Upper East Side Review: World Cup Cafe

The Upper East side is generally considered bland and barren when it comes to coffee culture. Sure, like anywhere in New York, there is always a place to get a cup, but there are very few authentic coffee shops. Since I live in the east 90's, and go to school at Hunter College, I spend most of my time in the upper east side. I find most aspects of this neighborhood to be irritating; young yuppie couples, pretentious sports bars, yoga moms--I can go on--are just some of those aspects. What really bugs me, is the lack of coffee shops, and the culture that surrounds said shops. For the most part, I've accepted this fact, but still keep my eye out for new places I may have overlooked.

However, just because most shops do not meet my standards, I still have caffeinated needs, especially during my Greek Political Theory class at three in the afternoon. Hunter's choice of coffee would certainly depress even the most amateur coffee drinkers. There is the mock Starbucks, which serves Starbucks coffee at Starbucks prices; A problem that needs to be addressed in it's own post. Then there is the vending machine coffee, which I still haven't quite figured out, but have no intention to ever learn. This forces those who desire at the very least a cup of Foldgers quality coffee to venture off campus. Luckily, just a block north is a small coffee shop called World Cup Cafe.

If I had to describe what a "hole-in-the-wall" shop was, I would simply take you to this coffee shop. It is uncomfortably small, and often times crowded with students, but it's only a small price to pay when vending machine coffee is your next best choice. Despite it's size, there is actually a variety of food and drinks to choose from. They have a great selection of muffins, from basic blueberry to pineapple coconut, as well as other types of pastries. If you're in the mood for something a little more substantial, they have sandwiches, soups, and smoothies. Apparently the empanadas are absolutely delicious, but I have yet to try one.

I visit this place often, but today something caught my eye that I must have overlooked in the past: the creme brule latte. Since lately I have been in the mood for more obscure coffee drinks, like the nutella latte from my last post, I decided to give it a shot. The creme brule latte contained Ghiradelli white sauce, and Ghiradelli caramel sauce, which gave the impression it would be of high quality, or at least higher than that dreaded vending machine coffee. I must say though, I was fairly disappointed. I know that creme brule is always very sweet, but this drink was almost pure sugar. I was surprised that it did in fact taste like creme brule, but the sugar was too overwhelming. I couldn't finish the drink, and suffered a terrible sugar headache almost immediately.

Overall, I consider this place a good coffee shop, especially for the neighborhood. It's uncomfortably small, with only three chairs to sit in, and usually busy with students. The creme brule espresso was disappointing and gave me a massive headache, so I would recommend just a simple cup of coffee and a muffin. This is not an ideal place if you want to sit and relax, but is one of the best places in the upper east side for a quality cup of coffee. If you are looking for a bite to eat, they have a great selection of pastries, as well as sandwiches and soups. Another perk for Hunter students is the 10 percent discount on all drinks when you show your school ID! I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way to get here, but it's certainly one of the better places if you're already in the neighborhood.

World Cup Coffee is located at 69th street and Lexington Avenue

Directions: Take the 6 train to 68th street

West Village Coffee Review: Grounded.

One of my favorite things about living in New York, is how enjoyable simply walking around different neighborhoods can be. Since the last few weeks have been bitterly cold, windy, and very wet, I have spent most my time indoors, whining when I’m forced to walk five blocks to the subway. Today was the first day in weeks that it finally began to feel like spring, and I was eager to spend my Saturday afternoon outside. I decided to head down to the West Village to visit a coffee shop I had read about on the Internet. The place was called Grounded, and reviews claimed it was one of the best places in the neighborhood for espressos. Besides for the excellent espresso reviews I read, I was also excited to try their vegan tofu scramble breakfast wrap. I’m not vegan, but a tofu scramble breakfast wrap with an espresso sounded like a perfect Saturday brunch to me.

I think it is generally agreed upon by New Yorkers that the West Village is one of the hardest parts of Manhattan to navigate. It often feels like every street in that neighborhood is West 4^th street, but at least it’s a fun place to get lost, especially for coffee lovers. With coffee shops being outnumbered only by sex stores, it’s not too hard to find a place to sit down and relax. This shop in particular is located on Jane Street, and luckily it didn’t take me too long to find. From the outside, it appeared to be a very small place, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was actually a lot of room inside.

There were a lot of people sitting down, in fact there were no open seats available, but there was no line for drinks and food. I suppose two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon is prime time for labtop users, and not necessarily those in need to kick start their day with their fix of caffeine. I ordered a small caramel-hazelnut espresso, and was pleased to see that their definition of small was the Upper East Side’s version of large. Unfortunately they ran out of the tofu scramble, but it also was fairly late to be ordering breakfast. The baristas were exceptionally friendly, and very helpful in helping me decide which of their many mouth-watering drinks I should choose.

Grounded prides itself on being organic, as well as fair-trade. All of their milk is from Evans Farms in upstate New York, supporting both organic and local farming. They have a breakfast menu, pastries, salads, and sandwiches if you’re looking to grab a bite to eat. Their coffee drinks are unique and varied, yet you can clearly understand what each drink contains. They also have a great selection of organic teas, as well as smoothies. Even though it was tough to find a seat, the atmosphere is relaxing, and they have a decent amount of tables and couches if you want to sit down. They have an hour and a half limit for how long you can sit, but with so many things to do in the neighborhood, that isn’t a big issue. They also provide free wi-fi.

My experience here was excellent. The espresso was delicious, the baristas were some of the friendliest I’ve seen, and it’s organic and fair trade friendly. I couldn’t find a seat, but it was also primetime for labtop users, and I was happy to take advantage of the beautiful day and explore the village. Plus, shortly after I got my drink, I ran into Amy Sedaris on the street, who is one of my absolute favorite actresses! I plan on returning to Grounded soon to try their Nutella Latte, and hopefully get there in time for the tofu scramble.

2/21/10 Update:

I couldn't wait any longer to try their Nutella espresso. It was yet again a nice (though slightly windy) day in New York, and since the forecast for the next few days is rain, I knew this was my best opportunity to make it to the West Village. Luckily this time they had their tofu scramble, and open seats so I could sit down for a little while. The nutella espresso was everything I expected it to be. If anything, I suggest Grounded for this drink alone. The tofu scramble wrap was also delicious. They played great music (though I couldn't tell you who the artists were), and once again were exceptionally friendly. After my second visit, I can only recommend this place even more! I will definitely be visiting this place many more times in the future, which will surely come in handy with the buy 10 drinks get one free card they give you!

Picture of my nutella latte and tofu scramble:

Grounded is located at 28 Jane Street in the West Village between Greenwich Avenue and West 4^th street.

Directions: Take the 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, or L trains to 14^th street.

Website: www.Groundedcoffee.com