Le Tour with le fans
So I’ve been looking forward to the Tour since last year’s superhuman (and potentially juiced up) feat of Floyd Landis. While I catch most of the stages at home in the evening, I thought it would be fun to see a few stages at the aforementioned shops showing the tour. Yeah, it was fun but with half a dozen guys there trying to talk about strategy, placing, riders, etc., etc., it kind of detracts from the overall excitement. This is going to sound really biker snotty, but instead of hearing intelligent insight, I hear name mix-ups (Condor instead of Contador, Rasputin rather than Rasmussen), ridiculous calls on who’s going to win (Vinokourov after he’s 35 minutes down?), and a general lack of understanding of what the hell it’s about. It’s like if I were to talk (and really loudly at that) about soccer to a group of soccer fans. I’m not knowledgeable on soccer, so why throw in my two cents? So gentlemen, give it a rest, let Phil and Paul do the commentating and simply enjoy the physical feat that is Le Tour ’07.
Strike four?! I’ve lost count
In a effort to diversify my coffee consumption and give yet another chance to what seems to be a local fave, I tried working from Vic’s at Ideal Market last Friday. MISTAKE! The line was out the door (the patrons have obviously not been reading this blog), the service halfhearted and the wireless doesn’t start until 11, yeah 11.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said I don’t like working from Vic’s, so here it is once more, Vic’s is NOT the place to work. So instead head to one of the other hot spots that actually does get good reviews and serves decent coffee.
Le Tour 2007
Amante has been hyping it up for weeks and finally it’s upon us, the Tour De France 2007. Both Amante and Saxy’s are showing the live cast and replays throughout the day. With 20 stages playing from the 7th to the 29th of July, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to get your cycling fix.
So if you’re looking for a good distraction and what’s sure to be another entertaining Tour, hit one of these favorites.
How a review for one shop becomes a review for another….
See people, it’s called customer service for crisssakes! During a break in a little conference across the street I showed up at Peaberry Coffee (NW corner of Arapahoe and 28th) with the intention of getting some food and writing a review. But instead I waited in line. And waited. And waited. No, the line wasn’t long. In fact, I was next in line the entire time I was there. But even with three people working behind the counter they still couldn’t even acknowledge my presence in five minutes. And since I get a little grumpy when I’m really hungry, five minutes was about all I could stand, so I left. So, Peaberry coffee? Not sure. Food? No idea. Work environment? Looked ok, but I guess I wouldn’t really know. For some people, taking care of the customer just comes naturally. I mean, it is common sense, isn’t it? If you’re in the business of serving people then you maybe should make serving them your top priority?
So I strolled on around the corner to Brewing Market (attached to McGuckins on Folsom between Arapahoe and Canyon) and got served immediately. The coffee is decent. I purposefully ordered a very dry cap to be able to assess the espresso. Started out medium and slightly bitter, got slightly more bitter as time went on but mellowed with the incorporation of the milk. Chocolate croissant was the standard boring chocolate croissant that must be made in some huge manufacturing facility (compare with the Kitchen’s). Work environment is a little weird because of the nature of the shop which is to sell beans and coffee-related chatchtke and kitsch just as much as fresh coffee and pastries, but usable. I’d say Brewing Market is an acceptable substitute to Folsom St when the latter fills up.
Speaking of customer service, we’re hearing some pretty bad grumblings about The Cup, and one of the people offended twice actually has a login to this blog but hasn’t aired his/her complaints yet. So let this be a gentle reminder: if you’re a grumpy person by nature, stay off the cash register and away from the serving line. Hire somebody with a winning smile to take your place. Don’t piss off your customers because you’re in a bad mood. It’s not good for business. Just ask Vic’s.
they made me do it
I didn’t want to work at Amante this morning. I still don’t. I can’t handle the eurostyle, or the coffee. Or the soccer jersey uniforms. Or the noise. Or that I’m the only non-Mac. And I didn’t have an iPhone. Europe: nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
Speaking of Joe’s (were we? oh, yes we were) I stopped in the other day just to smell out the scene. I didn’t even have my laptop, just some time to kill and a desire to find a coffee shop east of 17th St. What’s to like: they’re in to it, which means they probably pay attention to the making of the coffee, which many of us have realized is probably even more important than the roast and beans. You can get good pours even out of Allegro coffee and bad pours out of CC. But that leads us to the bad. My position still hasn’t wavered: on average Allegro coffee is the worst you can find in high use in Boulder. And that’s what Joe’s serves. Proudly. So hey Joe: switch to CC or whatever the Goat serves and you’re going to get my full vote.
