07 Dec 2010 No Comments
Chi Town Coffee: Hyde Park
When it comes to Chicago coffee, Hyde Park definitely lags behind, thinking about the fact that it’s a university campus – where there are cool coffee shops with chocolate-covered espresso bean vending machines? Compare two opposite extremes: first, we have the modern, minimalist espresso cafes that you might find in New York. On the other end of the spectrum, there are cafes that are clearly intended for relaxing: couches, scrabble boards, and small lending libraries make the space comfortable. Even though cafes have began to ban laptops to stop individuals from loitering, I truly don’t believe homey coffee shops and good coffee are mutually exclusive. Hyde Park might not be a Mecca for tankless water heaters coffee houses, but like any college town inhabited by lots of caffeine-addicted zombies (i.e, students) you will find a few notable ones. Many people have a favorite; where they go to “work,” (go on Facebook), “hang out” or consume a croissant, simply because croissants are delicious. Istria most likely falls somewhere between these two, but for two years, it’s been my second home. Upon arriving back in Chicago for Thanksgiving, I dropped my bags off within the apartment, and before even opening the door to my space, walked the two blocks to Istria, which is connected to the Hyde Park Arts Center. Istria’s baristas may not usually pour latte art (even though I always keep my eyes out for the tattooed guy with gaged ears), but they brew some damn good Intelligentsia. They also make gelato in flavors like chili chocolate and nerds. I almost usually order a 6 oz traditional cappuccino (believe me, this became a mantra throughout the metal detector college application procedure), but for every pound of beans you purchase, you receive a free Chemex. Intelligentsia Black Cat espresso will never let you down: it’s luxurious and earthy, complete of caramel notes and extremely low in acidity. This coffee is pure crema. The flavor is in its point. The texture is unparallel. If you gather with buddies to share great espresso shots or lattes, this really is the bean you have to acquire. The Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, really blew my mind – so a lot that I purchased a steadicam pound to take back to school. I discover that coffee descriptions can get pretty pretentious, however the blurb on the bag, which listed tobacco and pomegranate, couldn’t happen to be much more accurate. The cup was a syrupy balance between much more tea-like African coffees microdermabrasion machines and dark roasted South American beans. This coffee is grown and harvested in the rugged mountains of Papua New Guinea alongside the Wahgi River. At heights in excess to 4,000 feet, this area is also home towards the albizza trees that were discovered in the 1930s; grown on just a couple of acres on the riverbank, the albizza trees permit these coffee beans capture their fruit-like essences to bring you a really unique flavor. Moving on to Z&H (Zaleski and Horvath market cafe). While Istria is much more coffee-focused, Z&H prides itself on being a neighborhood “mom and pop” type shop. Z&H MarketCafe is inspired by the classic community markets in the past. Located in the Hyde Park and Kenwood neighborhood, Z&H MarketCafe hard money lenders features the best selections from local and regional farmers and vendors along-side international areas. From fantastic cheese and deli offerings, including exceptional sandwiches, to a premium espresso bar experience, to grocery aisles which are stocked with a wide range of distinctive items including pastas, sauces, olives, hard-to-find baking products, oils and vinegars, hand-crafted artisan breads and delicious pastries to everyday necessities. Z&H will be the neighborhood market you happen to be missing. They stock gourmet ingredients like curry peanut butter and vanilla bean paste (which will make any kind of yogurt taste like ice cream). Although Z&H just opened a new location on 57th, they were able to purchase a Clover prior to Starbucks bought them, allowing you to try any of their Metropolis beans.