I think I might be a foodie

And for some reason, I really have had to come to terms with that. It just SOUNDS bad. I don't want to be a foodie. Do you?? It's like being called a hipster (I'm still not quite sure what that means, for the record). I think it implies brevity - following a fad. Is that right? Whipping your camera out and taking pictures of....everything. Stalking Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain because you know they would love you if only they knew you (ok that WAS me).
My whole life is about food. I'm pretty ok with it. My bulldog's whole life is about food too, and I want to be like him when I grow up. I think it's possible that there are two factions: foodies, and food lovers. Without foodies we wouldn't have things like THIS or THIS, which would really just be a shame. Yes folks. It's a rock. A rock on a string. AND it's sold out.
Foam is a foodie thing. It used to be a molecular gastronomy thing. Which, before foodies, I'm pretty sure was just called haute cuisine. Or something. And now it's fruit paper, and shrimp cocktail in an atomizer.
Now, don't get me wrong - I think what Grant Achatz and co. have done for food is nothing short of extraordinary. And if eating is really all about sense memory (ok and, you know, sustenance), then I guess it gets the job done. It recalls the memory of the most perfect shrimp cocktail. Or the ripest, most beautiful tomato. But nothing can ever, never, replace an actual most perfect tomato. Especially if it's still warm.
The antithesis of atomized flavors has got to be these guys - the Slow Food Movement. It's people who do what their families have always done, within their culture, preserving terroir (a sense of place, loosely) and ensuring that it IS the most perfect tomato, or the most perfect cheese.
Another incarnation is Thomas Keller. Hero status? Maybe. The man is a beacon of all things good. And hopeful. When the Occupy Movement descended upon the French Laundry because a group of prominent bankers were dining there, what did he do? Passed out chocolate chip cookies. Dining at Per Se was one of the single most powerful, beautiful, and memorable nights of my young life. The care for the diner is so evident. The care of the food, the chairs, the flowers, There were NO burnt out light bulbs! I know he has legions of fans (foodies!?) following him around in worship comas, but...I have to say, I kind of feel as though he deserves it. I don't think it's such a bad thing getting people to care about food and where it comes from, even if it has become mostly a marketing tool. Who cares? I found this in the Acme the other day:

They're...potatoes. Fingerling potatoes, guys. If, as a culture, this is how far we've fallen, we might be in big trouble. Or maybe this is a glimmer of hope? I'd like to think so. Except then I think about the Organic Movement. And how it's gotten so big that the Big Bad companies have jumped into the pool. Aka, the sources of all things bad and evil in this world. Sort of. But because of how big it's gotten, it's impossible to sustain. You can call your yogurt organic and source the milk from an organic cow in Tajikistan. There's no consideration given schlepping your wares across the globe from an environment that's unmonitored and potentially hard to control (this is, of course, a hypothetic situation. We here at Capogiro love Tajikistan). End of story? It's organic. So it must be good. It must be good so people will buy it. And those people might be foodies, who only eat organic.
You know what's good? Farmers markets. Gardens. Your backyard. Your neighbors backyard. I know it's damn near impossible to live like this all the time - I mean it's just unrealistic. And let's be honest, expensive. But for me, it's an "every little bit counts" scenario.
I'm not trying to climb all up on a platform. It's just a whole bunch of truth, all this mess. I don't want to live like the Jetsons. I do want warm tomatoes forever and ever. I don't want bananas to go away. They're seriously one of my most favorite things in this world. I also don't want a genetically mutated banana. But, I'm a food lover. Maybe Grant Achatz can make one for me.

Time Moves So Fast

Time moves so fast. Capo is almost 10 years old. I now have a 15, a 13 and an 11 year old. Look at them there. They were annoyed to be stuck at Capo Midtown Village in the midst of construction. Bored and probably starving wandering behind the new bar which is protected with plastic during painting. Ages 6, 4 and 2. Wow. I am getting old. If it were not so sweet, I would have given up long ago.

Yesterday someone asked me if my daughter worked at one of our cafes. I know that I will have to address that issue soon. Our peeps, as wonderful as they are, are not a PG crowd and I believe that although they are gracious, they would not be appreciative if my kids worked there. I could be wrong. My daughter is hilarious, but who wants to work with the boss' daughter?

I used to carry around on my phone a pic of two of my employees. The pic was snapped at a party without their knowledge. These men looked as if they had been snatched from the early 70s and were clearly having a great time. Guitars in hand and shirts unbuttoned, skin tight jeans and heeled boots; they made you smile and wish you were there. Whenever a friend would ask if I could hire their high school aged kid, I pulled out the image. I then stated, "Sure, if you don't mind one of these two rubbing up the back of her...or him." That usually ended the conversation.

Additionally, I have watched some Capogirians get married and have their own kids. It is happy and sad and wonderful.

I'm sitting in a cafe. Blogging! What's happened to me?!

So I randomly have a weekday off, since Becca has to go bowling with her in-laws on Sunday or something. And there are a ton of things I've needed to get done in my personal world that I've been neglecting, mostly because of Skyrim. (If I can reliably beat up a dragon, why is it that I so often get pummeled by a stupid bear? Not many of you are going to understand that, I'm guessing. Video game nerd thing.) So I knew that if I didn't drag myself out of the house today I wouldn't get anything done.

Thought to myself, "Self, where could you go at the bright, shiny crack of 1:00 in the afternoon to get coffee and wifi and settle in for a bit to do some work?" Well. Capo13, obviously. For starters, Sean and Nelson are nice guys. Plus it's not MY store, so I know I'm unlikely to run into anyone I know to distract me from getting stuff done.

The thing is, I sort of never hang out in cafes. Like, never ever. I honestly can't remember that last time I sat and had a cup of coffee and read a magazine. You mean I could get a bagel and not have to abandon it in the middle to go do something else? Is this how normal people live? Seriously, old, lukewarm bagels are incredibly disappointing. I'm honestly a little flummoxed. You'd think I'd be familiar with all this, given how much of my career I've spent running the places where people do exactly what I'm doing now. But I'm all at sixes and sevens, awkward elbows and feeling conspicuous about all the stuff on my table. (Laptop, iphone, list of stuff to do for the day, my planner, my staff's request-off-book, a diet coke, and a cup of coffee. Is that a lot? It feels like a lot. Then there's my backpack, my jacket, and my laptop charger.)

And then. Super-embarrassing. Little chagrined that Sarah was here to see it, because I'm fairly certain she'll bring it up again at a later date. I'm one of those people that can focus better when I have my own music to listen to. Not totally earth-shattering, right? I'm hardly the only one. So...launch itunes. Start something playing. Don't realize for about five minutes that my headphones are still plugged into my phone, not my laptop. Everyone has been listening to Yo Yo Ma and I'm too clueless to get the awkward glances I'm assuming everyone around me is casting my way. When did I become unsuitable to be in public? Clearly I need to leave the house more.

Shiny new things at 20th Street

So, it's been a pretty quiet week all over the city, and Rittenhouse is no exception. Even though not much has been going on this week, but we've been doing loads of cleaning, telling corny jokes to customers, and slinging some top notch gelato. We salute all of our brave customers who fought through ice and snow to visit us this weekend. You're amazing! We got a huge shipment of British candy this week, so feel free to drop by for some Cadbury Double Decker or Bounty Bars. Also, SO many Happy Hippos. So many! We are also teeming over with cookies, brownies and bundt cakes. Come and hunker down with some tasty treats.

Big news this week is the arrival of two shiny new sugar bowls at 20th Street. I am hopeful that they are indestructible, and that no one, especially Zach, will be able to break them. They're cute, they're functional, they look kinda like Muppets!

Vanilla is not the same as plain.

I might be a bit of a foodie or food snob even for this being a peeve but I feel like helping to educate people will alleviate that feeling.

We get a lot of people who think of Vanilla as "The" plain flavor. But our Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla is certainly incredibly different than the Fior di Latte which would be considered the plain. (Though in my opinion nothing we make is plain but the Fior is our unflavored and un-messed-around-with flavor and it is wonderfully delicious.)

I would like to point out that Vanilla is actually the second most expensive spice after saffron and is very tasty, incredibly unique and treasured.

It comes from an Orchid. The "bean" is a sort of pod growth that shoots out from the body of the plant.

There are multiple varieties of Vanilla but at Capogiro you will most frequently find Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla (which has no actual bourbon in it). It originates in Madagascar (obviously) but is also currently produced in the Comoros, and Reunion (both islands in the Indian ocean).

Vanilla is delicious and amazing and now everyone who has read this knows that our plain (though awesome and tasty) is not the same as our wonderful Vaniglia or Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla.

What Makes a Good Cup of Coffee?

We take tremendous pride in our coffee. When we opened a little over 9 years ago, I was convinced that we did it for two reasons. One: John wanted a slicer. He wanted access to his own perfectly sliced prosciutto. Two and most important: John wanted to have a $10,000 espresso machine that made a perfect espresso.

What goes into the perfect cup? Well, the coffee is key. We only use La Colombe. Our hometown roaster is bar none. I just returned from the west coast and although the coffee was good, it was not La Colombe good. How luck are we, here in the city of brotherly love?

The second thing is the espresso machine. Ours is a specimen, is it not? I love things that are gorgeous AND work tirelessly. Our gorgeous Victorio Arduino. It is worth every penny.

The third and most important part of the great coffee equation is the barista. You can have a great machine, great coffee and still have a horrible cup if the person making your cup has no idea of what they are doing. We train and train. You don't make a perfect espresso, you are not allowed to make espresso. That simple.

Coffee is as important to us as our gelato. That means it is as important as the air we breathe. Breathe deep, my friends and join us for an espresso.

Mulled wine? Isn't that just wine that's been well considered?

Get it? MULLED wine? Ha? Sorry. Busy day. Little off my game. BUT. If you're chilly--and I'll bet that you are--you should stop in and have some. Not only is our mulled wine piping hot, it's also quite...brawny. If you see what I'm getting at, and I think you do.

Totally distressed that Seattle's getting more snow this year than we are. What IS that? Seattle has no idea what to do with snow. You don't want to know what happens to the articulated buses at the top of the hill on Montlake Ave. Where's OUR snow? People get mad at me when I ask. Maybe because I've been asking for snow since July? Maybe.

Anyway! Come stop in and warm up. Wine not your thing? How about a little Gran Gala for your hot chocolate? Irish whiskey for your americano? There's a proper toddy, you ask me. (We can make a proper hot toddy as well, if you're of a mind. We've got you covered.)

Past the holidays...got a ways to go until the spring. But pitchers and catchers report in less than a month! Keep your head up.

Gelati flavors that aren't meant to be

Rocky vs Apollo Road

Oops! All Cream

Cookie Crunch Dough with Extra Dough

Sweet and Sour Milk

Chocolate Syrup Schuylkill Swirl

All-Natural(tm) Organic(tm) Artisan(tm) Fruit

Mac'n'Cream Cheese

Tropical Citrus Punch Burst

Energelati Plus

Garlic WhyKnot

Franklin's Mint Choco Chip

Relaxing Blend of Herbs and Spices

Okay

Local Mint Whitening

"Cheese" "Steak"

Lessons from Italy

So, last week, Steph brought up a really great concept that I personally had never heard before. More of a lifestyle really, is the Italian notion of "fare bella figura", which basically translates into "making a good figure" or making a good impression. This is a great motto to live by, it pretty much means that you don't eat or drink to excess, don't act like a rowdy fool, and basically just try to be classy. Maybe this is why you hardly ever see Italians posting their zany stunts on YouTube, and why it's so rare to catch them mid keg-stand. It just isn't their thing.

Another cool thing Italians do is "fare una passeggiata", or to take a walk. Every evening in Italy, folks take a leisurely stroll down the street, dressed well and feeling groovy. This is a chance to stretch their legs, talk with friends, get a lovely gelato, show off their kids, and just chill. Basically, Italians care about being and acting civilized. Sound pretty nice, doesn't it? I think we could all stand to care more about civility and not be racing around like crazy people all the time. That's why I'm so glad that Capogiro is bringing this notion to the States. When was the last time you took a nice walk to get gelato?

Stroll on down.

Flu Season is here!

Hooray!! Everyone loves that scratchy, feverish time of year when it seems everyone is sneezing and coughing, aching, and just uncomfortable.

Don't worry we've got your back. We've got all kinds of food and snacks that are healthy and will help you get through the dreaded flu season.

Every morning we have Granola Coppa's with fresh cut fruit and plain yogurt loaded with probiotics. And we always have fresh fruit in our kitchen so if you feel like just having a banana or and orange we can make it happen for you, just ask!

We have homemade soups each day like Creamy Tomato, and Tuscan White Bean (with chicken stock), Red or Yellow Lentil, and a whole bunch of others made with real food ingredients and lots of love!

Even our Gelati and Sorbetti are made with whole, nutritious ingredients too. Try the citrus flavors for some Vitamin C with your dessert. Coconut milk has been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties to it so add a scoop of our Thai Coconut Milk for a little extra boost. If your feeling congested and brave maybe try some Mexican Chocolate or Hot Pepper to help clear you right up!

Last but not least we have lots of Tea. Try some green or white tea with honey and lemon for those sore throats. At 13th we keep sliced lemon and lime behind the counter all you have to do is ask for it. (Oh and the trick with the honey spoon is to turn it like your twirling spaghetti on a fork and it won't drip everywhere!)

Best wishes everyone!
Sean