new coffee house on Broadview across from Riverdale park
just walked by a new coffee shop on Broadview north of Gerrard. There were people in there working on the finishing touches. Looks like it'll be opening soon. Hoping this will improve the eating options in this area in the very near future.
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atomeyes
Feb 13, 2010 09:38 AM
i grabbed a latte there last week.
The gentleman behind the counter was very friendly. the barista was a little sloppy and indifferent.
he poured a really lazy latte. little care in final appearance, milk was poured too quickly, kind of looked pained to have to work.taste: the latte was way too hot. almost Starbucks hot. i burned my tongue on the first sip. and all great lattes will be very warm but not near-scalding hot (milk tastes burnt if heated too hot). the espresso they use is really bold and is a dark roast. that means two things: 1) it will have less caffeine than less dark roasts, 2) it will be less smooth and more "punchy". if you like to have the full, heavy espresso taste, you will like this latte. i personally prefer a silky and creamier and more smooth and flavourful latte. i like to taste the espresso but to get the "hints" of other flavours great espresso beans have (use Mercury's feature lattes as a great example. each region has different underlying flavours. Ethiopian Yerba beans have a lovely blueberry flavour). so i found this latte to be good but not amazing. too hot, too strong.
i still give Broadview Espresso the nod as my fave in the city (when they are on, they are ON)
i picked it up at 1ish on a weekday and the cafe was 2/3 full. very impressive. looks like a great space.
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re: atomeyes
I don't know where you get your info atomeyes, but it has not been proven that a darker roasted coffee has less caffeine. Here's a good resource for you:
http://www.roastmagazine.com/backissu...
If your latte was too hot, you probably didn't get a good idea of what the espresso actually tasted like. When milk gets burnt, it changes the flavour of the entire drink. That's why milk steaming is so important.
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The coffee is excellent. I have tried the Bold Beaverand the Aromatic Rooster - - both were memorable.
The quick summary on this place is that it looks great, the owners are attractive, and the coffee is top quality. (The Riverdale Perk on Logan is nowhere near in the same league coffee-wise) Someone did a fine job with the interior design....comfy leather chairs, a big dinging/work table, and also a high stool bar along the edge of the window for solo drinkers/readers looking out onto broadview and the park. A bunch of chairs lined up outside along the front window. I hope it will be civilized enough to allow people to smoke there. I do see that there is a vintage stand-up cigarette ashtray stand there, but the actually ashtray is curiously absent from it.
Do we miss the old Parkhill Convenience that used to inhabit this place? Absolutely...it's a little weird sipping good coffee in the exact spot where Mike used to take in your dry cleaning, rent you a video, sell you penny candy, slip you a cigarette if you were out of them, wave you away when you were a little short on money....or, yes, pour you a cup of basic no-frill coffee. We miss his table saw in front of the place, where he cut the wood for his sculpture works. We miss working on the jigsaw puzzles on the picnic table...and finding a few blown away pieces along the sidewalk as we walked home. That place was legend. It would be nice to see some of his artwork carvings in the new restaurant...or better yet, to have him behind the espresso bar....
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haggisdragon
Jan 12, 2010 04:31 AM
Went last sunday, very good latte, comfy chairs, friendly service, croissants from Jules Pattisserie, great music, in a bright airy room. I don't hang out in coffee shops much but I live just up the road so this may become an occasional sunday morning sojourn.
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re: haggisdragon
We went again yesterday and love the place. Similar to haggisdragon, I don't hang much in coffee shops but this place made me want to rethink the whole thing. The latte was wonderful and pumpkin muffin was really yummy also.
And the staff are so friendly and eager to please. The guy that served us was a real sweetie.
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I checked this place out the other day. Beans here are great, and the service is also really good. Much better than Si Espresso. And I would say better than the Perk as well, although I have to say I had a pretty fine drip coffee from there the other day - hadn't been there for a while, and was pleasantly surprised.
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re: chalenegirl
thenurse
Jan 3, 2010 04:03 PM
From what I've seen, it's called coffeehouse (the new place across from Riverdale Park, between Withrow and Riverdale Avenues). We've been twice now and have been happy with their tea selection and fair trade coffee. I found the coffee a little strong, but it's WAY better than the Riverdale Perk, which is only a few doors away from us.
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re: Herne
foodyDudey
Jan 6, 2010 08:48 AM
I haven't been by there recently but I'm sure it's the place that used to be a variety store, has no other stores near it, and is near Riverdale Ave. It should not be hard to find....
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re: millygirl
foodyDudey
Jan 7, 2010 09:55 AM
it is a little confusing, but that's OK with me as it's very hard to find any coffee better than what I roast at home. No need to go out for something as simple as that.
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Hey mollygirl and others, I went by tonight and the new coffee shop is now open. I didn't stop by. But, there were 10-12 people sitting around eating and drinking.
Sorry for my earlier posting prior to the opening. I just thought people might be interested to know that something new was coming to the area.›9 Replies-
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re: FoodJourno
I went by yesterday afternoon. Love the decor. The owners are also lovely. Good selection of fresh, tasty baked goods (the muffins are baked in brown paper, maybe the same supplier as Te Aro and the One in the Only?). I had a chai latte which was fine (I love coffee but I can't drink it after noon). Simple but nice touch of help-yourself water pitchers with sliced lemon. So much nicer, and of course cheaper, than drinking out of a plastic bottle!
I will be going back soon. My husband made fun of me "So how did you know about a cafe that just opened yesterday?" - he knows exactly where I heard about it ;)
For those who haven't been by Si, from the outside it looks truly like an espresso "bar" rather than a cafe - small with stools, there's maybe one table in there? The new cafe (and I didn't catch the name) is much roomier and more friendly to me and my baby's stroller. It's not all that close to the Danforth though. I'm out walking the area every day and I'm not sure I would have stumbled on it for a while, so thanks Eatertainer.
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Sorry folks. I just thought it would be interesting to start a chat about an interesting new option in the area as opposed to the usual bashing of independent establishments.
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re: Eatertainer
pescatarian
Dec 16, 2009 07:20 AM
No bashing here. The question about a place that is not open yet led to a discussion of other options in the area. If anything, I lauded existing places (Broadview Espresso and Dark Horse). Haven't been to Si. As others have mentioned, we can't comment on another place that is not open yet. Hopefully when it
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re: millygirl
haggisdragon
Dec 16, 2009 08:33 AM
Si Espresso is on Broadview just south of the Danforth. It is not the new spot in the OP. I've been to Si once, had a great cappuccino that came with a little ameretti cookie (looked homemade, very tasty). The owner seemed friendly enough to me.
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Yeah, I walked by there last week. Also keep meaning to try the place just south of Danforth off Broadview.
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re: cheesymama
pescatarian
Dec 15, 2009 10:49 AM
I haven't tried it yet either because I'm loyal to Broadview Espresso, however, I wish BE was open a bit later than they are some days. Sometimes I'm on my way home around 7 and feel like a coffee and they are long closed. I think they are open a bit later sometimes on Thursdays.
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re: currycue
Iliada, Caffe Frappe and 521 are coffee shops on the Danforth that are open until 2 am, serving espresso, Greek coffee, drip coffee, etc. But their coffee isn't going to be the type of artisinal/ small batch coffee you might find at Broadview Espresso or Dark Horse, and the atmosphere will be louder, more like a bar.
Athen's Pastries also serves espresso and Greek coffee in the evening.
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re: phoenikia
pescatarian
Dec 15, 2009 12:27 PM
Ya, I want the artisinal/small batch coffee available later. Not even until 2 am. I'd be happy with 10 or 11.
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re: merlot143
pescatarian
Dec 15, 2009 11:33 AM
The owner, Mike, is a really friendly guy. You can tell he really cares about the place and his staff are very easy going and friendly.
I should add that I do also frequent Dark Horse on Queen East because it's convenient after my spin class and I do enjoy their coffee. The staff there are usually pretty friendly also. I'm not familiar with the owner there.
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re: merlot143
atomeyes
Dec 16, 2009 06:46 AM
we met Mike, the owner, a few weeks before he opened the cafe (2 summers ago). he actually invited us in to try his espresso. just poured us a shot each, chatted for a while, refused to charge us for the shots.
great guy, friendly guy and, in general, has hired friendly staff.
his place is a success story - looks consistently busy. plus his lattes are $0.25 to $1.25 cheaper than other cafes.
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