May 17, 2008

Last picture in Brooklyn. First picture in Madison.

Weasels!

Pillar with weasels

Kitty cat!

Latte with kitty cat

The kitty looks a little evil. Is that a handlebar mustache? Why am I saying "kitty cat"? The barista gave me a choice of images for my latte foam — fern, orchid, heart, etc. — and I picked "kitty cat." He conceded he wasn't that good at achieving the difficult kitty cat. By the way, latte art is a big deal. Here's a better effort at kitty cat. I'll try to give my Madison guy more practice.

18 comments:

Trooper York said...

Hey that beats museums, the Botanical Garden and walking over the Bridge on a sunny day to go to brunch in Soho, any day. Cool.

Ann Althouse said...

Does it beat driving my sports car through miles of blooming apple trees?

Ann Althouse said...

And brunch sucks. It's the worst meal to order in a restaurant. I learned that from: 1. Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidentials" and 2. A brunch I had at the Mercer Kitchen in SoHo.

Trooper York said...

Hey to each his own. It's a beautiful sunny day in Brooklyn. I have a store full of woman buying clothes. So I am pretty happy snapping off snotty comments. Have a good day. And don't forget the cheese.

titusreachoutandtouchfaith said...

Latte art is gay and elite.

titusreachoutandtouchfaith said...

Brunch in Madison is different than brunch in NYC.

Brunch is Madison is typically a big old smorgasboard where you just keep on piling up on the food. Brunch is NYC is ordering from a menu or having a fixed menu of options.

As a result, you tend to get more food in Madison.

Bob said...

Maybe your barista likes smash-faced Persian cats.

vbspurs said...

Indeed! A very big deal.

If you go to coffee forums, you will see page after page of rosettas (as the rose-like renderings are called), including a few of my own. ;)

Gaggia owner here. Rocky Rancilio grinder. Intelligentsia Black Cat beans.

Can I get a what-what from my fellow Coffeegeeks?

Cheers,
Victoria

American Liberal Elite said...

Ditto on the Black Cat, but made on a Capresso superautomatic.

PS I don't think those are weasels. Perhaps they're puppies attracted to the pendulous breast-like forms above.

George M. Spencer said...

Wonder if Starbucks barristas in Saudi Arabia are allowed to make kitty cat swirls. Probably a flogging offense.

Also, weasel art history from September 1956. Rzzzzz!

vbspurs said...

Capresso superautomatic.

Not bad, not bad, CLD. I also recently bought a Capresso Infinity 565, to take that with me on long trips.

What with Starbucks charging $10 for wi-fi, whereas my other local coffeeshops don't, I just stopped going these days even for the atmosphere.

Ron said...

Firstly, Sundries, I bow to your caffinated intellect...Black Cat! Excellento! Nice kit, as well!

if I could sell my siblings to drug dealers, I would score a Pasquini Livia 90! I see that they now make a Livietta! With an attached grinder!

but as far as latte art goes...I'm a winnin' this thread!

http://fluffystuffin.blogspot.com/2008/04/for-major-coffee-nerds.html

ricpic said...

Dare I ask? How much more does an artsy fartsy latte cost than a plain old plain old latte?

reader_iam said...

DeLonghi Magnifica (used to have a Capresso, and lust for machine I can't have). Yeah, we're lazy.

reader_iam said...

And that "kitty cat" made me instantly think of the Wizard of Oz, not the man-behind-the curtain one, but the scary illusion.

Kev said...

What with Starbucks charging $10 for wi-fi, whereas my other local coffeeshops don't, I just stopped going these days even for the atmosphere.

Of course, you could always snag a Starbucks card. They're in the process of offering two free hours of wi-fi to AT&T customers or those who buy their drinks with a registered card. (No commercial here; I just thought it was cool.)

vbspurs said...

Guys, you won't believe what latte art Ron linked to. Here's the link again.

Can you believe that? It must be cool to be an engineer.

Ricpic: If one pays more than $4 for a latte, on average, it would be too much.

RIA: Amazing! I just checked it. Not a fan of DeLonghi, but that is a sweet looking machine. A decent shot begins and ends with the grinder. I learnt that the very hard way (after a lot of "expensive" mill grinders, 'cause I was too cheap to fork out).

Kev: Thanks!

Cheers,
Victoria

IgnatzEsq said...

Johnny Cash had an entire song about a mean eyed cat, though I doubt he was referring to a latte.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zls4czJNqU