining the MadMod Building (housing the Café) are pay lots owned by someone else. Free parking is available in a small lot that sits north of the small pay lot adjoining the north side of the building. Their lot has posted signs that say "private parking" and "permit only," but the manager of the place told me this morning that patronizing their shop is your permit to park and you would not be towed.

Portland Blues: Java Joint Hits the Skids

A stray scolding from a irritated barista permanently severed my long-time patronage with Portland Brews this morning. The break-up was overdue. You see, I like their coffee, but lately that quality is not enough to overcome their deteriorating service.

The Portland Brews on Murphy Road consistently suffers now from what set in a few years ago at Fido: a staff of struggling artists and musicians more focused on talking up their crafts and gigs than on slinging coffee. That would be fine if the place were not consistently stuffed to the gills with customers who seem too happy to buy a single cup o' joe and camp out there long after their buzz has worn off. However, rarely can one find a table there for grabbing a quick breakfast in a place whose quality does not match its seeming popularity.

Speaking of breakfast, our relationship went rocky when Portland Brews decided to stop preparing a hot breakfast, choosing instead to offer only bagels and pre-made dishes. Their reasons: they were losing money by having some staff in the back cook and they wanted to devote more time and money to special espresso roasts for the connoisseurs among their regulars. I do not know how they have room for connoisseurs with crowds of students keyboarding away or local suits holding meetings in a java joint rather than in their conference rooms.

But since the change was made a few weeks ago, I have seen no special espresso roast offers for that elite clientele and the customer relations of the staff has gone downhill as their time free from the bondage to the cookery in the back room has increased. Food prep now means mostly popping bagels in a toaster out front, and yet, almost every time I have ordered a bagel since the changes were made, the staff either forgot my order or forgot to fish the bagel out of the toaster. I have actually waited 10-15 minutes on a couple of occasions to get a toasted bagel. The staff seemed more consumed with debating the finer points of acoustic rifts and less concerned with taking my order and letting me go in a timely manner.

This morning was the final straw. I ordered a double breve with no bagel. Seems easy enough, especially when I had been ordering the same 12-ounce to-go drink in the same place at least twice a week for a year. Mind you: I had not even had my coffee, yet; and what coffee-drinkers among us would blame me for having a bit of a pre-coffee snarl? And what barista should not expect a lack of humor until the drinker imbibes? Even while moody, I politely ordered my breve and I patiently weathered the barista chatter about "practicing octaves with one hand and scales with the other even without a metronome."

When the call came that my drink was ready, I found that they put it in a 16-ounce cup. I told them that I wanted the same 12-ounce cup that they always pulled out the minute they saw me at the register having made no prompt at all. I wondered to myself why they would assume that my breve should go in the larger cup. No matter, because everybody knows that the tenets of customer relations dictate a new cup of coffee: businesses eat cup-sized losses to hold on to the regular-sized customer.

Not in this case. The Barista proceeded to chastise me for not telling her clearly beforehand that I wanted mine in the smaller cup. She also said that "next time" I needed to tell her as much because "Half-and-Half is very expensive to waste." The pre-coffee snarl and lack of humor were now no doubt obvious on my face. Even so, I made no loud scene, as she made me my usual drink, but I did calculate what would come next.

When she called me up to her bar for my breve, I informed her quietly but bluntly, "There will be no 'next time.' I have been a regular customer here for a long time, but I will not be back 'next time.'"

Then I walked off calmly and coldly with my piping breve, and out the door, which only gave her the chance to reply, "But, sir ...!" Half-and-Half may be expensive to waste. But can it be any more expensive than the loss of a regular customer and each $1 tip he coughed up for every $3 cup of coffee he bought since the place opened? I leave Portland Brews to work out that equation on its own.

Bongo Bob Chooses The Gulch; Spurns North End

Bob Bernstein found his warehouse-type store for his roasting operation and we still don't have a bona fide coffee house in the North End. I'm going to drown my sorrows this morning at Starbucks-MetroCenter; and I'm going to leave a really big tip there and tell the Bux-Baristas how great they all are as a hex on the Bongo Empire.

Handmade Pasta Shop Moving to 5th Avenue in Germantown

Lazzaroli's Pasta Shop is re-locating from Farmer's Market to 1314 5th Av., North. According to their website:

Expect to see assortments of high quality, hard to find specialty products, simple fresh ingredients and other locally made products. Everything you will need to create delicious Italian meals at home. Homemade biscotti and confections from Tutto Bene Bakery, fresh bread, fresh grated cheeses, olives and prepared salads. We will also carry "Take and Bake" entrees, microwaveable pasta lunches and more! Our location will be a quaint, neighborhood Italian style pasta shop and market. At the moment, we will not be serving sit-down lunches and sandwiches

They are expecting to open later this month.

HT: HistoricGermantown

Portland Brews to 86 Bagel Sandwiches; Goldies is a Good Alternative

The java titans at Portland Brews are dissatisfied with the fact that they are losing money on egg sandwiches like my personal favorite, "the Salem" (which includes hot sauce, tomatoes, and cheese; there is no better breakfast sandwich in Nashville when the concoction is put on a toasted sesame bagel). I talked to a Po-Brews staffer the other day and tried to convince him to try other options like not offering substitutions on the sandwiches (some customers order egg-whites only; now that looks like a real hassle) and only serving them for a couple of hours in the morning rather than getting drastic and dropping them altogether. But they seem resolute. They seem to be heading towards another niche of offering different kinds of espresso beans selected by coffee connoisseurs with discriminating palettes along with catered pre-made lunch-time sandwiches. That's not very attractive for my low-country tastes. So, get those good breakfast sandwiches while you can.

Or, head over to Goldies Deli in Sylvan Park (strangely enough located in the former Portland Brews building) and try out their egg sandwich. I had the one that included "breakfast beef," and it was good eating and decent consolation to losing "the Salem." I suggest that you get your coffee at Po-Brews and then head over to Goldies. Like me, you may find yourself thinking that you won't miss "the Salem" or "the Arago" that much after they're gone.