South Perc

There's a whole lot of mugging going on right outside Center City.

by Elisa Ludwig

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Published: Aug 7, 2007

JAVA JIVE: Pouring up a cup at InFusion Coffee and Tea at 10th and Carpenter. Photo By: Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Wherever you go, there you will sip a latte.

Or so it seems in Philadelphia, a city whose appetite for espresso knows no bounds. Lately, the coffee colonization has moved southward, where in recent months, a number of coffeehouses and cafés have sprung up, leaving a trail of telltale cardboard cozies and granola crumbs. Lest the local coffee drinker feel completely overwhelmed with choices, we've pulled together a handy guide to the new generation of caffeine peddlers south of South.

The sips: Coffee and espresso from Philly institution Lacas; green tea smoothies; peach apricot iced tea

The eats: With no kitchen on-site, all of the food is brought in from area producers: changing panini from Global Dish Caterers; bagels from Third Street Bagels; muffins and cookies from Roz's Homemade Goodies

The buzz: Former bond trader Matt Armstrong rehabbed an 1860s tenement building in Bella Vista to house his old-school-style neighborhood café. The sunny spot has dark wood shelving filled with board games and a mostly decorative library. French doors open onto sidewalk seating with Italian patio furniture. Armstrong says he wanted to get away from the "typical grunge" kind of place, a goal that he has clearly accomplished. From the Wall Street theme to the employee uniforms, it's not hard to imagine a chain in the making. Everything down to the ice is made with commercially filtered water, and the café itself keeps a trader's hours — Bean Exchange is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The sips: La Colombe coffee and espresso; smoothies in flavors like peanut butter banana soy; TeaNy drinks

The eats: Turkey burger with herb goat cheese; pancakes with butterscotch syrup

The buzz: Colleen De-Cesare and Ragen Lowek got their start at Jazz & Java, a Philadelphia International Airport coffee shop that schooled them well in the art of high-octane hospitality. They've outfitted their homey corner shop with a blue-tiled mosaic coffee bar, bar stools embellished with stencil cutouts of steaming coffee cups, glass-topped tables and fresh flowers, plus a changing array of local art. On a recent day it was Lisa Yuskavage-esque paintings and utensil wind chimes. Food, from the cookies to the croutons, is made in-house and the owners are on-site daily.

The sips: La Colombe coffee and Old City espresso, House of Tea loose teas

The eats: All-homemade food, including a grilled cheese menu, plus individually wrapped energy bars and baked goods like chocolate chocolate chip biscuits

The buzz: On the site of a former gas station, Andrew Michaels' cozy blue and orange coffee emporium has plenty of character. The coffee bar is shingled; the floor has been painted a deep shade of plum; and a mirror behind the bar serves as a specials chalkboard. Michaels likes to think of the shop as an extension of his own living room. (That's his son smiling on the sign outside.) It's clearly a labor of love — he renovated the space himself, along with local cabinetmaker Tim Lewis.

InFusion Coffee and Tea, 1001 S. 10th St., 215-413-0504

The sips: Vietnamese coffee and Café Cubano; Mate Latte; Batidos Locos (a banana espresso milkshake)

The eats: Vegetarian-friendly fare includes Le Bus sandwiches, tofu edamame salad and ice cream affogatos

The buzz: Husband and wife Jason Huber and Jocie Dye struck a caffeinated nerve with InFusion in Mount Airy, which blended their local/equal exchange ethos with an abiding passion for coffee in all its forms. With their second location, Huber says they went for a different aesthetic, with locally made light fixtures and a pressed sorghum coffee bar. The result is bright, sleek and mod. They serve a rotation of Torreo, Blue Water and Equal Exchange coffees, plus two espressos at any given moment.

The sips: European hot chocolate, French-style iced coffee; pine nut and rosewater tea

The eats: Pita panini, fresh croissants, crepes, pain bagnat

The buzz: Situated at the base of the Italian Market, the year-old Rim Café is a gentle refuge from the city's gruff cheesesteak epicenter. French knickknacks, celebrity photos and travel posters — plus the gigantic banner outside — remind you that this indeed is the Market's first French café. Besides homemade pastry, authentic sandwiches and unusual beverages like red date tea, Rim Café offers Francophile television, free WiFi and chess. Customers can get a jolt well into the evening: The café is open until midnight.

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)

 

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