OTHER NOMINEES: Abraço, Kaffe 1668, Ninth Street EspressoLike the Star Wars trilogy and Napa Valley cabernets, coffee has cultivated a seriously geeky following. At the center of your obsession: Café Grumpy. Credit the top-notch beans (from roasters like Intelligentsia and Ritual) or the costly Clover machines through which they’re funneled. That ought to keep you alert should any renegade droids cross your path. Café Grumpy 193 Meserole Ave at Diamond St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-349-7623); 224 W 20th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-255-5511)
These days with the economy, we will have the be worried about "the power of small" no detail is unimportant. I've been going to restaurants lately and I feel like just from a cup of coffee you can tell how much or how little that restaurant is paying attention to "the power of small." Coffee blends presentation and taste in a small and inexpensive way. If a restaurant doesnt make good coffee -- forget about it! I wont go back!