Saturday, August 03, 2013

Bicycles Liberate, Espresso Invigorates

Gary - I've mentioned him in a previous post - is a bicycle rider like us.  Except he's been doing it much longer than we have and in his travels, finds some really great places.  This is his latest gem - Monorail Espresso in Seattle, WA.  Text and photos by Gary!
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I rode my bike from the TA in North Bend to downtown, caught a local bus to Issaquah, WA, then an express bus from there to Downtown Seattle.  Three bucks and an hour and a half transit. Thank you Google maps transit feature! 
I'm pretty new to espresso drinking, but seasoned enough to be able to identify the different "flavor notes" in a good espresso. Monorail definitely delivered in that regard. My double shot was slightly bitter at first, then evolved into a burst of full, rich, coffee nirvana. It was like discovering the soul and essence of what coffee is, liquefying that and drinking it.

In my two years of drinking espresso, Monorail is my second favorite. First place goes to Swallow Cafe in Brooklyn, NY.
Castro, the owner/barista at Monorail was like your favorite older uncle. Very engaging and playful. I immediately earned the nickname "Meecheegun" once he learned I was from Michigan. He knew everyone's name in the line at his walk-up takeout window.


The line formed then disappeared several times while I was there. He was constantly busy, yet took the time to banter with each customer. It was a sight to behold.  (I love the "directions menu" Gary took a picture of.)
As you might imagine, in addition to espresso, a whole slew of coffee drinks were available.  I think I'm drawn to espresso because it is coffee in its purest form. I'm not drawn to the fancy mixed coffee drinks, because I think it takes away from the coffee itself. My opinion only.
Just a walk-up window and two tables on the sidewalk....perfection.

Just like the espresso.

Monorail Espresso
520 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101

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Thanks, Gary!!  I know this is a place we will definitely be checking out, since the best espresso I've ever had in my life was in Italy.

This is much closer.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Playing For Gas Money
2011: Faceted Beauty For Less Than Three Bucks
2010: Triple FFF-18
2009: Hot Tuna Doesn’t Get Any Play In My Truck
2008: Corn Fed Summer
2007: Eddie Breaks The Rules Friday
2006: The Chicks Of Dixie
2005: Text Me

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Salena

Thanks again for our daily dose of the USA, and also many thanks for the recent Guardian piece about podcasts. We love the Alec Baldwin one and the Way with Words one especially.

Mick

The Daily Rant said...

Mick,

I'm glad you're enjoying your virtual "travels" across the USA. We have been so many places yet still have SO much to see!

And I'm glad you liked the Guardian podcast piece. I LOVE the Alec Baldwin one (just listened to several on my drive this week) and Way with Words is always good. I've also been listening to Bowery Boys recently - I didn't include it in my list but someone in the comments section mentioned it - which is giving me so much background about NYC, a place I was born but haven't really explored in a historical sense. It's really interesting.

Thanks for reading and THANK YOU for commenting!! Take care!