caffe rosso

Have a heart.


Or a swan.


Gorgeous and delicious latte's aren't all that is on offer at Caffe Rosso, in the community of Ramsay, Calgary. The baked goods are also extra fabulous, including this granola bar with poppy seeds and sliced almonds.


It was so very good, that in fact, I just had to try the chocolate beet cake too. It was quite perfect, and somehow, it seemed to disappear a little too quickly for my liking.


One of the few café's in Calgary with outdoor seating, and no significant traffic, besides parking for the shop.


Perhaps, we enjoyed more than one latte each, as they were so very good on a beautiful autumn day.... We also enjoyed a tasty Italian cured meats panini with olives and a pickle on the side.


Latte fabulousness at Caffe Rosso.  My newest addiction.


Check out Caffe Rosso in the Ramsay exchange development, just off of Spiller Rd in Southeast Calgary.

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caffe chiaroscuro and piazza della signoria

I am not really so sure why it has taken me to write this, other than the fact that I have been searching through photos, hoping, praying that somewhere I would find a photo of my favourite cornetto di cioccolatta, or chocolate-filled-croissant. But sadly, somehow, I don't have even a single photo! Alas, I guess I'll have to go back to Florence take a photo of one of the world's best chocolate croissants -- I think it's a great excuse, no? The cornetto in question had an orange-flavoured pastry, and was dusted in cocoa. It was flaky, but not so flaky that it explodes into little bits. The outer shell was lovely in and of itself. But the dark chocolate pudding-like inside, was so very scrumptious, that it had me thoroughly disappointed with virtually every other cornetti on the trip! Honestly though, right now, I would happily nibble at any other cornetti di ciocolatta. However, Caffè Chiaroscuro is particularly fantastic, and it does stand out in my mind as somewhere I will love to return to, time and again. You see, nearly everyday of our month-long adventure in Italy consisted of a daily trip to the "bar", for breakfast. An Italian "bar" is like a local gathering place, to grab a quick bite to eat, and probably more likely for a daily cappuccino in the morning, or a caffè - an espresso anytime thereafter. It's like a little ritual to be repeated over and over, and it is but a fleeting moment, but you want it to last for much, much longer. Cappuccino & bomboloni, an apricot jam-filled donut. Perfection. At Chiaroscuro, you can order at the bar counter, or for table service in the back. Chiaroscuro is a bit unusual serving specialty coffee drinks, special blends, and loose leaf teas, as well as the usual cappuccini and espresso. But I like the classics best. It is also possible to enjoy an evening aperitivo. We returned to Caffè Chiaroscuro, several days out of our nine mornings in Florence. I think I am in withdrawal.... After the morning coffee, it is fantastic to soak in the delights of Piazza della Signoria, a real world sculpture garden. Michelangelo's David is housed in the Accademia, but he was originally intended to inspire Florentine's in this spot. This is a copy, but it I cherish the opportunity to see the original place for which great art was intended, especially since it can be a rare event. Please don't think this is just a naked statue of some guy with curly hair. If you look carefully, you can see Michelangelo's vast knowledge and understanding of the body. It is extremely remarkable, but even the smallest details are given attention. The veins on David's right forearm are easily visible and quite prevalent, just as it is when your own hand hangs down at your side; when an arm is up, the veins are no longer plumped with blood, and the veins of David's left hand have receded into his skin. Pure genius. Caffè Chiaroscuro Via del Corso, 36/r Firenze, Italia Tel: 055 214247
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phil & sebastian coffee company

Bad coffee. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Phil & Sebastian. Coffee Company. You've never ... had a shop in L.A. Giggling? Go ahead and google "Phil & Sebastian coffee", and that's what you'll get. If you're not yet in hysterics, go back and look for the phrase: "Nobody makes coffee like we do... But we're a bit odd." And I suppose that it is a bit peculiar, because well Phil & Sebastian is located in a city known for another kind of black gold, the oil business, not usually the coffee business. Calgary is a pretty new city, as things go, and it's not a historic centre on the silk road, or a cultural mecca with thousands of generations of coffee-goers who sit around composing cantatas in honour of coffee's goodness. But now is a good time to start, and this is just part of why Phil & Sebastian coffee is so fantastic to have in town. This coffee is really darn good stuff. Shockingly, the coffee actually has flavour, and not something you want to mask by excess milk, cream, sugar, or syrupy gunk; it reveals layers of flavour which tastes just as good as it smells. [ok strange... now I look at Starbuck's clover site - and that's they use the word layers too!! I swear that is what I was thinking when I had the coffee! The word dimensions is nice though, wish I'd thought of that.] Phil & Sebastian is a cool and quirky coffee company that luckily got their hands on a clover coffee press, and while I heard it was pricey, it was $4 for the best cup of coffee I've ever had. I have to say that, the best part is that it... well almost doesn't taste like coffee! It creates a very honest flavour, and I could use all kinds of descriptors, but then it would be a bit more like reading a wine-connoisseur's wordy description, and it might not even make sense, unless every yummy adjective is used. I will say that there really was something a bit grassy, but really just very natural and lovely. If you haven't been to the shop yet, do check it out. The shop at the Calgary Farmer's Market: Barista and the Clover on the right: The Clover coffee on the left, and some fantastic latte art on the right: Want to know more about the clover? An informative video by wired.com Phil & Sebastian Coffee Company at the Calgary Farmer's Market Quesnay Wood Drive Southwest Calgary, AB T3E
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starbucks

I was going to tell you about chocolate. And I will. But then I started making ice cream, and for some bizarre reason it's not freezing. While I was waiting, I got interested in all these Taste3 videos, like this one:
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vacanza

You can probably tell I'm on holidays in every sense of the word, I have a lot more time to post to this blog! I'm a teacher. I've been absolutely exhausted this year, so now I finally get to chill out a bit. Although, I still haven't unpacked my suitcase from the last trip....soon Jeff and I are off to Seattle, via Rossland BC, Aspen CO, and Vancouver Island. I have spent significant time as a music student at the Aspen Music Festival and School, so I think I have that one covered. I'm still feeling a little vague about the Seattle "list". I know it seems a little crazy to be too organized, but I really do like having the eating planned out for a trip in advance. Then we don't get burned eating too dreadfully, when there are so many amazing options! Jeff and I were in Seattle two summers ago and already have a few places we can't wait to go back to, but here's the list I've scoured so far: MUST GO: -Salumi -shop of Mario Batali's papa -Molly Moon's Ice Cream (Dana from tastingmenu.com) -Lark...this place is FABulous. -Caffe Ladro for coffee and pie -Bizarro 300 mile menu, and all-round tasty sounding menu -Paseo for a Cuban pork sandwich Maybe yes, maybe no: -Lampreia -El Camino -Ooba's Maybe you can help us, where would YOU go?
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Artigiano

Perhaps I am not the only one, but some Sunday mornings I just need a bit of perking up. And while I love the cappuccino's Jeff makes on our Saeco automatic, it is always enjoyable to try something new. A couple dreary Sundays ago, we went to check out Calgary's newly opened Caffè Artigiano on 332 - 6th Avenue SW. I had heard that the coffee is good, but more importantly to me, that the espresso is good too. This was great news, and I had to go check it out. Caffè Artigiano has been imported to Calgary from Vancouver, and comes backed with a very strong and loyal following.

Artigiano wants to be the best. For a coffee shop, the service was - well service! Hooray! More importantly, Artigiano aims to provide its customers with top-notch stuff. They search the world over for the best beans including beans from the "Cup of Excellence" program. They also have one of the most coveted coffee machines, the Clover. It brews each cup of coffee individually, but is also commercial-grade. It would be really interesting to do a coffee-tasting at Artigiano, and compare the flavours of different coffee's on the Clover.

All of their cappuccino's are served with with a bit of artistic whimsy. Latte art is featured on their cappuccino's, and this one is a simple heart. It feels kind of like a nice little surprise, why not make the world a beautiful place one cappuccino at a time?



The espresso was very flavourful, and very rich! While it wasn't the best espresso I have ever had, it was probably the second best. I liked the flavour, and thank goodness it wasn't bitter. I think the crema was not quite as good as I have had. It is a step in the right direction, and I'll try it again soon.

More latte art. Caffè Artigiano has been the home to several Barista Champions, nationally and internationally. These cappuccino's look pretty, but were also nice and strong; you didn't need a lot of milk to cover up the taste of inferior coffee.
The quality of this breakfast sandwich Jeff had was an unexpected treat! It had a lot of flavour from basil and capicollo. Jeff liked that the cheese also had flavour. The funny thing was that this sandwich encapsulates all the items Jeff puts in his weekend omelets.

One side of the shop; where the coffees are made.
Caffè Artigiano - 332 - 6th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0B2 (403) 699-9855, also several Vancouver locations

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When in Rome....

Photo courtesy of www.santeustachioilcaffe.it

Yes it is a silly phrase, but it is wonderful to say when you are in fact in Rome. And when in Rome, go check out Il Caffe Sant’Eustachio. So far, it is the home of the only real espresso I have had in my life. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have had my share of espresso, both the good and the bad. In fact, I think I became all the more fanatical about a good quality espresso after I began to relate it to the meaning of the musical term “con espressione.” Literally, it means “with expression”, but I like to look at the similarities in the spelling between “espresso” and “espressione”. A good portion of both words are virtually identical, giving us “espress”. OK, perhaps not that interesting….

However, when you begin to play a musical passage, particularly the music of Brahms which requires a rich and resonant sound from the horn player, while simultaneously thinking about the type of work that must happen to make a proper espresso, in which the intense flavour of the coffee beans are quickly pressed, and pushed, and heated into a glorious drinkable cup; then the music begins to transcend the notes at face value, and adds another layer of musical flavour, in which you press and pull out the sound of the notes in the same way the flavour of espresso is pushed and pulled out of the beans. So, as a musician, you can say that I think about espresso a lot; my work requires it and I guess I wouldn’t be doing the music justice otherwise. Oh darn!

You don’t like espresso? Are you sure? Do you think it is bitter strong coffee? If that is what your experience has been, fair enough. Try, try again. To me, espresso is more like the heart and soul of coffee. You almost smell it more than taste it. It should be rich and flavourful, and most certainly with the coveted crema on top. You can add a little sugar, but it shouldn’t be a necessity. Of course, a good espresso is the base for many other “coffee drinks”, but don’t let the espresso itself be elusive. It can, and should be a rewarding experience when you finally get one that is “right”. For great reads on espresso, check out "Explaining Espresso", by Jeffrey Steingarten's article for November 2000 Vogue Magazine, or a compilation of these essays at "It Must've Been Something I Ate". Genius, and hilarious at that.

So finally, I couldn’t have been more gleeful than to stand in front of Sant’Eustachio with so much excitement and anticipation. You can say that it was painful to wait even one more second to enjoy this espresso. I knew it had to be good, but I wasn’t really sure in which ways. It comes with sugar unless you ask for it not to, and most Italians I have met seem to do this as habit regardless. So I figured Sant’Eustachio is simply doing everyone a service, and went along with it. I have never seen anything like it. The spoon was literally floating, nearly unabashedly, effortlessly, on top of the crema. The crema itself was also nearly a centimeter thick, unbelievable. Yum. It was like a little bit of whipped coffee on top the richest espresso I have ever had. Ideally, you are to consume an espresso within 10 seconds of its production, and who am I to argue? But I’ll tell you, it was not bitter even one bit.

Sant'Eustachio, www.santeustachioilcaffe.it: Piazza Sant'Eustachio n. 82 (between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona), Roma, (39) 06.68802048
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