Coffee Steam Cures Heavy Nose

An urbane, fictional 17th-century nobleman from Umberto Eco's The Island of the Day Before predicts the popularity of coffee (not really such an achievement for a character created by a 20th century author) and lists its old-timey health benefits:

"You should drink coffee."

"Coffee?"

"I swear that in a short while it will be the fashion. It is a panacea. I will procure you some. It dries the cold humours, dispels wind, strengthens the liver, it is the sovereign cure for hydropsy and scabies, it restores the heart, relieves bellyache. Its steam, in fact, is recommended for fluxions of the eyes, buzzing in the ears, catarrh, rheum or heaviness of the nose, as you will."

Caffe Rustico - 3136 Main

If you've read the loiterer's guide in the hope of actually learning about a coffee shop that you might like to go to, you've probably been disappointed.

Every coffee house so-far reviewed has been one that is impossible to be ignorant of for anyone with even a slight interest in coffee, cafes or Vancouver. The two that may have been unknown to some - The Grind & Gallery and Re-entry - do not come highly recommended by me.

In this entry, I hope to alert a few people, ("a few people" being more than my entire readership), to Caffe Rustico, a slightly ill-conceived but charming place just up the hill from The Five Points on Main street near 16th avenue.

Rustico is owned and managed by a middle-aged Italian man named Mario. Mario is not a man with his finger on the pulse of many things, but he works hard and is disarmingly friendly. He also has a genuine interest in coffee. He roasts his own on what must be a tight budget and it is, in my view, superior to a good deal of indy roasts.

Mario's has an old Simonelli or something and you won't get any latte art, but the espresso, which I typically drink, can be very nice, especially if Mario pulls it himself.

The interior of Rustico is, like Mario, enthusiastic but not particularly polished or thoroughly considered. It's without pretension and comfortable.

The vast majority of Mario's customers appear to be regulars. There are few Macbook-toting creative professionals and not too many hipsters. Mario will often stand on the (lovely, covered) patio with regulars to smoke and to talk.

There is food, including pasta and pannini, which I don't recommend. The pastries aren't terrific, either. I imagine an old woman, inexpert in baking, makes them and Mario is unwilling to tell her they're lame.

You might, at this point, be curious what, if not the coffee, interior or food, does Rustico have to recommend it?

Mostly me. Just go.

Some Indulgent Pontification

One of the things that most attracts me to coffee shops is the atmosphere of productivity. I like to be around people who are working on something. Their various screenplays, poems, degrees, business plans, contracts and books underway may fail spectacularly, but to see them in the making is a pleasure.

I think this atmosphere is to some degree a product of coffee itself. Not only does it promote rational thought; the act of drinking it encourages an additional activity. One's attention is not fully occupied by drinking coffee the way it can be by food and it doesn't encourage socialization the way booze does. The best accompaniment for a coffee is an intellectual task, be it reading, paperwork or a game of chess.

Re-Entry - 4363 Main

An unfortunate name, subtle space-travel theme and the phrase, "an act of reentering," define Re-Entry.

Space is less of a theme at Re-Entry than one might expect from the name. Stars are painted on the bathroom walls and there's a satellite painted on their sidewalk sign, but these things seem more like isolated oddities than parts of a theme. Still, I applaud the attempt to model the place after something other than a Wallpaper magazine from 2004.

Coffee is fine. I've had only espresso, which tends to have a lot of (rather foamy) crema, and is perfectly enjoyable. If I recall correctly, R. employs naked portafilters, although to little effect, owing, I presume, to the inexperience of baristas.

There is very little food available. Cookies and other standard baked goods comprise the majority of it.

I don't particularly like to spend much time in Re-Entry. I have often been the only customer there and the indoor seating consists of a row of booths, all less than 3 metres from the counter, which can inspire a feeling of conspicuousness in an idler.

In summation, sure, go there, if you want.

Cafe Prado - 1938 Commercial

Cafe Prado is, at present, my favourite cafe. The coffee is perfectly satisfactory, but not mind-blowing and the interior is decorated plainly. The clientele and staff mostly belong to the younger, whiter commercial drive demographic, but are varied enough not to discourage outsiders from walking in.

It is situated in the transition zone between the relatively sketchy area of Commercial drive around the skytrain station and the trendier part up the hill and the passing traffic (mostly pedestrian) rarely slows. In the evening, a lounger with an outdoor table may enjoy a steady parade of pretty bohemians, babies and large dogs, healthily balanced with hobos, jerks in Camaros and the occasional punk.

Diversity is a word that makes me want to fill my shoes with baby rats, but it is the Prado set's diversity that makes it comfortable. There aren't quite enough of any group present to make a majority, unless you consider white people a group, which is reasonable I guess.

The Grind - 4124 Main

The Grind and Gallery is perhaps most notable for its hours of operation, which are 24 per day. I imagine this policy attracts the patronage of the largely-unemployed alternative sorts, who - I assume without foundation - live in the vicinity of The Grind. If such is not the case, its livelihood is mysterious to me.

The Grind is a cafe and gallery, as the name suggests. Look to your right upon entering for evidence of the latter claim. At the time of my visit a collection of representational paintings (oil or acrylic - I don't know the difference) were hanging on the southern wall. Constancy of subject (cats and flowers) and style among these paintings suggested to me a common executant with a promising career in greeting cards.

The Grind smells like hairdresser (well, the sort of middle-aged, perm-sporting hairdesser that I frequent): Something like smoke and Barbisol (is that a thing?). This smell so struck me that I mentioned it to the cashier/barista. I'm inexpert in identifying smells and described it to her at the time as the smell of shampoo. She suggested that my own hair was the source and I replied that this was impossible because I didn't bathe. She either had an intellect incapable of appreciating such a wit as mine or was subject to an imperturbable melancholy, because she ended our conversation without laughing.

It's probably a good idea to make some mention of the coffee. I had an espresso, which was at least 6 oz and was entirely without crema. It's the kind of coffee you might expect to get in one of those little sandwich shops run by old Korean couples, where no one really orders espresso drinks.

With so many cafes nearby, most of them with better coffee and equally indifferent staff, The Grind is, as you would most likely judge from passing by, a last resort for the late night loiterer.

Notable: dinehere.ca describes The Grind as "a hot spot for college and university students 'grinding' it out while studying for their mid-term exams." Meanwhile dinehere.ca contributor babipedes (what?) has this to say about it :

Coffee shop located on king edward and main is actually offered you best place for hang-out and stay-in.
First of all, I want to give them rate 2 due to self service, however they provide other services such as 24 hours and free internet connection. It's hard now finding a place to study and work overnight in Vancouver whereas no scumbag around. In brief, 4-star indicated all the facility they have as well.

The coffee is good. My favorite cup is medium green tea frapucinno... One of my friend tried their capucino and he said that was good. Between 2 to 6 am, they usually sold their bakery cheap (but that's still good).. So, it give you value as well.
The ambiance is what make me stayed there overnight. They got lotta artistic picture and piano on the edge where people can play around. :)

recommended...