Ninth Street Espresso
Second day of my adventure, again walking excited to find a good wake-up mix at this espresso bar I found last night, thanks to Oliver Schwaner-Albright from the New York Times and his list of five great places for espresso (I knew somebody had done this before, but I had no idea how much I found, so I share the link: http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/new-yorks-best-espresso/ )
After walking about 7 minutes, I found the place. It was dark and humid, a long narrow hallway with a bar and stools, and in the end the espresso machine. I liked the place even before I tried the espresso. Two young guys are taking care of your awaited drink, and after a minute or two I got my $2.50 shot in a nice porcelain cup.
Again, I'm no professional, not yet! The dark shot was thick and musty, great color and bubbly, I knew it was going to be good. The taste was nutty, one of those nuts that are bitter but so good you want to keep eating, or in this case, drinking. I could feel how the flavor changed in my mouth from bitter nut to chocolaty silk. The end of the shot was even better, I could feel how the flavor was growing as I reached the empty cup.
The shop has an incredible view of Tompkins Square Park, people playing basketball, others walking their dogs and a few waiting for the bus that stops right in front of the place. The neighborhood is great too, plenty of places to eat, drink and hang out.
