Arrivederci, Starbucks
Written: Aug 20 '04 (Updated Jun 13 '05)
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Pros: Excellent coffee and pastries, very friendly employees, nice location, real cups, long hours
Cons: Not a one
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line is parked on Bean Street
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| prfstars's Full Review: Bean Street |
I'll be the first person to admit it: I like Starbucks-- a place many coffee snobs compare to McDonald's. Ubiquity and consistency aside, It's an unfair analogy. McDonald's burgers are artificially flavored disks of salt and grease; Starbucks' coffee is the real thing: high quality beans handled and prepared as well as-- or better than-- most neighborhood places. How many times have you ordered a mocha in a very homey (or trendy) local place, only to be dismayed by a drink that tastes like warm milk and Hershey's syrup? I always said that if I found a neighborhood coffee place that got it right, I'd abandon Starbucks.
I'm pleased to announce that I haven't been to Starbucks in two months.
These days, I get my daily dose of coffee at Bean Street in Lake Oswego's Westlake Shopping Center. The shopping center is a small collection of privately owned stores nestled in a residential neighborhood. With it's subtle storefronts and lovely landscaping, it looks more like a park than a strip mall.
The Coffee
I'm a sucker for illy coffee, which is all Bean Street uses in their drip coffee and espresso drinks. They've got the usual array of lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, etc. With all due respect to latte drinkers, a latte is a latte. As long as a coffee place uses good quality espresso, it's hard to mess up a latte. If you've got a sixteen ounce cup and two shots of espresso, there's not a lot of artistry in adding the steamed milk. A mocha is a much better barometer of the place's coffee aesthetic; is there a good balance of coffee and chocolate flavors? Is the chocolate high quality? Way too many coffee places use hershey's syrup, which is fine for the under-twelve crowd, but way too bland and cloying for any respectable adult. Bean Street makes a good, strong mocha with Ghirardelli dark chocolate. It's not too sweet, nor is it too milky. I usually get an extra shot of espresso, but it barely needs it.
They've got the usual assortment of tea bags too, if that's your thing.
Coffee (and tea) comes in four sizes-- 8, 12, 16, and 20 ounces. You order your drink by size, which I like. I feel far less pretentious asking for a "twenty ouncer with an extra shot" than a "quad venti."
Food
Bean Street has a better assortment of breakfast pastries than Starbucks has, and they're fresher. I've always been disappointed with Starbucks' too-soft croissants and day-old muffins. Bean Street's pastries are always fresh. Their croissants are perfectly flaky, and the bagels taste like bagels (Starbucks' are very bready.) I'm a big fan of their almond croissants; my kids love the marioneberry bran muffins. There are several ice cream flavors, but since we only go there in the morning, we've never tried them.
Speaking of my kids, they love the place. When we order a hot chocolate for my daughter, it looks just like a grown-up's coffee drink, but it's never as hot. The employees always know exactly how to make a drink kid-friendly. Last week, the woman behind the counter told my daughter about steamers, which are drinks made with steamed milk and flavored syrups. We'd never heard of steamers before, but they've revolutionized my daughter's breakfast routine. The highlight of her day is deciding which combination of flavors will be in her drink. To date, strawberry-vanilla is her favorite combination.
If you choose to enjoy your coffee there instead of taking it to go, Bean Street has a dozen tables, and real dishes. There's no table service, per se, but whenever we've sat down to wait for our drinks, one of the employees has brought them to our table. Similarly, there's a "bus your own table" policy, but every time someone spots me cleaning up our crumbs, she tells us not to bother.
So is there anything missing? While there's ample seating at Bean Street, it's all at tables. If Bean Street tossed a few big, soft chairs into the mix, I'd be thrilled.
Service at Bean Street is outstanding. They're friendly, patient, and always eager to recommend a new drink or pastry. On a recent morning,the customer in front of me wanted detailed information on Bean Street's decaf. She wanted to know if they were sure it had no caffeine. The teenage cashier called a coffee company to find out exactly what process is used to decaffeinate their coffee, and then explained it in great detail to the customer. I was seriously impressed-- not only by the level of service, but by the maturity of a kid who could just as easily have shrugged and said she didn't know.
As I've mentioned, I usually take my kids with me. The women behind the counter always seem to pay attention to who's in front of the counter, and modify the drinks accordingly. I've never had to ask them to make my daughter's hot chocolate or steamer a little cooler than normal-- they just do it.
Bean Street shares a large space with Talarico's Mercato, an upscale neighborhood grocery store owned by the same family. Talarico's sells fresh produce, gourmet cheeses, meat, meals to go, salads, and pizza. I haven't tried their pizza yet, but they've earned a loyal following by offering a gluten-free crust.
In addition to the Mercato, Bean Street features (and sells) glass and pottery made by local artists.
I still have nothing against Starbucks, but I can't think of a reason why I'd go there for my morning coffee now. I've found a place with better coffee, better pastries, a nice location, outstanding service, and local ownership. Yay!
Bean Street
14559 Westlake Drive
Lake Oswego, OR
503-639-5113
Open daily from 6AM to 8PM
Update 6/05-- Bean Street is now Cafe Calabria. It's still the same place, with the same coffee and pastries, and the same people, but it has a new name.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
prfstars
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 - Top 200 |
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Location: The Burbs
Reviews written: 304
Trusted by: 237 members
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