Review

It's been nearly two months since I started this blog, so I figure I'd review my old posts and than pick the best overall coffee, best overall service and best overall ambiance. Let's start with the most important one, best coffee...

Best coffee: My pick for best coffee/cafe is Prado. Prado is located on 1938 Commercial Drive, just on the corner of 6th. At the end of December 2011, Sammy Piccolo, who started Caffe Artigiano, took over Prado and revamped it. Before he took it over, I was a casual fan of Prado and only stopped when I was in the area. Their coffee was average to me and nothing stood out. However, that all changed when Sammy made me my cappuccino. It was love at first taste. The smooth, clean taste was thoroughly enjoyed by my taste buds. It was the perfect matrimony of milk and espresso. With the exception of Kafka's, I find that most cafes make a cappuccino that are too strong (too much espresso) or too subtle (the taste of milk overpowers) but Prado has the perfect blend. I'm also a fan of their Americano Misto's, Mocha's, Espresso Macchiato and Latte's. And don't get me started on their raspberry crumble bar. It's like biting into a taste of heaven. The fresh raspberry taste is the perfect compliment to the crumble texture. And best of all, their raspberry crumble bar is made there. Talk about local. It's nice knowing that the pastries I buy are made in store and not shipped in frozen from some random American bakery or store. I highly recommend pairing the cappuccino with their raspberry crumble bar. Your tastebuds will thank me and thank you.

Best Service: I didn't have to review my old posts to figure this one out. The best service title goes to Kafka's Coffee and Tea. Located on 2525 Main Street, Kafka's is on east Broadway and Main. Kafka's is fairly new, just over a year and half old. Whenever I need somewhere to go to get some writing done, I go to Kafka's and after the first sip of their cappuccino, the spark that gets my inspiration going lights up. It feels like a home away from home, a place where my imagination is born. I also give huge credit to the barista's for making me feel welcome. I must give a shout out to a barista there by the name of  Genevieve. She is the sweetest, most kindest person that I have ever encountered recently in the service industry. She serves each coffee with a smile and makes the effort to get the names of the regulars. Her small talk is welcoming, not annoying or overbearing. If you ever go to Kafka's, I hope you're lucky enough to have her as your barista because not only is she really kind, but she makes great coffee as well. The rest of the barista's are kind as well. Nothing is worse than barista's who make you feel like you're intruding on their time. That certainly is not the case for Kafka's. It's impossible to get a bad coffee or bad service there.

Best Ambiance: The best ambiance title belongs to Caffe Artigiano. Located on 4539 Hastings Street, this is the only Burnaby location. As soon as you enter this Caffe Artigiano, you feel like you stepped into a cafe in Rome, Italy. Seeing how Caffe Artigiano was started by Italian-American Sammy Piccolo (yes, the new owner of Prado) it seems fitting that the cafe has a European feel to it. The decor was atheistically pleasing, a real pleasure to the eyes. The cafe is very spacious, with lots of lovely lighting. Your eyes cannot help but fall upon the floor and tables. Instead of cheap seating arrangements that you may find at other cafes, you'll find a classy, upscale decor. However, it's not over the top or overbearing but it certainly is a welcome change. It has a warm, inviting vibe that makes you sit down to enjoy every sip of your beverage instead of taking it to go. Having the barista's dress all in black gave the cafe a professional edge too, which shows that management care not just about the coffee they make, but the people who serve it.

So if you ever find yourself in North Burnaby or East Vancouver, be sure to go to Caffe Artigiano, Prado and Kafka's. And make sure to go those cafes when you have time because really, how can you enjoy the best coffee, service and ambiance when you're on the run?

Prado Cafe Raspberry Bar

Guys, I'm not the most religious person, but I'm pretty sure I experienced a taste of heaven earlier. I decided to return to Prado Cafe (1938 Commercial Drive, just on the corner on 4th) for their Americano Misto. However, upon reading online reviews of the cafe, I noticed that everyone raved about the raspberry bars, and how they're the best thing ever. My sweet tooth was acting up, so I decided to try the raspberry bar as.

Well, I'm certainly glad I did! After taking the first bite, I felt instant ecstasy. The fruity raspberry taste did a happy dance on my taste buds as it lingered. The crumble bit was the perfect compliment, giving it a nice texture. It tasted fresh, not like it was laden with chemicals or preservatives. And even better, it's baked by someone who works at Prado, instead of it being shipped in frozen. If you support local food, than show it by ordering it. I wanted to take a photo of the entire thing but unfortunately, I succumbed to the delicious flavour. I will, however, post the remnants of it. I do highly recommend you try it when you're on the drive. Make sure to pair it with their world class cappuccino. In fact, I can confidently say that Prado makes the best cappuccino in town. Oh, and their Americano Misto is pretty damn good too. I'll have to try it again but next time, I'm going to pair it with their latte.

So next time you find yourself on Commercial Drive, (particularly on the corner of 4th), come in and order their raspberry bar and cappuccino. Your taste buds will thank you.

Prado Cafe

After partying 2011 away and getting roughly five hours of sleep, I woke up exhausted. Knowing that caffeine was the only way to put some life into me, I decided to venture out for my first coffee of 2012. My java craving led me to Prado Cafe. Prado Cafe is located at 1938 Commercial Drive and nestled on the corner of 4^th and Commercial.

My eyes were immediately stimulated by the décor of Prado. The windows were large and a dream come true for those who like to people watch. If you get lucky by getting the perfect table, you can watch life happen on the streets of Commercial Drive. The clean, evenly spread out tables told me to stay.  I would have stayed but every table was occupied and also, I had to be at my grandparent’s place for some Greek new year traditions later that day. The floor was really nice as well. It looked like home away from home. I immediately felt invited and welcomed. The vibe and ambiance was great. Because there was a line, I had a chance to check out the crowd and barista’s. Some Commercial Drive cafes attract hipsters and some attract elderly men. Well, Prado had those types of people and more. It seems like Prado’s crowd is those who enjoy life and a good coffee. The pastries looked tempting as well. I may just try one next time I'm in.

People have told me that you have to be lucky to get good service anywhere on Commercial Drive. Well, I guess I got lucky because everyone from the server to the barista were really nice and welcome.  We exchanged genuine small talk and smiles. There was nothing fake. Thankfully, small talk was all I could muster because I was still way too tired to formulate any words.  All the barista’s looked and dressed differently, with different styles of clothing, beards and hair. It was a pretty electric crowd there, which I liked. Naturally, I ordered a cappuccino and got the 16 ounce, which was the biggest size. This was going to be my first cappuccino of 2012 so I was pretty excited.

Well, that cappuccino sure set some standards for the new year. Kafka’s still makes the best cappuccino but it was still pretty damn good. It was a smooth, clean taste. It was a perfect blend of espresso and milk, with the foamed milk being the perfect sweet compliment to the strong taste of espresso. It wasn’t overly strong, but it wasn’t subtle either. After a few sips, I instantly woke up. I felt energized, ready to take on the afternoon with my Greek relatives. I wish there was a bigger size so I could enjoy more of this amazing cappuccino. I will, however, be back soon to get another cappuccino real soon. Their cappuccino is the kind you need to have more than once.

I highly recommend Prado. If you ever get some free time, head on down, grab a spot and try their cappuccino. It’s definitely one of the better cafes on Commercial Drive and one worth checking out.

And to the readers of this blog, happy new year! May 2012 be your best year yet. Thanks for sticking with me & I look forward to posting more blogs for you!