Where to Find the Perfect Mocha? The Answer's at Stumptown

Having left you all without a post for longer than I'd like to admit, I decided to use this snow day to share my most recent food adventures with you. I trekked through the nineteen inches of slushy snow on a cold day in New York to the dark warmth of The Ace Hotel's lobby. Yesterday I came here too, but without all the frozen puddles to wade through. I guess it shows what lengths I'm willing to go to get a good mocha and maybe betrays an addiction to finding the best -- it seems impossible to waste a meal on something less than perfect.

The music is lively and varied (Run-D.M.C., Django Reinhardt, The Beatles, Motown...). Behind a row of Macs, hip business execs, furiously at work, occasionally reach for a sip of their favorite drink. My coffee du jour was a large, dark, almost savory mocha made with Mast Brothers chocolate ($5), beautifully decorated with a foam leaf design and adorned with a ribbon of thick homemade whipped cream rosettes. To supplement this enormous caloric intake I added a muffin with chocolate chips ($3.50). The pastries are good, although sinfully rich. The coffees are perfect. The mocha has very little sweetness, making it possible to drink the large pint glass of coffee set before me. It's a real jump-start to my day.

Yesterday I enjoyed a medium latte ($4), a chocolate chunk cookie ($2.50) and a croissant filled with pastrami and sauerkraut ($5). The lattes and mochas are some of the best I've ever had, and the pastries are often unusual twists on rich pastry classics. If you feel like a morning treat, put on your hipster best, grab your Mac or a worn copy of Ulysses and take yourself out to Stumptown. You wont be disappointed.

An Afternoon in Iowa City: John's and Prarie Lights Bookstore

I spent Christmas with my family in Iowa City. We mostly stayed tucked away inside, playing games, eating amazing food that my aunt and uncle prepared and trying delicious wines and beers they'd selected to pair with the meals. We did, however, venture outside into the cold for one lovely, snowy walk and a tour of the University of Iowa's campus and a couple of the many independently owned shops.
 
Our first stop was John's Grocery Inc., the last family-owned corner grocery store in town. It's been around since 1948 and stocks a fabulous selection of liquor, beer and wine. The staff are all friendly and seem eager to assist, but some are more knowledgeable than others. Keep asking until you find someone who can answer your questions.

We asked several of the staff for their recommendations and ended up with William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (rich, complex, delicious), Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Blanc De Blanc (lovely tart finish), and a case of beers that we had paired with cheeses, pickled herring and prosciutto.

Mikkeller's Black Stout and Big Worse were the standouts of the beers. They blew our minds with the intensity and depth of flavors. Not for the faint-of-heart, but real showstoppers. The Mast Brothers chocolate bars complemented the chocolate and spices in the Black Stout. I had planned on bringing Mast Brothers to my family to share at Christmas, but turns out the now Brooklyn-based Mast brothers were born in Iowa City, so no need!

After stocking up on alcohol we headed downtown to Prairie Lights bookstore. In a town with the most highly rated creative writing program in the country, The Iowa Writers' Workshop, it's not a surprise to find such a fantastic bookstore. But it was a surprise to discover that their upstairs coffee shop serves Stumptown coffee (one of my favorite roasters in New York). I didn't have time to try anything, but they also offer a selection of beers and attractive pastries in a light-filled, open and inviting space.

We also made a couple visits to the New Pioneer Food Co-op which has organic groceries, prepared foods, a large selection of wines and beers and outstanding cakes. We tried the chocolate mouse, German chocolate, lemon and Irish cream cakes. All were excellent, although for three dark chocolate lovers the German chocolate was a bit too light and the cake not as dense or moist as we would have preferred.

Iowa City opened my eyes to some wonderful new tastes and experiences. When I hear of a Mikkeller tasting in LA, you can be sure I'll be there. Cheers!