For over a year I have walked down Valencia from time to time in search of another coffee establishment. On Valencia,let alone most of the Mission District, my job is not difficult. The large, long storefronts of the Mission have answered my prayers for space between tables, a place where the square footage creates the aura that morning sunlight needs, reflecting off of the wood floor coming through the large storefront windows. That is possible in the Mission, in several locations.
Some cafes in the Mission want to let you know how hip they can be, or that you are drinking coffee literally brewed by 22 year old gods, that you are just barely a worthy guest to drink from their fine porcelain. Or there are other cafes where you as a guest have entered a new paradigm, of sitting alongside other like minded patrons drinking espresso drinks (at the we don't make no stinking coffee cafe) participating in a new paradigm of collaborative work-play (I really did hear the owner at one cafe explain this to a "client." The cafe, like the bar has been the center of the business world in many cultures for well over whenever people started drinking coffee - can I hate people who use the word "paradigm?").
My favorite cafes, however, along these lines, are the two or three where the line is out the door, because everyone and their mother must drink from this beanery before they die, or another one opens that is cooler, where it is not just about the coffee, but who is drinking the coffee. I try to fathom the business casual hipsters sitting at the front tables checking out the clientele, waiting for someone famous, or other genetically gifted people smart enough to know that this place IS IT! What I like about these type of cafes is the types of baristas you'll meet. One type of barista has the acumen of a Chinese Acrobat, where each stroke of their craft is so gracefully executed, from the inspection of the espresso filter, to the pump of the coffee dispenser to the angle at which the steamed milk is poured over the espresso for a cappuccino is as carefully played either for show, or a demonstration of true expertise. The other type of barista at these cafes are so absorbed in the reality of coffee that each breath they take is a meditation, that they become the zen masters of my coffee experience, capable of delivering that koan in a cup, that strike of a cup that splits my skull in half with an instant karmic release. Which cafes am I talking about - if you are reading this, you know who you are, and in either case probably don't care.
So, imagine the dream of owning a bookstore that is also linked physically to an adjoining cafe. In my inner beatnik, that sounds like the best place to have poetry readings, stage readers theater, or to have book club meetings. Well, the sun is reflecting off of the large open space here, and the only disruptions to the morning peace is the brewing of the next espresso by the single attendant behind the counter. My fantasy of this place is that it is a collective, and that the entire building is owned by some well endowed person who wanted to create the perfect melding of literature and caffeine (they also sell loose tea). Of course this well endowed person, or this highly profitable collective, whichever it is, has tapped into their inner beatnik, and bank account, to make this happen. But I don't really know what the financial arrangement is, my fantasies that it is a collective aside. (i just had to ask - The cafe and bookstore are owned by one Alan Bates, who leases the building. My kudos to him for fulfilling his inner beatnik.)
Of course, there is some coffee to consider here. The espresso drinks are ground one drink at a time. Unfortunately, the beans were not up to par, today. I will return here, since the space is incredible. For those early risers, the hours are 8 am to 8 pm, and this place will never be in danger of being a laptop morge, since they do not offer wifi. On top of that, no music has been played since I have been here for the last 45 minutes. I assume this would be a great place to read, or write a novel. The cafe is not particularly a morning spot, as other nearby cafes (see above), are in this neighborhood. In the last 45 minutes two different couples sat in the back, and a total of five single patrons sat at the tables, and one person came in for two iced coffees to go. The menu is light breakfast and lunch, mostly sandwiches and bagels. They also offer a variety of meat and cheese plates, which until recently, in the City, I have only seen in Europe. All of the patrons at the single tables came in to read or write. I like a cafe like this. If this cafe was in my local neighborhood, I would be here whenever I got the chance.
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