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.

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.

The Beanery

Apologies, bitchez! This post is actually from last Saturday, but I forgot to post it. Have at ye!

The Nitty Gritty

Location: 2925 College, near Ashby

Hours: Every day 7am-10pm

Java: $1.50 (house coffee) - $3.95 (cold fusion: coffee, any flavor ice cream, milk)

Goodies: $2.50 (bars of all kinds!) - $3.75 ("black magic" chocolate cake that looks insanely moist and rich)

Lunch/Dinner: $5.95-6.95 sandwiches

Credit cards: Mm-hm

WiFi: Unlimited, no password required. You used to get only two hours here, which is why I haven't been back in a while.

Power outlets: Search them out; they're there.

Bathroom: You got it.

Seating: Tables and chairs, far as the eye can see. Not especially comfortable, but the patio furniture outside is pretty nice. There are also benches out there, and big umbrellas to block the glare in case you're doing computer work out there. The back half of the cafe is made of skylights, which is also a major plus.

Music: Innocuous Classical music. And I pretty much mean Classical in the time-period sense of the word, not the NPR-genre sense. Some days it seems to be all Mozart all the time.

Ambient noise: Usually pretty quiet, but more of a social place than most other places I've reviewed so far. This particular day we were surrounded by a study group, a chess game, and mother-daughter banter.

Temperature: It was a really hot day, and the back courtyard really holds the heat in. Inside wasn't as bad.

Parking: Paid and hard-to-find on College, but plentiful side streets.

Bicycle parking: Elmwood is usually pretty hoppin', so you might have to explore a bit to find a good spot.

Biggest pro: Plenty of outside seating that isn't on the bustlin' street out front.

Biggest con: Perhaps the innocuous Classical bias...but that's a personal bias.

Recommended for: Short-term working, refreshments

Not recommended for: A whole day working

S'mug Bastard and I had a "cold fusion" with cookies-n-cream ice cream, and a pomegranate Italian soda. At least three people asked us what one or both of these items were, and proceeded to copy us. Yeah, those losers plagiarized our imbiberies. And I will encourage you to do so as well. If you haven't tried a pomegranate Italian soda before, DO IT. I'm yelling for your own good, so don't get scared. It comes out the luscious deep red of an actual pomegranate, but it tastes like apples. Not neon-gree appletini or Jolly Rancher apples; actual "I just picked this from my orchard and now I'm going to go milk the cows" apples. Perfect for this sweltering Autumn that keeps you from craving actual Autumn things like hot cider. [Note: S'mug Bitch is not at all bitter about west-coast Autumns not living up to her standards of Autumn as experienced in the far-superior Midwest]. Seriously though, soon enough it will be cold and rainy, so I am happy to bust out the sundresses for now.

And now for something completely different.

Does anyone else freak out when they hear Beethoven's 5th symphony? You know the one, BA-BA-BA-BUUUUUMMMMMM I WILL BASH YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH THIS MOTIVE UNTIL YOUR HEART EXPLODES FROM THE STRESS OF THE INTENSITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, you don't? Oh. I didn't used to either, but about a year ago we listened to the whole first movement in a class I was teaching. All the blood rushed to my head. My heart raced. Breathing required great intention. I wanted to run the hell away, or scream, or cry, or all of the above. I thought, or hoped, this was a one-time deal, but it happened again last week. I need to make peace with Beethoven, or at least figure out why/how he does this to me. I thought about making a new arrangement of the symphony that would make it sound ridiculous and completely not-angsty. Instead I downloaded a recording and took it with me to hike in the hills. It was just me and Beethoven duking it out in the wilderness. Dust and sweat and fate knocking. I gathered my bearings. Took a deep breath. Pressed play.

Nothing happened.

This interpretation, for whatever reason, has no such power over me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63xPUGpAS-c&feature=related

But this one, oh yes it does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgXUFnfKIY

I haven't been able to pin down what it is. Are there any pieces of music that give you a visceral, uncontrollable, physiological reaction? Does the context or particular recording make any difference?

People's Cafe

The Nitty Gritty 
People's Cafe

Location: 2015 Shattuck (near University)

Hours: daily 7am - midnight

Java: $1.25 (small house blend) - $4.00 (large caramel mocha)

Breakfast: $1.25 (bagel with butter) - $4.95 (lox bagel)

Lunch/Dinner: sandwiches and wraps run from $4.75 - $6.50 (with a Cesar salad)

Credit cards: you got it.

WiFi: no questions asked.

Power outlets: all over the place.

Bathroom: yep. Give the door a good solid push--it pretends it's locked when it isn't.

Seating: Long bench/booths and chairs. Not very comfortable--I wouldn't want to sit here for longer than an hour or two.

Music: Currently there's some kind of - well, sounds like Carnatic techno to me - coming from the front half of the cafe, while the back (where I'm sitting) is streaming instrumental smooth jazz. The overlap is a bit grating, but the music on this side is so ambient-y that I didn't even notice it until I started to type this up. Luckily both tracks are quiet, so I can resolve the clash with some noise-canceling action.

Ambient noise: Quiet today--everybody's working.

Temperature: Just right, though I imagine the front half might get drafty on colder days.

Parking: Pretty much all metered around here, but there are ramps nearby, too.

Bicycle parking: Bike racks to be found at least every couple of blocks, but make sure to lock all components around here.

Biggest pro: The variety of people in here is so Berkeley you won't even know what to do. Today everyone appears to be about 18-25. The guy next to me is rockin' some dreadlocks, doing badass 3D models on his computer (an architect?), with a giant stack of well-used legal pads sitting next to him. Across from me is a young woman mumbling aloud as she intently writes something. Next to her, two bearded, bespectacled hipster boys, one of them wearing ridiculously large headphones and feverishly drawing with a charcoal pencil with a fervor that has caused his legs to contort in a spectacular way. Or maybe it's something in the air on that side of the room, because the next patron down the line also has his legs tucked under him. He's so buried in his laptop screen that I wonder how many hours it's been since he came up for air. Does he even remember where he is?

Biggest con:  Benches are pretty uncomfortable.

Recommended for: A quick sit-down, coffee, meetup with a friend

Not recommended for: A long day of serious cafe-sitting, a tasty meal

Allow me to elaborate on that last point. The sandwiches and wraps here are acceptable, and they are also served warm, which is a nice touch. They just aren't anything to get excited about, and your tastebuds will agree. Today I ordered a tuna melt on whole-grain, which looked promising. Nice nutty bread, lettuce, sprouts, and pickles, plenty of tuna. Unfortunately, the most flavorful ingredient was the iceberg lettuce. Granted this is quite a feat, and it was the healthiest-looking iceberg I've seen in a long time, but who loves a lettuce sandwich? I should have spent the extra fifty cents to add cheese.

I was here to meet up with a woman who I'm pairing up with to lead a seminar on Wednesday. We've been reading about copyright law and what it means for creative folks who work in genres that are considered "traditional". Tradition depends on the notion of collective creativity, that is, people collaborate to produce something, and nobody cares whose "original" idea it was. But the people who write legislation operate under the assumption that one person comes up with an idea or creates an object, and this is then adopted by an entire community. Therefore, copyright law need only protect individual artists.

So what happens when a first world artist hops around the third world making field recordings, uses them to produce a record that is then commercialized, and gives no royalties or credit to the (often impoverished) community who developed and performed the music on the recording? Or some affluent white visual artist sees a cool "Native" design somewhere, stylizes it, puts it on a t-shirt/keychain/magnet and sells the hell out of it? Who owns that design?

Now take it a step further. Pharmaceutical companies are constantly trolling folk knowledge of marginalized cultures, to see what plants are being used medicinally. They take these ideas, test them in a lab, then patent them. How often do you think the holders of this folk knowledge can actually afford the medicines that the pharmaceutical companies use to make bank?

On the other hand, what would a different sort of legislation look like? Can a community own an idea, a design, a song? That's a dangerous thought too. How would knowledge and aesthetics circulate? Who would the royalties go to? Who would decide if an outsider gets permission to perform this song, take this medicine?

I don't have any answers. Maybe we'll collaboratively come up with something in this seminar tomorrow. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue, even if you're just going to offer an anecdote that complicates the matter even further. If this sort of puzzle turns you on, check out this article too: http://www.slate.com/id/2267004/

Back to the cafe. It was a good central location to meet, and it was kind of funny to talk about this heady stuff with a backdrop of comic book covers and a giant mural of a volcano. Nobody seemed to be bothered that we were talking; in fact, more people started chatting once we'd broken that ice.

Too much thinking today. Sorry for the lack of snark in this post--my brain is uncharacteristically stuck in serious mode. S'Bitch will soon be back and S'mug as ever. Promise.