71 Irving Place
Swimster and I live on opposite ends of the city, unfortunate commuting-wise, but fortunate restaurant-exploring-wise.I had to be at work this morning at 11am and we decided to take a little stroll since the unbearable heat of this summer has seemingly fled (knock on wood).
We walked to Gramercy Park, and found Irving Place just south of the park. If I had the funds I think I would want to live off of the cozy Gramercy Park. The quaint garden and greenery are enclosed by a gate that is locked to the public. I'm not sure what you need to do to get a key, perhaps just live off the square. I will find out.
We continued down Irving Place, past a restaurant I'd eaten breakfast in a long time ago, Friend of a Farmer, and walked into a cute coffee shop named for its address 71 Irving Place. People were hanging on the front stoop, going about their Saturday routines, making me extremely jealous I couldn't sit down for a couple hours myself, to peruse the latest publications or just read a book. There wasn't much seating outside but plenty inside.
The inside was spacious enough you could sit and not be on top of anybody but cozy at the same time. The counter was towards the back and filled with baked treats. It reminded me of the smaller coffee shop Via Quadronno of the UES, and certainly a relief from the cookie-cutter Starbucks. Swimster ordered a simple cafe au lait and I ordered a decaf. I've finally weened myself off caffeine. Some think I'm crazy but it gives me a sense of pride not guzzling down 10 diet cokes a day. The coffee was delicious, and later read on the take-out menu they roast the coffee upstate at their farm. That's why. The scone I ordered was a little disappointing, being a
little bit on the hard side. Maybe I just caught the scone on a bad day. This certainly won't stop me from returning and ordering several of the other items off their menu: root beer floats, bagels, waffles, bruschetta, salads, sandwiches, paninis, and ice cream.The tables needed to be cleaned more often but other than that, I 'm definitely going back to 71 Irving Place.
*a coffee shop that takes credit cards and stays open late-BONUS!*
71 Irving Place
212-995-5252
posted by Mona at 1:38 PM
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8 Comments:
Wow, that book sounds very interesting. Read one myself with coffee in the title recently "The Coffee Trader." Very good read.
Funny how just writing about coffee is making me want a mug. I can't wait for wintertime when all you want is a nice warm coffee. Ice coffees in summer are great, but not as good as the real deal.
Thanks for your comments Violet!
Actually the book:
"Pour Your Heart Into it, The Story of how Starbucks built a company, one cup at a time"
is quite interesting.
In addition to learning about coffee you get an insight into the world of venture capital and the games that are played in Corporate America.
I am about half way through the book and I've enjoyed it. I just don't have time to finish reading it.
Hope all is well in the Big Apple tonight. Your pal, The Edit Man.
Mona li! The hard part about reading your blog is it leaves me craving for restaurants I can't get too...heehee :-) I have never had a perfect scone from a restaurant or cafe...I wonder why that is?
I love coffee though...I know what a pleasure it is to discover new cafes :-)
Joey, yah seriously, I understand what you mean. The food blog community is such a fun thing to be a part of but a bummer when you see something you want to try and realize it's millions of miles away...
Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! :) Here is a blurb about rhubarb for you:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cooking/text/0,1971,FOOD_9819_32219,00.html
I can find it in any grocery store or at the farmers market...and according to a certain website I shall not give credit to, its too damn embarrasing, "Field-grown rhubarb's peak season is in April and May. Hot-house rhubarb is generally available year round."
So there you have it! One more thing to mention, incase you've never bought it before, rhubarb is often green OR red colored, so don't worry if your market only has green! :)
alicat! thanks for the helpful response! i had a best friend a long time ago we called alicat.
brings back good memories!
will keep you posted on the rhubarb hunt!
No problemo :) Looking forward to reading your blog and leaving bitchy comments (its what I do best) ;) ;)
Hi Mona--
Nice blog! I work right around the corner from 71 Irving and drink their coffee everyday-- I love it. The baked goods are hit or miss though, for sure. They have strawberry filled croissants and chocolate chip cookies that are amazing, but the scones, brownies and others are a often a bit stale or something. The coffee is the thing. They don't make their own pastries. I can't wait to see where you go next....
--Matt
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