Posts Tagged ‘Starbucks’
Starbucks, I Was a Fool to Trust You
Call me naive, but I had moderately high hopes for 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea, the new stealth-Starbucks coffee shop that eschews Frappucinos for wine and beer and attempts to buck the chain’s corporate image.
I’ve always loved the European-style cafe, with good espresso and alcohol, as a quiet counterpoint to bars; done right, they reinforce the idea that you can drink without getting drunk and emphasize conversation and quality drinks.
Good Ethiopian Coffee Now in Hyattsville
I’ll admit it: Starbucks is often my default morning cup, and I’ll tell you why. It’s convenient. You can’t throw a Hear Music compilation CD without bonking some barista over-extracting your espresso. I mean, before the recession hit, I think they were planning to open a Starbucks in my dog’s crate.
Not that I totally subscribe to the Starbucks as Evil Coffee Empire theory. I actually love the Pike Place Blend, even if it’s roasted too dark to fully taste the beans that go into the coffee. But, really, who wants to be a corporate shill?
Not me, which is why I still like seeking out local coffee houses, though that’s becoming harder since they’re dying faster than daily newspapers and independent bookstores. But this weekend, I tripped upon Shagga Coffee and Restaurant in Hyattsville, which peddles a concise menu of Ethiopian dishes and sells dark, sweet cups of Harrar coffee. (Incidentally, Todd Kliman over at the Washingtonian reports that Shagga, which sounds like Austin Powers’ favorite coffee shop, should actually be spelled Shegga, which apparently means “good” or “beautiful” in Amharic. Stupid sign makers.)
Daily Food Blog Roundup: Daily Newspaper Edition
Wednesday, as dedicated newspaper readers know (all six of you who don’t rely on blogs for news), is the day that papers around the country publish their Food sections. Today’s edition of Food Blog Roundup plucks both blog and print items for your gastronomic amusement.
- Bitten knows that every seed is sacred.
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Starbucks Enters the Spin Zone to Convince You Its Coffee Ain’t That Expensive
Much has been written about Starbucks‘ fall from grace. The coffee behemoth’s profits have plummeted and its stock has lost nearly half its value in the past year (never mind how much it’s lost since the beginning of this decade, because who the hell holds stock that long anymore?). Stores have been closed, and baristas have been given their walking papers. The moralists among us say it’s a fitting fate for a company that epitomized the greed and the overinflated sense of self of the ’90s.
But the marketing gurus are trying to contain the damage with a new campaign to convince you that any Starbucks coffee product priced under $4 is a bargain. The Wall Street Journal published a piece yesterday about Starbucks’ new promotional blitz:
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OK, I’ll Start Tipping at Starbucks When the Barista Can Do This
This Thai street coffee vendor could go work at Cirque du Soleil.
