Tag: Phoenix

Phoenix part 4 (fin)

fourth & final in a series of four posts

Let’s wrap up the Phoenix field report. Two cafés left to cover.

WINDOW COFFEE BAR (Melrose)

where’s Frank? Dino? Sammy? Joey Bishop?

  • from the second you pull up to the Royale complex, which houses this outlet of Window Coffee Bar, you’re awash in 60’s Vegas cool and invited to find your inner rat packer as you relax in a bright metal chair on the astroturfed courtyard
  • the café is bright and colorful, and it took a lot of willpower not to take home one of their really cool mugs
  • great coffee, teas (I went back for pictures and got a really good iced herbal tea), and pastries – another fine pop tart, this one raspberry and pear

concrete floor, check; cool art, check; light wood…….

I’ll take one of the mugs from the bottom shelf, please

pardon me, sir, do you know Angie Dickinson?

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Phoenix part 3

third in a series of four posts

Yes, there’s more…….

BERDENA

  • in a nice block of old town Scottsdale
  • airy, bright, beautiful tiles, and a sweet baby blue Slayer espresso machine
  • don’t make the same mistake I made by stopping on Sunday morning, the family breakfast/brunch crowd will guarantee a long wait

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Phoenix travel report part 2

second in a series of four posts

Back to our guide to the Valley of the Sun.

CARTEL ROASTING CO. (Coronado)

  • one of well-regarded chain’s 11 Arizona outlets, also found in Palm Springs, CA
  • beautiful old stone block bungalow that’s so nice you’ll want to move in
  • lots of interesting art on the walls
  • if the blueberry pop tart is in the pastry case, get one, it’s amazing

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travel report: Phoenix

first in a series of four posts

I recently met my brother in Arizona for spring training baseball. It was my first visit to the Grand Canyon State, and while we didn’t venture beyond the Phoenix metro area we did see and do a lot. Of course, for me that included visiting a lot of cafés.

I came in without expectations one way or another about the coffee scene in the Valley of the Sun, but I was pleasantly surprised with the consistently high quality. I guess that shouldn’t be a surprised, given the city’s official logo looks like latte art.

If you look at my café guide, you’ll find that all 10 places I visited made the list, 9 of which earned the Coveted Asterisk of QualityTM. Rather than indulging my usual proclivity to babble on and on (and on), I’m going to lean more on the pictures to tell the story, with an occasional touristy intervention. Let’s go!

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