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Sunday, December 7th, 2008
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2:17 pm - SoHo Coffee & Tea - DuPont Circle
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SoHo Coffee & Tea
2050 P St NW
Washington, DC
DuPont Circle is a highly competitive market for a coffee shop. There are dozens of shops in the area, each one vying for the frequent foot traffic of the young, trendy throngs which flock to the area. With its location several blocks from the metro, SoHo Coffee & Tea is hardly the most convenient coffee shop in the area. It is, however, very close to the popular Brickskeller – and with SoHo’s incredibly late night hours that’s a major bonus.
During the day, SoHo is mainly frequented by students. With rows of tables and of course a wide array of food and caffeinated drinks, SoHo makes an ideal environment to study. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of couches, and while an individual shouldn’t have any trouble finding a seat there’s seldom enough free seats for a large group of people. As a result, SoHo really isn’t the place to take a group of friends to relax.
Later at night, SoHo empties out a bit. Since they’re open as late as 4:30 am, it’s a great spot for a late-night snack, someplace to recover from clubbing or for the night owls to hang out. As a nice bonus, SoHo even serves beer and wine.
SoHo is a great place for the younger crowd, especially students. The only major drawback is the cost: most drinks run about $4, and lunch can easily end up costing $15 or more. While that’s not too surprising for DuPont Circle, it can still be daunting on a limited budget. Even so, it’s well worth visiting.
The ratings:
(0-4) Regular coffee - 3. They grind their own, though they don’t seem to roast it there.
(0-2) Iced coffee – 2. Definitely what you need on a hot day, and as good as iced coffees anywhere.
(0-2) Latte - 2. Their mixed coffee drinks are excellent. I enjoyed a "Hello Gorgeous macchiato", which isn't anything like a real macchiato but was nonetheless quite tasty. A bit pricey though, at $4.
(0-2) Espresso - 2. I seldom drink straight espresso when a macchiato is available. The macchiato here is HUGE, the same size as a normal cup of coffee, with excellent foam and just the right flavor. Even stuffed up, that aroma came through beautifully. Perfect.
(0-2) Tea - 2. They have an excellent selection of loose leaf teas available iced and hot, with both classic blinds and some more innovative options.
(0-2) Non-caffeinated drinks - 2. There's a good selection of smoothies, soft drinks, and juice options.
(0-2) Pastries - 2. SoHo seems to have a deal with a nearby bakery, and the results are very positive indeed.
(0-2) Sandwiches - 2. SoHo has an excellent selection of sandwiches, wraps, and paninis, not to mention bagels, other breakfast foods and some incredible soups. The chicken bisque I tried was excellent.
(0-2) Ice cream - 2. Ice cream, milkshakes, and other concoctions hold a well-deserved place on the menu.
(0-2) Internet access - 2. Easy connection. It's only 802.11b, but even though the coffee shop was crowded I didn’t notice any lag; it's fine for regular web use, just not for hefty downloads. They also require a minimum $5 purchase to use their access, though there's no authentication or anything, it's simply a notice that they'll kick you out if all you're doing is using their connection.
(0-4) Comfort - 2. It's a largish place, but seems to be pretty crowded all the same. It's mostly oriented toward students, with a good number of tables and chairs for people with laptops or books. There are only a few couches along the far wall. To be fair, when I came it was almost entirely populated by kids studying for finals. On a definite plus, everyone was very polite and in spite of being crowded was still relaxing. Unfortunately, they only have a single unisex bathroom, which is rather vexatious for how many people were there.
(0-4) Hours - 4. Open until well into the am every night, the earliest they close is 12:30 am. On Fridays and Saturdays they close at 4 am. Can't ask for better.
(0-4) Staff - 3. I had the opportunity to observe a new staff member being trained. The staff is friendly and takes pride in their work. There was obvious care to make sure the new member was initiated into the intricacies of coffee, and not just taught to make some mixed drinks by rote.
(0-2) Music - 1. Background music, nothing to write home about but not intrusive either. The speakers are pretty well placed to get good coverage, but the acoustics of the place aren’t so great.
Total score of 29 out of a possible 36.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, December 1st, 2008
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4:19 pm - "Coffee House" - Lee Highway past hte Home Depot.
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Regular coffee - 2. They use caribou coffee. $2.05 for a large.
Iced coffee - do they know how to make a decent iced coffee?
Latte - 2. Had a pumpkin spice latte, seems pretty good. $3.89 for a medium.
Espresso - 1. The macchiatto came out as bitter and too hot for the proper flavor. $2.15 for a small.
Tea - 1. Chai latte. No bag tea that I saw, though.
Non-caffeinated drinks - 1. They have a cooler with soda. Not much else.
Pastries - 1. Distinctly meh. There are pastries, but nothing to write home about.
Sandwiches - 0. However, they promise to have them soon when they have a large refrigerator.
Ice cream - 0. No freezer or the like.
Internet access - 2. Connected right up.
Comfort - 2. The place seems a bit unfinished, but they do have a couch and a nice easy chair. Lots of cube shapes going on here, very modernist.
Hours - 1, but improving. They're open until 8 on weekdays except for Friday, when they're open until 11 pm, and until 6 on weekends.
Staff - 2. Well, they are bored teenagers, but they seem to be bored teenagers who give a damn. And I love it when I can quip "So, Jillian, do you like public transit?" "No, not really." "Well, that's unfortunate, because Andrew here just threw you under the bus." and have them get it.
Music - 1. XM Radio, jazz. Seems to fall toward the inoffensive category, but I can't say good things about the sound system they're using, which consists of residential-grade system in the corner.
I still need toc heck out their iced coffee, but for the moment I'm giving them a 1 there, as it's on the menu. Total score then is 17 out of a possible 28. The Coffee House has the unfortunate feel of a place which has just opened - and may not be open for too much longer. Right now it's a shoestring operation. With weekly live music, a large space, and an enthusiastic staff, they have a great deal of potential. Right now, though, there's not much but potential. And, to be honest, that really was the worst macchiatto I've ever had. They've got a long way to go before they'll be a success.
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
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11:58 pm - Coffee talk?
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As many here have likely figured out, I like coffee shops.
I've been thinking of making it a habit to visit various and sundry different coffee shops int he metro area and rating them.
So, I'd like get some ideas on how to rate these coffee shops. I'm thinking of making the scoring mechanism simple: if they don't have a given item or aspect,t hey get a 0. If they have it but it's not very good, they get a 1. If they have it and it's good, they get a 2. Score will be the total of the points. Simple, doesn't get too far into the esoterica of coffee - as you may know, I'd be unto myself wont to sit there and cup the coffee. Which may - and indeed does - have its value, but isn't really quite what most people care about.
So, what categories or aspects should I look for?
Right now, I've thought of the following:
(0-4) Regular coffee - basically, do they have a regular old cup o' joe?
(0-2) Iced coffee - do they know how to make a decent iced coffee?
Latte - how about mixed coffee drinks?
(0-2)Espresso - and can they make a good cup of the strong stuff?
(0-2)Tea - do they have tea? Is it in any way an improvement over making Lipton at home?
(0-2)Non-caffeinated drinks - How about for those who don't drink caffeine? Soda? Or something more?
(0-2)Pastries - Man does not live on coffee alone. He also needs cinnamon rolls.
(0-2)Sandwiches - and how about more substantial fare?
(0-2)Ice cream - oddly, ice cream is a common thing in coffee shops. How is it?
(0-2)Internet access - wireless? Pay wireless? Does it work?
(0-4)Comfort - is the shop a relaxing place, or does it offer all the ambiance of a dentist's waiting room?
(0-4)Hours - how are their hours? Convenient, or do they close just after you get off work?
(0-4)Staff - bored teenagers? People who care about their coffee? Disturbingly perky but remarkably friendly young men whom you end up being friends with?
Anyone have any other thoughts?
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
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8:41 pm - Once more
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In case anyone didn't see the previous post...
We're still looking for a fourth roommate. We've found a really great house, about a mile from the Vienna metro, but with the cost of the house and the utilities, it's not really a good option for only three people. However, it's very large and we could easily have four or even five people. It'd be something like $700/month after utilities.
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(comment on this)
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