A snack at Bruno’s Italian Bakery in Greenwich Village. By Paul Goldfinger.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ
Sometime’s we get into a rut when it comes to places to eat. We get used to what’s in the neighborhood and we forget what “great” is. I am somewhat of a coffee nut because I love excellent coffee.
Last year we considered running a “best of OG” coffee contest, but, to be honest, there is no superior coffee in the Grove (except at my house where I make it myself using a careful multi-step method.) The locals need to try harder if they want four coffee stars.
We didn’t do the contest because we didn’t want to offend those merchants in town who sell coffee. But now that we have broken the ice with our restaurant survey, feel free to comment below and tell us where the best coffee around here is–and that includes the towns nearby.
Meanwhile, if you are a foodie, sometimes you have to “go to the mountain.” I would suggest Italy or France, but that would be a dream. In the days when Little Italy was, well, Little Italy, you could go there and find great espresso and pastries.
But if we confine our quest to coffee and a croissant, I know a place near Greenwich Village—-It’s the Bruno Bakery at 506 LaGuardia Place. It is about two blocks from Washington Square Park, between Bleeker and Houston. You can sit outside, but first you go inside to make your selection. The display of baked goods was outrageous—I couldn’t decide, so I made an obvious choice—an almond croissant and a cup of the house coffee.
Then I went outside and waited—for about 3 minutes. The waitress smiled as she set in front of me a croissant from the gods—with a side of home made preserves. The outside was crunchy, but the inside was flaky and buttery with a kind of almond paste interspersed between the leaves of the pastry. The coffee was steamy hot and delicious. People walking by on the sidewalk glanced sideways to stare at my treat. I didn’t read my paper because I wanted a total experience.
I can’t share that treat with you, but at least I brought a picture. I texted Eileen with the photo, and even though she is on a diet, she confessed that she would have fallen off the wagon for that snack.
Please read the comments.
SOUNDTRACK: This food requires music that is soft and Italian (like the girl I took to the prom) that doesn’t detract from the goodies. So that lets Louie Prima out. But here is Ocean Grove’s own Ronald Naldi who creates just the right mood with “Santa Lucia.”
Reblogged this on Blogfinger and commented:
I had a croissant this morning, but it can’t compare to others elsewhere. The post is from 2012, so when reading it, please make allowances for our new coffee shop in town “Odyssey” which we all should patronize.—Paul @Blogfinger.
Cafe Volan in Asbury Park makes the best coffee. They have their pastry “imported” from Balthazar in NYC. My husband and I walk there all the time to enjoy the surfer vibe AND great coffee. It was written up in the NY Times – it is on Bangs Avenue.
Wisher:I agree about breakfast places. Also, it is not uncommon for fine restaurants to drop the ball when it comes to coffee. Starbucks is popular and charges so much because their coffee smells and tastes like coffee. Some people don’t like Starbucks, but you can’t deny the flavor.
Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s coffees are rated high by many people, but their fame is a hoax. Of all the fast food places, WaWa is the best. The one on Route 66 just outside of Asbury has fresh brewed good coffee. It’s modern, clean and efficient. Quick Check used to be better, but they have changed their ways, and now their coffee can sit. Also the check out at Quick Check is often not so quick.
Barbaric Bean is over-rated. The OG Bakery has under-performed compared to their original coffee goals.
Wegman’s is just OK, but not up to their usual quality for food. Sometimes their coffee has no aroma and no taste at all.
Some experts think that iced coffee is a poor second in flavor to hot coffee. It is a debatable issue. There are those who say that great iced coffee can only be found in Japan.
Primo coffee is so easy to make: Use arabica beans with a dark roast and make it a little strong with filtered water. But no; you get Chock Full of Nuts or Cisco or restaurant supply Columbian, poorly roasted, made weak with tap water.
YUM! Such a simple way for breakfast places to distinguish themselves, but no, it has to be soviet-style joe.
We were at the Starving Artist this morning for the OGHOA breakfast. The coffee there was good. However, they only offered half and half to lighten the coffee. They also should provide whole milk, skim and 2%.
Iceman: I too drink iced coffee in the summertime, and I want to pass on a tip. I brew my own, using a cold-brew method. You grind the coffee coarsely (or ask your local merchant to grind it), and then combine it with cold water (at a ratio of nine cups to one pound, give or take). It then sits on your countertop and steeps, for 12 hours. You then filter it. The cold brewed coffee has no bitterness at all, and it is delicious. I use a system made by Toddy, but you can also use an ordinary French press.
The Inkwell in Long Branch has some pretty good roasts, and an excellent tea selection
Waking up to see that picture and hear Ron Naldi — wow! Now, after my boardwalk walk, I’ll see and hear it again while drinking my just o.k. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I do like Barbaric Beans coffee, but I’ll be sure to try Bruno’s the next time I’m in that area.
In the summer I drink iced coffee exclusively. Past late May I cannot drink hot coffee. It’s a habit on top of a habit. The worst would be QuickChek iced coffee, but then I drink that almost every single day.
The best would be Rook Coffee Roasters (Long Branch and Ocean Twp), but I drink that rarely. I know that America’s Cup and Twisted Tree have good coffee, but I don’t live in Asbury; I’m cheap, and screw Asbury. QuickChek is there, it’s cheap, and it does the job for this addict.
Barbaric Bean is my preferred choice if I was not cheap. They are a good business and I like Joe and Margie a whole lot.
For hot coffee, I just make my own, and it’s usually good stuff, but I’ve also been making my own iced coffee on occasion.
With apologies to Linda and Judy at “All You Need is Cake”, I forgot to mention that they do make fine coffee which is especially good if you have it with one of their to-die-for cheese Danish. (I once ordered a Danish on an airplane, and they gave me a stewardess)
Linda and Judy get their coffee from a local roaster. They’ll put up a fresh pot if you can make them laugh—but that’s easy to do. They are at 125 Heck Avenue near Benson. You can even eat outside and people watch—it’s the Grove’s West End. There also is an antique shop next door—-very Grovy.
So far as that goes, you can’t find a top-of-the-line cup of coffee in Asbury Park either.