Metropolis Coffee on Granville

I think it's been there for several months at least, so this may not be news to many here, but I stopped in over the weekend and had a very pleasant experience.

I don't have the exact address, but it's about mid-way between the el station and Sheridan Rd., on the south side of the street.

It's an uncommonly spacious place for a coffee house. Lots of space between tables and a second room with upholstered furniture for people who want less bustle while they read or write their doctoral theses.

On the one hand the whole thing could be a location from Friends or Mad About You. Upscale, professional, thoroughly gentrified. But it's local and independent as opposed to StarB's or Caribou or an Einstein's.

They have a lovely, sleek modern roaster right there on the premises. I don't know how they source their beans, but the friendly, harried guy who appeared to be in charge said they're very scrupulous about selling nothing more than 7 days after roasting, and storing well in the interim.

The coffee of the day was Nicaraguan and I thought it was very nice. Real flavor and body. A little smoky. Not as light as I tend to think of latin coffes as being. Not at all over roasted or unpleasantly bitter.

They offer the whole range of espresso/latte variations from traditional to completely frou-frou. Per the previous machiato thread, their description of a machiato conforms to what one would expect in Europe, though I didn't test their execution.

Per the owner's recommendation, I took home some of their "Good Soldier Schweik" blend (african beans) to serve as an after dinner coffee, brewed in my little Italian stovetop espresso maker. (And ain't that some serious whimsy in naming a blend? None of this "Good Morning" or "Red Line Roast" toadying to the locals.)

I had first asked for their espresso roast, but he said that it was specifically made to produce a good crema in a high pressure appliance and that it would not make a good coffee in my little rustic pot. That amount of taking time with a customer seemed like a very good omen.

Served in demitasse cups, the Schweik roast proved a very nice post-prandial sip indeed. Dark, with lots of good bitterness to wake up the tongue after a large meal with wine.

They guy admitted that the baked goods were "pretty picked over" by the time I arrived late Sat. morning. So, I don't really know what they offer in that area. The few bagels, scones and croissants that remained looked absolutely standard. And the little jam packets available at the fixin's counter were of the meanest food service variety. Not even Welch's or Smuckers.

Still, the scone itself was perfectly tolerable. I did see a large bag behind the counter such as bakeries deliver to restaurants and it said "Metropolis; 15 demis." So, I'm guessing, maybe they do some sandwiches at lunch time, though, oddly, I didn't see any menu board that would indicate that.

The atmosphere just as relaxing as a coffee house should be. The coffee was good. The staff seemed knowledgeable and friendly. All the coffees are "fair trade" for those who like their beans PC.

All in all, the establishment definitely perks up the entrenched seediness of Granville. There was a newspapaer article framed on the wall, so apparently someone has done a feature on them, but I never got over there to read it, so I don't know what it was.