Wake up and smell the coffee
So much of the news on the TV and radio, and in the papers, is bad. The economy is feeble, people are protesting, unemployment is high, crime is up, consumer confidence is down. The big picture isn't promising. But amid all the gloom, there is a bright ray of caffeine-fueled optimism. Cafes keep sprouting around Warsaw like coffee beans on a Juan Valdez bush. Well, not that prolifically. But the Nescafe Café, Stoney Point Java, Coffee Heaven and the like are growing like crazy. Some entrepreneurs must be banking on a cup of joe to help consumers get through the commercial malaise. Or they are counting on better days just over the horizon. Either way, welcome to the growing ranks of cafes.
Sure, it's easy to rag on coffee-culture nabobs - those cafe denizens who wear sunglasses indoors and scribble into little journals. And some of the coffee concoctions can be a bit pretentious - a double-decaf-monkeyfoot-soy-latte-rigatoni, please. But really, cafes are awesome. Spring, summer, fall and winter, they are the ultimate pit stop. Walking along and need a break? Stop into a café. Bored of sitting around the apartment? Waste an hour in a café. Want a little snack? Want to talk and talk with some old acquaintance? Want to watch pretty girls walk by? Want a good cup of coffee? The more cafes there are, the more convenient life is. Two pretty new places in Warsaw caught the WBJ's attention last week, and herein we share our impressions.
Coffee Karma is open early and a pleasant way to start the day. Opened in June - and with it's official opening party July 3 - by folks who used to have a stake in Mała Czarna, Coffee Karma is an attractive place in a pretty prime location. Inside is bright, with big windows facing out onto plac Zbawiciela and walls covered with funky artwork. Outside, tables are in the open but not too close to the heavy traffic going around the plaza to be uncomfortable. The menu offers a variety of coffees, of course, but also shakes, fruit drinks, a few breakfast munchies, some sandwiches, and cakes. The coffee is gooood. The beans are roasted on the premises. It's in a normal price range for specialty coffees - zł. 8-zł. 10 for most cups. The food is also tasty. Perhaps the greatest treat is a kind of modified Reuben sandwich. The Reuben is the evolutionary pinnacle of sandwichdom, just a little bit ahead of the Monte Christo. A true Reuben is rye bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut with a bit of Thousand Island dressing. It's grilled and it's great - a fabulous combination of bold flavors wherein the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Karma's is a bit small and doesn't have the exact ingredients but it's still a bit of toast heaven (zł. 8). The shakes, not super thick in the American style but still good, and fruit drinks also do Karma's owners proud.
Another café for the early riser, the Daily Cafe has been open for about three months. (Too many places around town open up in the late morning. But who needs coffee at the crack of noon? Early hours are great.) The location is good for the bustling business zone, though sitting outside at Daily isn't completely pleasant - the foot and road traffic seem a bit overwhelming. Inside has a light feel, with small wooden tables and white leather chairs. Board games are available for anyone who forgot to bring something to read or who is insufficiently enthralled by people watching. Scrabble anybody? The Daily has the typical assortment of espresso drinks, complemented by more shakes, smoothies, toasts and cakes. The coffees run in the zł. 8-zł. 10 range, the average little toasts are zł. 6, the smoothies are quite refreshing at zł. 10 and the desserts are generally, if not especially, tasty. The coffee? Mighty fine. I'm sure there's a few more new cafes out there that slipped under our radar. But don't worry, I'll find you.
