Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Jo Jack's Espresso Bar and Cafe in Portsmouth,Va

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So today's review is on Jo Jack's Espresso Bar and Cafe. A cafe in Portsmouth,Va. It's a coffee shop/sandwich shop so you can come here for a coffee or for a good lunch. I've actually come here for lunch before and it was yummy. I've been wanting to check out their coffee (since that is of course what I do) so here I am.

When i arrived, the place was actually pretty busy. They have a drive-thru as well as a dining area but it's not like one where you talk into a speaker, you just pull up to a window and get waited on there. The dining area is pretty big. It has about 5 four top tables, two bars with about 4 stools each and a few two top tables. But what they don't have? Outlets. You would think at the bars at least, where the people that are likely to sit there are alone, there would be a lot of outlets so people can plug in their laptops. Most people that come into coffee houses alone come with either a laptop or a book, some form of entertainment. I had to find a chair right by the bathrooms, it was the only place I could find with an available outlet. But since there are so many tables, I am kind of in the way.

I think I came during their lunch rush but they seemed to be organized about the chaos that was going on. I saw 4 girls working, one of which I think is the owner (always nice to see). One girl running food and drinks, one making the food, one taking orders and one doing the drive thru and checking in on the customers in the dining area. To be honest, the whole time I was here they stayed pretty busy. There was a constant influx of people coming in for the most part. At one point some guy (the manager? owner?) came out from the office and started running food.

I ordered a soy iced vanilla latte.

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They have the hand tamping espresso machine here as well. I don't think I would have ordered anything with espresso if it was a super auto. The portafilters were rinsed and drying on the counter. Always a good sign. If you leave them in the machine after you use them, the machine creates a sort of vacuum and sucks up some of the used grinds into the machine gunking it up through time and slowing down your espresso shot.

So i ordered my drink, I was given a plastic number and told to have a seat and my drink would be brought out to me. This was a first for me. But I can only imagine it was because the lack of "waiting area". Most coffee shops have a kind of lingering area for you after you order your drinks. This one didn't really so I guess I can understand the seating thing. What I couldn't understand was the 5 min wait I had for my drink. Now I know any experienced barista could make my drink in 60 seconds or less. I also understand that there were people ahead of me. But 5 minutes? At one point I thought they forgot about me and I was going to check on my drink. But then the girl brought it out and I was just happy to have coffee in my hand.

The coffee? It was good. I think there was only 2 shots in it though. I would have preferred 3 to this size. And the cost? $5.50. I thought that was a lot. It was only 16oz and I know I asked for soy so that is a charge as well but I was a but shocked at the price. I looked at the menu and they ARE a bit pricey with all their drinks. But looking around the majority of the customers are business men and women on their lunch break. The sound of high heels echo on the hardwood floors and men in tacky starched ties and polished shoes milled about chatting on their cell phones. The rest of the customer base consists of older women having lunch with their friends and the occasional bored housewife busy texting away. Not a single person my age is in here. No angsty pierced teenagers in need of their premature caffeine fix or high school barbies wanting her low fat frappuchino. Nope. Just Brooks Brothers and old lady must. Needless to say I am standing out in the crowd. But you know what? Money is money. And in this day and age any small business that is still booming like this place deserves props.

The staff seem to really enjoy their job, there was always someone walking the floor checking on everyone and even at one point someone came and picked up my straw wrapper to throw it away for me.

The ambiance? Well it's kind of a mix of corporate america and indie cafe style. You have the hardwood floors and chalkboard in the corner, the walls are rather bare other than the occasional framed picture of coffee. All the tables are a dark wood with a few cushy chairs on the wall. It's not cozy. It doesn't seem like a place I could curl up and hang out for a while. I think it's focused more of the lunch aspect than the coffee. And their lunches are good but maybe it could be more equal.

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Well all in all I did like this place. But I don't know if I will be back. My coffee was good and the people here were nothing but nice but it's just not my type of place. I like the cozy warm coffee houses where the baristas love their coffee. The "barista suggestions" on the wall were lame. Nothing creative in the least. Almond mocha with a cutesy name, blah blah blah. Give me someone who knows how to make a dirty chai or loves their perfect espresso shot. I get the feeling these people will be around here for a while. They're in a good location and they cater very well to their customers. I just don't think I am going to be one of them...



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Saturday, August 1, 2009

Chocollage in Norfolk,Va

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Everyone thought I gave up on this blog didn't they? Well unemployment adds a whole new level of boredom to life so I thought there is no better time to get this blog back up and running than now. Today's coffee house is Chocollage, nestled in the heart of downtown Norfolk this coffee shop/bakery has gotten nothing but good reviews from their customers so I thought it was a good place to get back on track with my blogging.

To be honest, it wasn't so much hard to find, but hard to park. There is only street parking in this area and so I had to go down quite a few blocks to find a place to park and just hike it back. I'm not complaining, it's actually a very nice area. Complete with houses I could never afford with the streets lined with BMWs and oversized SUVs, beauty always comes with a price.

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I walked in and the first thing I noticed was the smell. Oh the sweet smell of a fresh baked goods mixed with fresh coffee, I was instantly in a state of euphoria. The espresso machine they have is a "old fashioned" one (people tend to refer to these machines as old fashioned when in reality they are the only espresso machines worth a crap. If you walk into a coffee house with a super automatic espresso machine, might as well walk right back out..unless you like the taste of burnt turd), but it looks well taken care of. I thought about ordering something with espresso but then I thought about my budget. I decided when I got back into planning for this blog, that I would stick to either hot or iced coffee for the most part. It would just get way too expensive to get into anything fancier. I'd be broke just doing this blog. If I get an espresso based drink every OTHER time I go to a coffee shop then I can save some money. The heart of any coffee shop is both their well timed espresso shots, as well as their regular coffee. It can be the crappiest espresso ever but if you put enough milk and flavor in it, you can cover up any bad taste (believe me, I know...I worked in a hospital coffee shop).

Anyway I just ordered an iced coffee and a black and white cookie from the young girl that was working at the counter. For both it was only a little over $3, so my wallet was ecstatic about that:) Really pretty much all of the coffee drinks are reasonably priced. $3.50 for a breve or $3.20 for a mocha. They also make macchiatos the traditional way..f*ck you starbucks. The rest of the place was dead and truth be told only 4 other customers came in while i was here. I thought that was a bit odd for a Saturday but oh well. Their loss.

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My coffee? It was good. I can always tell how good a coffee is based on how much cream and sugar I have to put in it to make it drinkable. I only put in 2 small creamers and no sweeteners. It was kind of odd she put it in a hot coffee cup but I did ask for the biggest cup she had and I noted that the biggest cold cup was only 16oz and the hot cup is 20oz so in the end I guess it doesn't matter what kind of cup it comes in as long as it tastes good. My black and white cookie? Now before I answer this, keep in mind I love cookies ALMOST as much as I love coffee so my standards are pretty high. The cookie...is GOOD. Like, really REALLY good. Obviously very fresh and because of the icing it was kept in a refrigerated case. They serve lunch here as well. Your typical cafe food, soup and quiche and a good selection of sandwiches. I'd probably come back for lunch if it wasn't so far away. If I lived in the area I can see myself not only coming here often but putting on at least 20lbs from the food.


Ok the downsides to this place (I have to be honest right?) First off..parking. I know it's hard in areas like this but parking 5 blocks down and walking isn't my idea of fun. Then again, maybe I DO need to walk off this cookie. Second? Sounds small but there is no music. Just the sound of silence and the occasion tap tap tapping of the barista as she texts away on her phone. Even if its just some soft classical it would be kind of nice. Third? Outlets. There is only one and it's in the corner. I am literally right next to the fridge hiding away in the corner typing away on my laptop. I kind of feel like I am being punished. And lastly the WIFI...I am pretty sure I am stealing off someone else's wifi at the moment.The network they're on was sucky (linksys) so I had to jump on someone elses. Thank you Motorola!!!

But all in all I am very happy with my visit here. The barista was very friendly and helpful and the owner kind of reminded me of my grandma:) I'd recommend it to anyone who was looking for a cozy independent coffee house or bakery in Norfolk. I think the old fashioned bakeries need to make a comeback. No more going to your local grocery store for your child's birthday cake. Even if it is a little bit out of the way for you, this place is well worth the trouble.