Results tagged “coffee”

Pat Kiernan will be very happy: The Riese organization, operators of scores of NYC chain restaurants, is closing its 13 Dunkin' Donuts outlets on Friday and re-opening them as brand-new Tim Hortons on Monday morning. The Nation's Restaurant News' story suggests someone's maple leaf prophecy has come to pass. After being dropped from Riese's roster, Dunkin' released a statement yesterday that alleged, among other things, they're still awesome and "in the past five years 244 new Dunkin’ Donuts shops have opened in New York City." The company also explained that a 2004 lawsuit citing "health and safety violations" led to the "disenfranchisement" decision; Riese denies it and says a five-year contract expired. With Dunkin' dissed and Starbucks plugging away at yet another reformulation, expect an onslaught of free coffee promotions in the next few weeks from all sides, especially around Midtown. The announcement comes on top of previous news that Tim Hortons will open three more locations to be co-branded with Cold Stone Creamery in August, including one inside Cold Stone's flagship Times Square store. Tim Hortons is a megapopular Canadian coffee and snacks chain named for its founder, an NHL record-holder who died in a 1974 car accident.

It's been 23 days since the coup that upturned the State Senate and where are we? Oh, yeah, nothing's happening, except the Democrats and Republicans are still fighting. The Democrats still claim that State Senator Frank Padavan's saunter through the chambers means he should be counted towards a quorum during their (Democrats-only) session, while the Queens Republican insists, "My only motive was to get in the lounge and get a Coke or cup of coffee. I was not in there when the session began. To say otherwise is totally untrue." Padavan told Newsday that he had "a Coke, a V-8 and a tuna fish sandwich." Hilariously, Padavan's affidavit states that he was looking for a coffee, but the Post says, "He later told reporters he'd actually gone to get a Coke, but didn't want to say that because he would be seen to be endorsing a product." Yeah, isn't Pepsi in Purchase?

Cafe Grumpy first opened the doors of its Greenpoint location in late 2005. A year later, they opened a store in the heart of Chelsea with an eye-catching Clover machine that gained them much more visibility and buzz for having some of the best coffee around. Grumpy began making a name for themselves as one of a handful of places around town (along with Ninth Street Espresso and Gimme! Coffee) that were bringing New York a serious coffee culture, the kind that the west coast has gained a reputation for over the years. Now the rep they've built themselves—recently having won Best Coffee in NYC in the Time Out New York Eat Out Readers Poll—is sure to grow even further with the newest store they've just opened on 7th Avenue in Park Slope.

The Albany soap opera continues: This morning, due to a judge's ruling that the State Senate Democrats and Republicans must meet (and, uh, do their jobs), both sides did just that. But then they adjourned soon after! The Daily Politics says the two sides were "fighting - albeit calmly - over who is supposed to be presiding over the chamber."

One longtime Starbucks in Astor Place (well, one of them—the one with a garden on the corner of Third and Astor) is closing tomorrow night. While the eulogies are pouring in from in the comments sections (Eater is even assembling an “insta oral history” of the location in order to virtually bronze all the macchiato memories), no one seems to be sure what will happen to the building tomorrow after the last pitcher of milk is steamed. Some say the Starbucks, which has at least three other perfectly viable locations within a short walking distance, is simply "being moved, and the building re-purposed.” Others are declaring a belated victory for Reverend Billy. Others still are saying that, as promised, Stumptown Coffee’s Duane Sorenson “has come to save you (and the rest of New York) from inferior house brew,” and may be thinking of setting up shop in the location. Okay, so that’s just wishful thinking. For many, the Astor Place Starbucks (on the corner of Third Avenue, not the other one) was the scene for many double tall rites of passage-y precious moments, and will always be remembered for its always shorter bathroom line.

All nine Manhattan locations of Oren's Daily Roast will be offering free cups of their special Inauguration blend tomorrow from 10:44 a.m. to 12:44 p.m. The new roast is called "Blend 44: Beans You Can Believe In," and we're told it's inspired by Obama’s Kenyan and Hawaiian (Kona) roots, "while paying homage to his lively years at Harvard Law (Ethiopian Harrar beans) and his full-bodied years at Occidental College in Los Angeles (La Minita, Spanish for “Little Gold Mine”)." Whatever, point is it's free. Oren's will also be broadcasting the Inauguration on the radio, which is sort of romantic, but it's worth noting that select Starbucks locations will be have MSNBC's simulcast on one of those newfangled Tee-Vees, according to the Times. (We'll update later with the Starbucks locations; in the meantime here's the list of Oren's locations, for all the caffeine and politics junkies out there.)

[UPDATE BELOW] A reader sent us this photo, taken by a friend, of a special edition Starbucks menorah cup, which supposedly contained the chain's "Hanukkah Blend." This individual claims he bought it at an unspecified location on the Upper West Side, where the barista told him "we're serving it at Starbucks in Jewish neighborhoods for the next two weeks."

Starting today at 10 a.m. Mario Batali and Starbucks be holding court in Times Square. They'll be set up at Military Island (the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets) handing out hot cups of (RED) coffee to any caffeine fiend who passes by. (RED) helps raise money to fight AIDS in Africa, and has just partnered with the coffee purveyor. If you don't find yourself in Times Square on Black Friday (consider yourself lucky), you can head to any 'bucks throughout the holiday season and a five cent donation will be made to (RED) with a purchase of a holiday drink. However, Food & Wine points out that at "approximately 10:30, you can have your picture taken in the (RED) photo booth to join the (RED) community, perhaps with one of Mario's helper elves, Helena Christensen and Mary Louise Parker."

If you need a little extra caffeine to get you through this morning, Yorganic juice and yogurt bar in Hanover Square is giving out free 12 oz. cups of Bliss Beans certified organic fair trade coffee from 8 - 11 a.m. this morning. If you work in the Wall Street area, this might be the best news you've heard all week.

The recalculated red hotness of Red Hook came in the form of a Fall food and drink preview dedicated strictly to the neighborhood in last week’s Time Out, written up with an ersatz, vaguely Swedish alphabet meant to evoke IKEA label kookiness. Among the umlaut-heavy listings was one for Stumptown Coffee’s first New York store, which will reportedly open in the former heating and air conditioning place seen here, at 219 Van Brunt Street. Some time back, the old lettering on the storefront was unrelatedly and strategically repainted to memorialize its humble machine shop beginnings: It now reads “Eating and Art Conditioning.” It’s a funny welcome for a coffee shop known for taking good care of its beans, and equally for displaying works by local artists.

Starting today and running through Labor Day, Starbucks will be helping customers succumbing to afternoon drowsiness with a special discount. After 2 p.m., anyone who produces a receipt from a previous Starbucks purchase that morning can buy any iced grande beverage for $2. (Drinks like their grande iced latte typically costs about $4.) The new discount is part of an aggressive attempt by the faltering coffee giant – which is closing hundreds of locations and recently posted a loss for the first time – to retain customers. But a commenter on Starbucks Gossip seems to reflect a growing consensus: “I don't know, this just all seems a little desperate to me.”

Starbucks has released the full list [pdf] of 600 “underperforming” locations nationwide that will close between now and mid-2009; 10 of them are in New York City, with the majority clustered in midtown, two in Queens, one on Staten Island and one in Bay Ridge. Which means we’re left with a scant 225 Starbucks citywide – so get out and support your local neighborhood Starbucks!

Starbucks has announced it's closing 600 stores in the U.S., bringing the total number down to approximately 9 gazillion, most of them located in Astor Place. Stocks have fallen 24% so far this year, and its second quarter was its weakest as a public company. The Seattle-based chain says it will try to relocate employees to other stores, but thousands of layoffs loom. Financial analyst Sharon Zackfia tells the Times, “I don’t think it’s overly surprising. These stores were in aggregate unprofitable.” No word yet on how many NYC Starbucks locations will close, but one hopes it’s kept to a minimum, because where else will we use the bathroom?

    

A big crowd packed Joe on East 13th Street last night for New York’s first inter-cafe barista showdown, as representatives from some of the city’s top coffee houses competed in a Latte Art Throwdown to benefit American Red Cross relief efforts in Burma and China. In fact, so many spectators turned out to watch the competition – which was simulcast on the back wall – that they had to send out for more beer three times, “devolving from Sierra to cans of Bud Light,” according to event organizer Erin Meister.

Serendipitously coinciding with Obama’s big primary win, tonight’s Latte Art Throwdown at the 13th Street Joe will surely be crawling elitist liberals who love stuff like delicious espresso and college education. The city’s top coffee houses (Ninth Street Espresso, Gimme Coffee, Cafe Grumpy, Everyman Espresso, and Gorilla Coffee) will be sending baristas to the event, which is called "Rosettas for Relief" and benefit the American Red Cross' efforts in Myanmar and China.

Some funny new details emerged yesterday in the trial of the retired cop infamous for aggressively silencing noisy passengers on the Long Island Railroad. John Clifford stood accused of assaulting a woman whose hand he twice slapped in March 2007 after she tried to intervene in his scolding of cell-phone talker Nicholas Bender. And if Jerry Seinfeld is looking for material for his new TV series, he’s got all the fodder he needs in yesterday's courtroom farce:
• We already knew that in trying to shame Bender into getting off the phone, Clifford called him a “f—king faggot.” But what was so important that Bender had to prattle on despite Clifford’s admonishments? Just his cousin's kidney failure is all.
• Frequent LIRR commuter Donna DeCurtis testified against Clifford yesterday, telling the judge she’s "petrified" of him. In 2006, when DeCurtis brushed off Clifford’s instructions to pipe down, the former private eye said, “I know who you are. I know you have a daughter. I know where you live. I can make your life hell.”
• Clifford knows for certain when other passengers are being too loud because he brings a noise meter with him on the train. He says the MTA is supposed to restrict any noise above 70 decibels, but “when you’re talking across the car it goes to 80 decibels.”
• LIRR conductor David Carliovoch is well familiar with Clifford and testified that he’s “a pain in the ass.”
• In the end, the judge acquitted Clifford of all charges, dismissing most of the testimony against him because all but one of the witnesses had "an ax to grind."
• But before the ruling, the prosecutor said Clifford's behavior is like "a dog marking his territory. He is not a white knight. He is Darth Vader.”

Long Island Rail Road etiquette enforcer John Clifford – famous for his crusade against rude behavior during his morning commute – was in court yesterday to face charges stemming from a train altercation in March 2007. The retired cop-turned-lawyer stands accused of, among other things, slapping a woman who dared intervene while Clifford berated another passenger for talking loudly on his cell phone.

Starbucks unveiled its new everyday coffee brew--the Pike Place Roast--in stores today. The Seattle-based chain's press release explains the new brew has "Starbucks signature bold flavor with a smoother finish balanced by soft acidity and subtle, rich flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts." Additionally, the stores indicate when the coffee was roasted and will "brew smaller batches with a hold time of no more than 30 minutes."

In January, a roving monster with some real nasty lice terrorized Manhattan yuppies in Cloverfield. A few weeks later, the $11,000 Clover coffee machine began showing up in the press to devour yuppie wallets.

Whether it was a PR stunt or a legit "teach-in" on espresso, Starbucks shut down for three full hours last night to train baristas --leaving the 5:30 to 8:30pm coffee crowd out in the cold. Today they are back, with a new take on "the customer is always right" policy posted about their stores; it reads: "Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we'll make it right." Reportedly they'll also be introducing a honey latte soon; no word on whether the three hour espresso pouring course allowed time for the new beverage.

There's trouble brewin' at everyones favorite chain coffee shop. WCBS is reporting that there has been a shooting at a midtown Starbucks. The BNN confirms with a location: 120 W 56th Street, and reports a possible robbery as well. The NYPD are currently still looking for the suspect.

Sorry Reverend Billy, it’s only for three hours. For those of you who haven’t heard, all 7,100 “standalone” Starbucks in the United States will close for 180 tense, irritable minutes, starting at 5:30pm on February 26th. (That’s a Tuesday.) Now don’t let panic take over – this has nothing to do with Starbucks' "sinister Phase Two" of operations; it’s planned to facilitate the retraining of their 135,000-strong army.

Okay, it's freezing. Not just freezing -- bone chillingly bitter. We've been at our desk for hours now and still can't manage to fight off the chill from our morning commute. This kind of weather makes us crave warm, cozy comfort food -- hopefully at least one of these options is close enough to you for a quick dash out, or even better, to deliver to you.

Wouldn’t be caught dead with a “latte” from Starbucks or a Coolata from Dunkin Donuts? Well, you haven’t reached the summit of coffee snobbery until you’ve had the self-proclaimed “ultimate” cup of coffee, expertly prepared by computers and pneumatic tubes at the Lower East Side’s Roasting Plant. Since opening last spring, business has been hopping at the sleek Orchard Street café; coffee aficionados are drawn back as much for the fresh coffee as for the experience of seeing it made.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an industrial accident on 10th Ave. near 30th St. in Manhattan, a man down an elevator shaft at 50 West 15th St. in Manhattan, and a homicide at Neck Parkway and 42nd Ave. in Queens.
• Not only have investigators found hard drives scrubbed clean of potentially damaging e-mail messages related to Troopergate, the Spitzer administration is refusing to even identify the names of the Internet Service Providers that were used to transmit them.
• There's a new site online for "non-pretentious people who live in Flatbush," or perhaps those who are just interested in the Brooklyn neighborhood.

You will never find Chef Bobby Flay too far away from an ancho chili pepper. Back in 1991, he opened Mesa Grill in New York, his shrine to the Southwestern flavors for which he is now famous around the world. In 1992, Mesa Grill won New York Magazine's Best New Restaurant, and the following year, Flay was given the James Beard Rising Star Chef award. Since then, he has created a mini-empire of six restaurants, including two other Mesa Grills, one in Las Vegas and another in the Bahamas.

It’s a common gripe that pretty much everything that gives New York its flavor is being steadily eviscerated and replaced with corporate chains and exclusive amenities for the affluent, but this week has been a doozy. In the past two days, for starters, we’ve seen closures announced for the following joints:

• The classic, blue collar Donuts Coffee Shop on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.
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It's official. Today the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate DUMBO a historic district, pending City Council approval.

Urban Rustic, the new Brooklyn grocery store whose shelves are almost exclusively stocked with food from within a 100-mile radius, opens tomorrow. Located on North 12th Street across from McCarren Park, the grocery is the brainchild of Aaron Woolf, a partner in the nearby faux-alpine Lodge restaurant/bar/general store. Woolf is also one of the producers of the indie documentary King Corn, which followed the misadventures of two neophyte corn farmers and their harrowing journey...

The New York Press is getting their Gawker Stalker on with their latest cover story about stalking Claire Danes...and how you, yes you, can also follow her home! All you need is the internet, a lot of free time and an obsession in which to fuel your fanboy/girl fire. The payoff? Well, for the author of the article, Becca Tucker, it was a cover story complete with creepy photo, headline and font. Just close your...