E-22 Cafe

The Nitty Gritty
E-22 Cafe

Location:1366 Powell (near Doyle)

Hours: Mon-Tues 8am-4:30pm; Wed-Thurs 8am-7pm; Fri 8am-9:30pm

Java: $1.75 (espresso) - $3.00 (mocha)

Goodies: $2-2.50 (croissants with chocolate, fig, strawberry...

Lunch/Dinner: $6.50 (caprese salad) - $13.00 (Caesar salad with anchovies and grilled shrimp)

Credit cards: Claro!

WiFi: Should be, but they've been having problems with it. They recommend you call ahead and see if it's working on a given day.

Power outlets: Very few, and inconveniently placed.

Bathroom:There's a mosaic-ed bistro table in there. It's pretty, but I have no idea why it's there.

Seating:Very limited indoor seating, with high tables and chairs along one wall. The whole place is windows. Lots of outdoor seating on a brick patio area. It's pretty cute, if you can ignore the corporate/industrial looking buildings all around.

Music: BAD jazz. Bad.

Ambient noise: It was just us. So quiet that all you could hear was the bad jazz.

Temperature: Nice when we were there--it was a sunny day and everything was open. It might get chilly when it's cool out, since all the walls are windows.

Parking: Street parking. You might have to circle the block a couple of times to find something.

Bicycle parking: You might have to walk a little way.

Biggest pro: None of us tried the food, but someone ordered a panino and it smelled incredible. We were drooling on each other.

Biggest con: The jazz ohpleasemakeitstop.

Recommended for: Afternoon drinks/late lunch. The place is trying extremely hard to be authentically Italian, and while it's not convincing me, it's still very charming. I could definitely see spending an afternoon with a couple of friends on the patio, enjoying paninis, beers, or some of that juicy-looking sangria.

Not recommended for: A cozy-up-with-a-book sort of cafe experience.

Philz Coffee

The Nitty Gritty
Phils Coffee

Location:1600 Shattuck (at Cedar)

Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-9pm; Sat-Sun 6:30am-9pm

Java: $2.75 - $2.95 (house blends); Jamaican Blue Mountain is $7 for small, $10 for large
This is probably as good a space as anyway to emphasize that my blog is not about coffee. I won't always order coffee, and I'm not a connoisseur (it only took me two tries to spell that word right). But this place has fantastic coffee. There are dozens of blends, listed by dark/medium/light roast, and each has a flavor description. They brew everything one cup at a time, and add the cream and sugar for you (if you want it). I'm not sure what they do to it, but it comes out frothy on top, and they ask if you want a mint leaf added. Delicious!

Goodies: $2.50 - $3 (pastries from Nabolom)

Credit cards: Si.

WiFi: free and keyless, but often slow.

Power outlets: All over the place, but on a really busy day, you might have to fight somebody for one.

Bathroom: Two of them! The lock is screwy on the first one, so if you have to use it, be vigilant.

Seating: Awesome. Like Spasso in that there are many mini-areas with different feels, but classier than Spasso by far. There are a handful of two-person tables for those of you who don't like to mess with what's classic. There's a big wooden table with high-backed wooden chairs that looks like it came out of the common room at some uppity English university. It's kind of fun to sit around the table with strangers, and wonder what they're working on. Or pretend they're working on the same thing you are, but you're doing it better.

This place has THREE sofas. Yeah. I only tested the slick leather one, but it is perfect for working. It's firm enough to keep you sitting with decent posture, but still comfy. Another of the sofas appears to be red velvet, and has a fainting-couch vibe. It's set back in the middle of a billion windows with its friend, an easy chair.

Music: This is my only complaint about Philz. It's a bit too loud, and makes violent genre shifts every two songs or so. Most of what they play is not ideal work music (though it is fun music). A lot of it sounds like somebody's Regina Spektor Pandora station, then we get some questionable cover versions of classic songs, some funk, and blast-from-the-past pop that might make you feel old.

Ambient noise: Quiet upstairs, a bit raucous downstairs where people are confused about what to do. Order your coffee on the side where people are making coffee. While they make it, pay your tab on the side where there's a cash register. 's not rocket science.

Temperature: Nice. The seating area is separated from the prep area and from the door, so the temp isn't too affected by either. On really hot days they even run the AC.

Parking: Metered on Shattuck. Side streets have different rules every block or so, so don't let them trick you.

Bicycle parking: Settle for a street sign, or just take the bus, since this is pretty close to downtown.

Biggest pro: The coffee, or the space. It's a toss-up.

Biggest con: The music. And, as S'mug Politik pointed out, the place is definitely not set up for anyone who uses crutches, a wheelchair, etc. You can get your coffee ground level, but the entire seating area is up a short flight of stairs.

Recommended for: Grading. Lounging around with a book on a day off.

Not recommended for: Anything that requires you to really focus. The awesomeness of the space, bright colors everywhere, and party music will distract you.

Walking in here for the first time, I realized that I might be becoming something of a city person, despite all my expectations. I grew up across from a cornfield, y'all. I fell asleep to the sound of crickets and banjo frogs or, if the wind was right, black angus cattle lowing. My favorite birthday present EVER was a swiss army knife, because now I could build forts in the woods more efficiently. Sometimes when a big blizzard came, we'd be stuck for days because our street was low-priority for the plows. That was the most populated place I'd ever lived--12,000 people. Before I moved to Berkeley, I lived in a town of <400. So this is coming as a revelation.

I was afraid of cities. They're big, and dirty, and people there are used to living there. You don't wave at everyone you pass on the street, because it's suicide to trust everyone you meet. Even if they're not malicious, they know how to take care of themselves, and it may have to happen at your expense. You're always in the public view. And it's so easy to get lost...

But on the other hand, it becomes all the more special when you do make a connection with someone. When you find a space that feels like a neighborhood, that allows you to let your guard down a little. When you catch a beam of light, between the buildings, that turns everyone on the bus golden for a moment, and gives you a view of the bay or the hills. When you find a fantastic restaurant behind a grungy storefront.

So tell me. What do you love about cities?

Nabolom Bakery

The Nitty Gritty

Location: College and Russell

Hours: Mon 7am-2pm; Tues-Fri 7am-6pm; Sat-Sun 7:30am-6pm

Java: $1.00 (small house coffee) - $3.75 (large mocha)

Goodies: $1.25 (cookie) - $2.75 (fruit danish)

Lunch/Dinner: $2.75 (mini pizza) - $4.75 (sandwich)

Credit cards: Yuppers.

WiFi: Free and keyless.

Power outlets: There seem to be a lot, but some weren't working when I was there.

Seating: Tables and chairs, a bar with padded stools, and on VERY dilapidated, black velvet couch. It's like you're sitting on bare springs, after which you walk away wearing a dusting of decrepit couch entrails. There are also a couple of tables and chairs outside, on the Russell side.

Music: Radio, but it was back in the kitchen and pretty quiet. Plenty of other noise drowning it out.

Ambient noise: Most people who came in here knew the owner and/or each other, so there was lots of neighborly conversation. Something in the kitchen was very squeaky and incessant.

Temperature: Perfect.

Parking: Paid on college, 2 hour (free) on most side streets.

Bicycle parking: They have a whole bike rack right outside the door!

Biggest pro: The pastries, and the friendly-neighborhood feel

Biggest con: The sofa, or what's left of it.

Recommended for: A quick breakfast or snack, or sitting outside on a nice day.

Not recommended for: Hunkering down for an extended stay.

That about says it for this one. The inside is pretty shabby, but the vibe is very cozy and welcoming. The coffee is pretty decent even though it’s pre-brewed and you pump your own. My apricot cheese pastry was buttery, flaky, creamy, and pretty big for the price. I’ve also had their cinnamon twists, which are fantastic as well.

I had lots of interesting interactions with strangers (and friends too) this week, which has me thinking a lot about the human condition. The man at the register when I went to the grocery store told me his cat, who he’s had for 15 years, had just died. Several of my friends are dealing with serious medical issues. One of my professors lectured even though his mother just passed away. A student’s hard drive fried itself just as she finished writing the paper that was due the next day. I saw someone discover that bits of his bicycle had been stolen. My newlywed sister and brother-in-law just had to put down their wonderful dog, who was only three. And then of course the news, about all these young people committing suicide because their peers bully them relentlessly about being gay.

My point is, how do any of us survive? I know about all of this, and yet I was having a great day yesterday (until one little thoughtless email from a higher-up ruined my mood). One stupid comment was all it took to bring me down, and these mood-killers are everywhere. Maybe it's the Midwest in me,  but stuff like this always makes me feel like I should have been there to prevent horrible things from happening, or at least to comfort the survivors. 


Negative experiences hit us so much harder than positive ones. If a million great things happen to me today, and one thing happens to annoy me, that's what my brain will dwell on, even if I tell my brain that's stupid. And we absorb other people's negative energies so easily, too. Don't get me wrong; I'm a naive idealist. Most of the time I go around under the assumption that everyone I meet is going to be my best friend, and that all my dreams (and theirs!) will come true. But this is a lot to process.


I think that underneath all these words, what my innards really want to scream is why don't we do a better job taking care of each other? How did this life get so hard that it's all we can muster to take care of ourselves, sometimes blatantly at the expense of others? We are doing something wrong. We are doing many somethings wrong.


Please, if you're reading this, do something today to make someone's day a little brighter. Hold your tongue for a second when you're about to criticize, and ask yourself if there's a gentler way to say it. Bake something for your colleagues. Let someone get in the lane in front of you. Call somebody you don't talk to often enough.


See? Told you I was a hopeless idealist.

Not so S'mug today,
Bitch

Local 123

The Nitty Gritty

Location: 2049 San Pablo

Hours: Mon-Sat 7am-10:30pm, Sun 7am-5pm

Java: $2.25 (house espresso) - $4.25 (large mocha)

My cappuccino was very pretty, and the mugs have a perfect weight to them. It tasted lovely, but was more of a latte than a cappuccino. The nice leaf pattern you see was the extent of the foam.


Goodies: I forgot to write down prices, but maybe S'Bastard can help me out. He said the morning buns were WAY better than Semifreddi's

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: Again, forgot to write down prices (I have failed you pleaseforgivemeeeee), but there were hard boiled eggs for something like sixty cents, then some artisan sandwiches in the $5-7 range.

Credit cards: Jawohl.

WiFi: Free as the wind

Power outlets: A cornucopia of them.

Bathroom: Why do I even put this here? Every place has a bathroom, and I rarely go in there to check it out for you. Because apparently I'm also a Thoughtless Bitch.

Seating: As usual, I went for comfort. This cafe has a couch and easy chair that are *actually* nice. Not just comfortable, but also probably nicer and cleaner than what you have at home (if I have correctly assessed the demographic of my readers). Also a long narrow row of small tables and chairs. Also a patio, which I will discuss later.

Music: I think maybe hipsters like the stuff they were playing. I didn't really know what to do with it. It was all over the place. Like, some indie rock, then some Hawaii-inspired-50s-inspired-contemporary something that for whatever reason made me feel kind of offended, or like I was missing something. And I'm not just saying that so y'all won't think I'm a hipster. I honestly didn't get it.

Ambient noise: Almost none.

Temperature: You can probably count on this place pretty accurately reflecting the temperature outside, since one entire wall is like a giant glass garage door. Today the sun was out and it was open to the street, but I can't imagine it insulates very well when it's chilly out. At least it looks really shiny and cool.

Parking: Some side streets off San Pablo have unrestricted parking (just watch for street sweeping signs)

Bicycle parking: Settle for a signpost, and lock all detachable parts.

Biggest pro: I had planned to stay here all day and switch from caffeine to alcohol at some point, but ended up wandering off in favor of a friend's cozy cottage. The opportunity to stay put and get stimulants and depressants in the same venue would be a pretty sweet pro, though.

Biggest con: I definitely got the vibe that I didn't really belong here. Not sure why, because I loved the space. I just felt like everyone there thought they were cooler than me, although I totally disagreed with them. Even S'mug Bastard knows he isn't cooler than me, and he's a smug bastard.

Recommended for: Delicious flying goat coffee. I hear the morning buns are also fab.

Not recommended for: Talking with your non-hipster friends about non-hipster things. The regulars might kill you with their bare spite. Is it just me, or did the word 'spite' just get a lot cooler? Spite would be an awesome name for a weapon. What would it look like? "Back off, attacker. I have a spite and I know how to use it."

Actually on second thought, let's go here sometime and do dramatic readings of Going Rogue. We could pretend we're taking it seriously and see what happens!

______

I'd characterize this place as industrial-chic. Like, if people who actually had money lived in lofts, they would probably look like this. It's an urban photographer's dream (not to self: ask if they want to display some of my photographs sometime). There are pillars made of those big metal beams that you always see on cartoons when people chase each other through a construction site, and of course as soon as they run onto the beam, a crane lifts it up and they don't even notice they're three stories up until they run off the end and have time to look at you with "OH SHIT" eyes before gravity kicks in. (Please excuse the run-on sentence. I blame my students, whose papers I just spent three solid days grading.) But these weren't orange like they are in cartoons. They're the colors of actual oxidizing metal; all the silvery cool colors, adorned by flowery orange patches of rust.

The back courtyard has mismatched furniture, some of it in-your-face fire-engine red. The lower part of the walls is red brick, with potted plants and a battered watering can sitting on top. The rest of the way up (and it's a looong way up) is concrete, with black city grit creeping up it irregularly.

In summary, the place made me want to wax poetic and take pictures of it, more than it made me want to hang out there. I've been meaning to start bringing a camera along, at the behest of our friend S'Mug Strumpet The Burninator, but the best I can do for today is some camera phone snapshots.

I wished I could've taken some pictures under the tables without seeming like a creeper, because the footwear present seemed to sum up who was at this cafe. Flip-flops, hiking boots, dusty leather clogs, beat-up black tennies, and a couple with matching crocs. Seriously? Barf.

Wow, I'm judging this place so hard. People seem to love it. I think I can see why, but it's not my scene. Maybe I was just in a foul mood since I had a million papers to grade. 

This post is already too long, so no rant today. Instead, here's a sweet shot of a wound I gave myself doing something awesome:

Ten points to anyone who guesses how I got it.