Cookie & Coffee @ The Mercury Dime

I met up with a friend for coffee at The Mercury Dime cafe in the East Village last week. Since I was early, I ordered the cappuccino first while I waited and read the newspaper, and when she arrived, I ordered a double french pressed coffee. Each order came with this cute little lace cookie. The coffee, unfortunately was not very good even though it was made fresh to order.

The best coffee in NYC, in my humble opinion, are found at La Colombe Cafe in Tribeca, Petal Belle in SoHo because they use the La Colombe brand of coffee, and Aubergine Cafe (in my neighborhood) that uses Irving Farm coffee. Irving Farm has its own cafes in the city but I have not visited one yet.

So what is your favorite brand of coffee or tea?

illy cafe

We all know Starbucks in the US but have you heard of an illy cafe? There are a couple of them in NYC and they serve coffee from the Italian brand.

So what brand of coffee or tea do you drink every day?

Ming's Best Friends

These are two of the things I cannot live without -- a good cup of coffee and my iPhone. This photo was taken at La Colombe Cafe in Tribeca.

Okay, I admit it. I'm running out of new photos so this is an old photo from my archives.

So what can't you live without?

Postcard from Barcelona: Morning Coffee

This was my first cup of coffee in Barcelona yesterday morning after arriving on the red eye flight from NYC. I checked my luggage behind the counter at the hotel -- the room was not ready yet -- and headed to the La Boqueria, a gigantic meat, vegetables and fruits market located right off of La Rambla, the main tourist street of Barcelona. The market also have numerous cafes and restaurants that serve breakfast and lunch.

I discovered later during the day that my US bank card does not allow me withdraw money from the ATM machines here in Barcelona. This is strange because I was able to withdraw Euros from Rome less than two months ago, and RMB in Beijing, China in 2007. I have contacted my bank in NYC and hopefully, this situation gets resolved soon or else I will be tap dancing at La Rambla for pocket change.

Update: After a 2nd desperate call to the bank, the ATM problem is resolved. I will not have to scrub the toilet as Sally said.

Lieges a.k.a. Belgian Waffles

I had one of these lièges, an ultra-sugary Belgian waffle, at Petal Belle in SoHo a couple weeks ago. It tasted great with a strong cup of coffee on a cold winter's day.

So what is your drink of choice when it is cold outside?

Don't Use Cash!

The sign on this coffee shop window says: Don't Use Cash! Save 5% of all purchases using any form of payment (credit, debit) or Just Roasted Coffee Card. That is strange indeed as most stores prefer cash over credit or debit payments.

So do you think this is just another publicity stunt by the coffee shop OR do they really benefit from credit and debit purchases?

Christmas Wish List I

I was at the local grocery store this weekend when I heard a Christmas song playing on the speakers. Even though it is still too early to be planning for Christmas, I think I may have found an item for Santa Claus to bring me; I have been a very good boy afterall.

I saw this beautiful red Francis x7 espresso machine at the Conran Store in midtown last Sunday. According to the sales lady demonstrating and handing out free espresso, the machine currently retails for $395 (that is a $200 off the actual price). The lady also said that it was designed by Italian architect, Luca Trazzi.

So do you have a Christmas wish list yet? If so, what would you like Santa to bring you?

Last Days of Summer

The last days of summer have arrived and gone so dining outdoors will be the thing of the past pretty soon. This restaurant on the corner of Union Square West and 16th Street is called The Coffee Shop and is a popular hang out for locals as well as tourists. It was rumored that Sandra Bullock worked here as a waitress many years ago before she became famous.

Before I became Ming the Merciless, I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken for 6 week when I was about 17 years old. I quit the job after they made me do a double shift. Yes, I was a spoilted brat. :-)

So what is your most unglamorous job?

The Mud Truck

The Mud Truck is an interesting twist to the regular lunch truck that we normally find parked outside construction sites. This truck, parked outside the Astor Place (4th Avenue & 8th Street) subway station, targets mainly the subway riders and the already over-caffeinated New Yorkers on the street. I'm one of those over-caffeinated New Yorkers who drink three to four cups of coffee a day, especially when I'm on vacation or cafe-hopping in the city on weekends.

So how much coffee do you drink a day? And what kind of coffee do you like best?

La Colombe Cafe

I was at Tribeca (short for Triangle Below Canal Street) in downtown Manhattan yesterday for a meeting. After the meeting, I came upon this beautiful cafe on the corner of Walker and Church Street called La Colombe. So I stopped in for a cup of coffee. Here is a photo of my coffee.

So do you have a favorite place to get your coffee? How many cups do you drink a day?

Vesuvio Bakery in SoHo

The Vesuvio Bakery, on Prince Street between Thompson and West Broadway, has been in business for eighty years. It was serving Italian style baked goods and great coffee way back when SoHo was considered an undesirable commercial warehouse district. It is amazing that the bakery is still here.

Okay, enough about the photos. What goodies did you get for Christmas? I got some movie passes/coupons, subscriptions to various magazines and a box of chocolate.