Grounded Coffee Featured in Daily Show Segment!

Although I usually don't watch much television, The Daily Show is one program I try to watch regularly. Last week, during a segment on open-carrying rights, I noticed a familiar place. Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac went into Grounded in the West Village strapped with (presumably fake) guns to order his tea. The clip in general is funny, and also great to see one of my favorite coffee shops!

Open Carrier Discrimination

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West Village Review: Third Rail Coffee

The New York Times recently mentioned Third Rail Coffee as one of the top 10 coffee shops in New York City (Read it here), and I've been eager to try it since. Located in the heart of the West Village, a neighborhood where good coffee is becoming almost as common as sex shops, Third Rail has been able to stand out as one of the best coffee shops around.

Third Rail is located on Sullivan Street, just a block south of Washington Square Park. Although seating is limited in this small shop, you can take it to go and enjoy whatever festivities are happening in the park, which I always find enjoyable since there is almost always a jazz improv band playing. What they lack in seating is made up for in their coffee itself. I ordered a cappuccino, and I must say it was the best I've had yet! It was noticeably fresh and slightly more sweet than others I've had so far.

There are a few things that separate Third Rail from other coffee shops around the city. They were the first place in New York to use Chemex coffee makers and filters, in which they brew four different single origin coffees, as well as their decaf in. Other shops have followed their lead and also began using Chemex, which is a new, top-notch way to brew coffee. Still, Third Rail remains one of the few in the city who use Chemex, and are also the only coffee shop in New York to carry both Intelligentsia and Stumptown coffee. Of the four single origins they have, two are Intelligentsia, and two are Stumptown, and offer the following:

Intelligentsia:

Papua New Guinea: Agoga

Burundi: Miyonge

Stumptown:

Ethiopia: Michelle

Rwanda: Muyongwe

Besides great coffee, they also offer pastries, some of which are vegan-friendly. They serve tea and hot chocolate, and support direct trade with high quality companies. The New York Times ranked Third Rail Coffee as one of the Top 10 coffee shops in New York City. Does it deserve such an accolade? In my opinion, yes. They are able to separate themselves from other shops around the city on more than one level, a difficult feat in a neighborhood that offers some of the best coffee in New York. I've had my best cappuccino to date here, and I'm certain it was not by chance. Though it is not ideal for laptop users looking to stay for a while, it is perfect for anybody looking for a great cup of coffee.

Location: 240 Sullivan Street, bewteen Bleecker and West 3rd

Website: http://www.thirdrailcoffee.com/

Joe: The Art Of Coffee

When researching the best coffee shops in New York City, you are guaranteed to see one name mentioned in all blogs: Joe. Joe Coffee is one of New York's most reputable coffee shops, and I decided that it was time for me to see if its coffee lived up to its reputation. I screwed up this past weekend by not going to the original location for Ninth Street Espresso, another one of the top dogs in New York, and made sure not to make the same mistake with Joe. There are five different locations around the city, but the one most often talked about is located on Waverly Place in the West Village. The West Village is home to some of the best coffee shops in New York, including my personal favorite, Grounded coffee on Jane Street.

I had first heard about Joe because I had read that Amy Sedaris would occasionally sell her famous cheeseballs and cupcakes there. I called Joe almost every free day I had asking if they had them in that day. I was always met with them telling me she rarely does that anymore, but I refused to accept that. In my mind, she would have to make them eventually, and I was relentless with my calling. It wasn't until after the daily phone calls that I began reading about Joe online. So many bloggers, and even sources like The New York Times, would praise Joe as one of the best coffee shops in the city. I still continue to think of it as "The Amy Sedaris Place," and after reading so many positive reviews, I decided it was finally time for the baristas to meet the man behind the phone.

Considering its prestige, I expected a line out the door. It wasn't chaotic, but there weren't any seats available inside. I decided to go with the drip coffee without milk or sugar, in order to get the true Joe experience. The coffee was fantastic, and the baristas were very friendly. In fact, they even have biographies for all of their baristas on their website. Joe gets their coffee roasted from Ecco Caffe, a company from California that roasts high quality, fair trade coffee from around the world. It is clear why Joe is considered one of the top in New York. They even offer classes for those interested in learning anything from basic brewing to making the perfect espresso.

I'm sure if you're a New Yorker with a coffee habit, or obsession, you have at the very least heard of Joe, and most likely have gone there. This is maybe at the top of my list of "must visit" coffee shops in the city. I have only been to the Waverly Place location, which I believe is the original, and definitely most popular location. I plan on going back here, and to Ninth Street Espresso, to really get a grasp of the entire menu.

Location: Waverly Place and Gay Street in the West Village.

Directions: 1 and 2 trains to Christopher Street, A,C,E,B,V,F trains to West 4th street.

Website: www.joetheartofcoffee.com

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