Paul S.
Yelp
As I write this review, I am trapped in New York's Harlem in the middle of the first great snowstorm of 2016. This morning, after my son had to leave for work (on a Saturday, in a blizzard, because he is a very junior guy at a large news organization), I decided to venture out and get some coffee. Yelp guided me here. After an adventurous 6 block walk through really, really bad weather, I made it to this gem. I really like the coffee, even if it is not the super dark roast I normally prefer. The house coffee is between what I would call medium and dark roast. I've found that the right coast coffee is a shade lighter that way then the left coast coffee I'm used to. In any case, DD coffee is still substantial. It has body, fullness and a relatively clean aftertaste. Nice!
For me, the real star here, is the food. The pastries here are superior! I had an apple turnover that was excellent. The crust was flaky and crisp, but didn't just disintegrate into an inconvenient mess. Just right. The filling was clearly made from scratch by the baker and had just the perfect balance between tart and sweet that I like in a fruit filled pastry of any kind, but especially apple. I wish I could show you all a picture of it, but my iPhone shut down in the cold while I was walking to the shop. Really, Apple? It's only 28°F outside.
Since we're in the middle of a record setting storm, I thought I'd lay in lunch as well as have breakfast, so I purchased a provolone and salami on ciabatta to go. $8, but wonderful. It is grilled on the panini and has all the good stuff in it (Provolone, salami, spinach, special sauce, etc.) Yum! I ate it for lunch when I got back to the apartment. I have uploaded a photo of it in both open and closed face positions, since my iPhone had recovered from the cold by the time I was ready to eat.
Other things to know - the service is great and the people are friendly. Others seemed to be enjoying the free wifi (they have a password posted on the wall). I can't tell you how well it worked directly because my iPhone quit on me as I wrote above. The decor is comfortably eclectic and the overall feeling is much nice than spending time at my business traveler's office, Starbucks. The location is very near the corner of Frederick O. Douglass and 118th.
When in Harlem to see my son, if it is breakfast or lunch that I need to figure out, I am coming here. You should too.