Berkeley - Caffe Trieste. Papa Gianni sings on Sundays. Che fantastico
Ive never stopped by the SF Caffe Trieste when there was music. The Berkeley Caffe Trieste is a roomier coffee house complete with wi-fi. The menu is expanded and so is the music program.
Tuesday night theres live jazz from 7 9. Monday at 7 pm is traditional Italian piano and mandolin music, Friday 10/7 at 8 pm there will be balafo (pan-African music). Friday night music features a different style of music every week. All this for nothing more than the price of a cup of coffee
and a voluntary contribution in the tip glass for the musicians.
However, I cant believe that any of these programs capture the sheer passion and showmanship of 84 year old Pappa Gianni and the North Beach Bands Sunday afternoon of Italian traditional music and operatic arias. Gianni, the founder of Café Trieste in SF, worked the crowd, strolling around the café and the side walk tables mike in hand, energetically singing in Italian. I was in awe.
When Lori Stark stepped up and belted out a few arias, it was more Italian than anything Ive seen in Italy. There were two other singers, one of which got the crowd to sing Volare
well at least the part that goes Volare, oh oh, cantare, oh oh oh oh No one except the singer knew the other lyrics
in Italian.
Four musicians playing a piano, bass guitar, regular guitar and accordion, accompanied the singers. One of the band members sang a Louis Armstrong medley, like Louis.
It was a crowd that spanned generations and lifestyles. There was a mom with a baby that was fussed over by elderly lady with a walker. There were student types diligently sitting along the window working on their computers and a really tall guy with a pink silk fan and artistically arranged Kleenex on his head
and everyone in between.
A parking place opened up near Café Trieste and I decided to finally grab a cup of cap and check out the place. Great barista in keeping with the fall season, he made pumpkins in the foam. It was really impressive to watch the flick of the wrist that created the cappuccino art. Just like the SF location, it was a nice strong brew with a bit of a bite and medium foam.
Theres an extended selection of Italian pastries and cakes in Berkeley. Fiorello gelato is available in seven flavors. Todays selection included pistachio, spumoni, raspberry, vanilla bean, espresso, chocolate, cookies and cream.
Paninis on Semifreddi rolls are available in hot and cold form. Italian cold cuts, on good bread, you cant go wrong. The quiche with salad looked really good. There are two soups minestrone and Tuscan bean.
There are morning egg sandwiches on bagels and croissants. For $1.50 there are containers of Brown Cow yogurt.
The beverage/coffee list is long with a few things I havent seen before like spiced milk and a milk toddy. There are six beers on tap and a half a dozen wines. Monday thru Friday from 4 pm 7 pm is happy hour. Draft beer is $3 a pint and $1 a glass. Wine is $2.75. A pint of beer, salad and pizza special is $6.50.
Full from Sunday brunch elsewhere and a dessert at Sea Salt, I bought a glass of Chianti in addition to the cap. The music program was charming.
Oh, and if you are into knitting, on Wednesday nights starting at 6pm its Stitch N Bitch.
The East Bay Express on the Monday night Music
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/Issues/2005-09-07/music/music3.html
The Berkeley Daily Planet on Caffe Trieste
http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm?archiveDate=10-01-04&storyID=19770
One more the Chronicle on Caffe Trieste prior to opening
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/09/EBG8J616741.DTL
Caffe Trieste
2500 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
(South Berkeley
)510-548-5198
Hours
Monday Friday: open at 6:30 am
Saturday Sunday: open at 7 am
Sunday Thursday: close at 10 pm
Friday Saturday: close at 11 pm
rworange
Oct 03, 2005 12:34AM
Link
2500 San Pablo Ave Berkeley CA
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According to the most recent newsletter of PANIL, a neighborhood group around Piedmont Ave in Oakland, Caffe Trieste will be opening next door to Cesar. That's the papered-over windows you see to the right of Cesar.
PANIL opposed yet another coffee shop in their backyard. The permit was approved when Trieste said they would also retail things like coffee machines, beans, etc.
Hours will be 7am to midnight. I think Peets (oldtimer crowd) and Gaylord (laptop drifters) will lose some customers. Starbucks people prefer things more structured and probably won't emigrate.
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I think Peets will be safe. As much as I enjoy the ambiance of the Trieste cafes especially when Gianni is around, I'm not so crazy about the coffee itself. Better than Starbucks though so too bad that crowd might snub it.
Trieste seems to want to expand its empire. A new caffe opened in San Rafael this month and one is due to open in San Jose.
From the website ....
"We want to add new members to our family! If you’re interested in becoming a part of the Trieste organization and/or bringing a lovingly run and original, non ”cookie cutter” style Caffe Trieste location to Northern or Southern California, the Southwest or the East Coast, please contact Fabio or Sonia Giotta "
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Hard to imagine anything Piedmont Avenue needs less than another coffee place. Other than the singing, it's hard to think of a single thing that Trieste will offer that is not already covered by Peet's, Starbucks, AG Ferrari, Lamyx, Gregoire...maybe the breakfast sandwiches. Only upside is that it's unlikely to bring more traffic to the already jammed public parking lot.
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I wish I could share your enthusiasm. I really do.
When I moved from North Beach to Berkeley twenty-plus years ago, I almost couldn't bring myself to sign the papers to buy the house, so distraught was I over moving across the bay from my beloved Caffe Trieste.
So I was totally psyched when I learned they were opening a branch a block from my house.
But, alas, I quickly discovered the baristas were simply clueless--not in the same league with Iolanda, who used to run the show in North Beach when I lived there. The espresso drinks served up at the Berkeley branch are bitter swill.
Once I ordered a ristretto, only to watch the barista run about 6 ounces of water through the ground coffee and, when I complained, pour half of it out and try to pass the remains off as a ristretto.
A while ago they started making drip coffee in Chemexes--a very good move--and placing the Chemexes on hot plates--which destroys the coffee instantly.
If you like traditional Italian song, check out Pappa Gianni's crew.
If you like the experience of sitting in a lively cafe, the Berkeley Trieste is a pleasant enough space.
But if you like coffee, stick to Ritual or Blue Bottle.
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Well, my recent post sounded harsher than I meant it to. I like Trieste's cappuchino.and on my long ago visit the barista was good ... but then again papa was in the house. I'm more of a regular cup of Joe person so in when I lived in SF, I was more of a Cafe Roma fan for that. I haven't had Peets in a zillion years because there are a zillion better coffee brewers in Berkeley for my tastes. However, I think that a Peets fan isn't going to be wooed by Trieste. I might be wrong.
Let's hope that while allowing new cafes to do their own thing, there is some quality control as they open these shops.
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I think Caffe Trieste serves just about the best coffee in Berkeley. We drink Peets at home but I prefer Trieste to Peets when we go out. I used to love Starbucks ten years ago when it was hard to find coffee places on the East Coast but I would not even consider them - they have no clue about foam. I used to frequent Cafe Roma in Elmwood but I think Trieste is superior in terms of coffee, ambience and of course I love when Papa Giovanni comes to sing. Perhaps the one in SF is better but I like the baristas here in Berkeley and the coffee they serve. Of course it is my neighborhood cafe :-)
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