ONLY THE BLOG KNOWS BROOKLYN RESTAURANTS_COFFEE ROUND-UP

Editor's note: Stay tuned on Friday July 8 when OTBKB-Restaurants presents an even more comprehensive look at Park Slope coffee.

by Paul Leschen

Just back from a trip down to Wilmington. Obviously I’m delighted to be back home. Now I can get good coffee again.

The one thing that irked me the most about Wilmington, even more than the apparent political apathy and incredible lack of openly gay people, was Port City Java, the local coffee chain. Twice I bought beans and had them ground for my stovetop espresso doo-dad, and both times the grind had the consistency of Folgers crystals. And every coffee drink I bought from them, from straight espresso to their frozed frappa-type beverage thing, was weak. Naturally, the joint is wildly popular with the locals. The South really has a weakness for, well, weakness.

Here’s a half-baked list of notable Park Slope coffeehouses. Let me know if I forgot anyone!

1.Gorilla Coffee. Roasted in-house, served up by skilled baristas on a fancy espresso machine. I like their drip coffee the best. And the clientele has a nice rawk style too ‘em.

2.Café Regular. Like Paris, only with good coffee. Also great for an early morning OJ, indulgent pastries, and cheap hard-boiled eggs.

3.Naidre’s. But I never go there… it’s too expensive.

4. Has Beans. Stupid name, but great location…on 18th and 5th, right near my house. The drip coffee is dependable, the espresso inconsistent.

5. Parco. More of a French pastry shop, but the coffee ain’t too shabby.

6. Tea Lounge. Coffee is passable, couches are comfortable (but dirty) and they have beer. But enough with the Grateful Dead. Union Street location has a clientele that somehow makes every neighborhood demographic feel like an oppressed minority.

7. Starbucks. Yes, I like the coffee at Starbucks better than those lower on this list. Of course, drinking Starbucks in a neighborhood with plenty of better local choices is plain silly.

8.Ozzie’s. Original location has cute old pharmacy fixtures. Sometimes it takes a long time to get your drink there. They charge for Internet use at the 5th Avenue location.

9.The Place By The Q Station on Flatbush.

10.Dunkin’ Donuts. Blueberry iced coffee is a threat to traditional values. There should be a law. If these people get their way, all coffee in America will be blueberry-flavored. Have you tried this stuff? Yeeccccchh. It tastes pre-dunked.

11.Postmark Café. This little shop on 6th Street and 5th Avenue serves some of the weakest coffee in America. I’ve had stronger coffee at a soul-food joint in Hillsborough, North Carolina made with a quart of boiling water and a teaspoon of Taster’s Choice. When I inquired as to whether this batch was weaker than the norm, I was told with a straight face and glazed-over eyes that they like it that way.

Paul Leschen recently moved back to Brooklyn from Durham, North Carolina. He is a pianist and composer who has worked with the Scissor Sisters, Hedda Lettuce, and Murray Hill, among others. He has written about food and restaurants for the New York Press and the Portland Mercury. His food column will appear on OTBKB every Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at: foodntunes@yahoo.com