Buen Viaje, Cristofo!

Chris' last day is approaching and I am sad. Chris is our manager at CapoPenn. He started with us years ago. I think it has been at least 3 years. There are so many things that I will miss about him. He moved here from the west coast and brought with him a way of looking at life that was truly unique. I loved his take.

We started this blog and I had a few rules and a few requirements. I wanted it to be about our company, our employees and I wanted it to show our personality. Everyone could write about what excited them. Even if it did not apply to gelato or coffee. Chris, well.. Chris wrote about cats and their vacations, beer, coffee, unicorns and he predicted the future. I read his posts with my mouth hanging open in shock. I would wonder if he was high when writing. Chris does not roll that way. His mind is unfettered by drugs and alcohol, although he does love a good beer. He is naturally brilliant and twisted. Unfortunately, Chris chose to only blog once a month at most, no matter what flattery I threw his way. Dan thought that my constant requests for a blog post resulted in the content. He pondered whether Chris was trying to punish me with his antics. It actually made me an addict of his writing, always jonesing for more. Thank you for letting me peek into that brilliant mind. I am so appreciative. My only request is that you write something proper. Proper as in, get yourself published! Just start with some short stories. I promise you will be rewarded.

Chris is a master of coffee and a true artisan. At one point (prior to the Wall Street crash), Capo had plans to roast our own coffee. Chris signed up! He was a scholar and passionate about all things coffee. The reason you can have a perfect espresso or cappuccino is all Chris' doing. He trains, he fusses, he takes temperatures, he measures, he cares about the coffee we serve. Our baristi care so much because his passion is contagious. Chris and I would occasionally bump heads, being two passionate people. I want to thank him for the process. It was worth it.

I will miss his humor and his brilliance. He and his incredibly talented wife are off to another country to hopefully find a new edge in their reality. I want nothing more than a Kate Samworth painting on my wall to look at while I sit on a comfy couch reading a work of Chris Weybright. Truly I do.

John and I will miss you terribly and wish you Kate success and adventure. You are two people who deserve it more than most. Please please please don't disappear from all our lives. You have made it richer. Write us, take pictures, and maybe guest post?...mayhaps....

I invite anyone who has a great Chris story or would like to wish him well, to share. Come in and say your goodbyes. We only have him for a little more time.

Chris' response to the video below that was making it's way around all our email boxes.

"This is shockingly similar to how Kate and I spend our evenings together."

Friday! This Friday!

Come play with us and the good Delaware folk from Dogfish Head brewery! Punkin Ale & Brownstone gelato, beer floats, rare bottles from the Dogfish vault...and it's Halloween weekend! Start it out with us.

Glorious corn.

While some may have recently decried Western corn consumption (Michael Pollan, I'm looking at you), it's safe for me to say that corn has long been, and always shall be, a crucial part of my gastric existence. Growing up on the fertile plains of Wisconsin, each and every child knew that farmers wanted their crop "knee-high by the 4th of July" (how timely!), and the month of August was always a corn-ucopia of salt-buttery crunch feasts. During our high school years, my brother and some friends spawned a band, 1824 Techno, dedicated to eradicating an invading race of corn-based aliens via giant robots (this was during the height of the Aquabats' popularity, so cut 'em a break). Many a hot summer night during my teenage years were spent in the world-reknowned dollar movie theatres of the suburbs of Milwaukee, where not only were the tickets $2, but so were the oddly svelte bags of natural-butter-flavor-sauce soaked popped kernels at the concession stand.

I'll be honest, dear readers: through all the years, my adoration of the golden cob has yet to wane. Every late summer fills me with a hot anticipation for roasted corn salsa, delicious corn chowder, and, of course, the crown jewel of corn culinary delight: grilled ears with just a tingle of char beneath the flaxen stalks. Fortunately for all of you fans of a fermented libation, yours truly has taken up the reigns here at Capo Penn and rebirthed, like a mighty starch phoenix, the scrumptious rosemary garlic popcorn that our bartenders will gladly furnish you with your drink. The light herbal notes punch through the rich buttery backbone, and the salt dances lithely on your tongue. Right now, we are featuring a tart, fruity Dogfish Head Festina Peche and a smooth and dry Sixpoint Righteous Rye, both of which make a lovely happy hour accompaniment to our glorious corn.



The author (lower right) and family at the world's only corn palace.

BEER! BEER! BEER!!

So, it's Beer Week. Glorious Beer Week. Beer is something that I drink in the summer. Not that it is seasonal, it is just something that I do. I am a proletariat beer drinker. I embarrass John when I order my Red Stripe or a Corona Light. "Do you have some wheaty type beer on draught?" I ask at The Belgian Cafe in my neighborhood, shying away from the heavy hitters. Don't hate me Fergie! Some people go all Walmart with beer. Unfortunately, that would be me. I can recognize how bad certain beer is, so maybe I am just a lightweight. John's favorite beer is Coniston Bluebird Bitter. The only beer served at our wedding was Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale. It is not that I don't appreciate these beers, I do. It is just that I am not worthy. Yup, not worthy. I think it has something to do with the fact that I like stovetop percolator coffee and not espresso. I like my beer like stovetop percolator coffee, not drip. Don't try to figure me out.

Anywho, I think that I am allowed to make beer gelato. Why not? I have made gelato out of grass and some nasty cheese, why not beer? It's Beer Week homies. Come try the Rogue Chocolate Stoudt or the Guinness, or the Lambic! It is really fun. I know, I know, y'all are serious beer drinkers. Come on...go a little lightweight. Try the Beer Floats at Penn, have a cone of beer gelato. Dive in! The water is fine. Trust... I raise my clear bottle with a lime floating happily to you.

EK + BB

I have been a fan of Brooklyn Brewery for a good part of my suds-swilling days. My favorite aunt and uncle, who've lived in Brooklyn forever, always have a six pack or two of Brooklyn Lager in their fridge. This became embedded in my teenage brain as a badge of a certain grown up kind of coolness.

So in my college days, whenever there was a celebration special enough to depart from the $5.99 12-packs of "Golden Anniversary" that I usually bought from the CVS (upstate New York is so great), I splurged on a case of Brooklyn brew.

During one of those rare quality purchases, I popped a bottle of Brooklyn's Pennant Ale. "What the what?" I thought, as the three deep malts washed over my amateur palate. I took another swig, trying to place the flavor. There was a lovely complexity to the beer, but not in a way that was too challenging. It just tasted smooth and amazing, deeper than other pale ales I'd tasted before. I sipped and sipped again, long into the night (I now know that grown ups called this "session-ing"). Even though my beer repertoire has expanded greatly since, I'll always remember my first enlightening encounter with Pennant Ale.

Imagine my delight, upon coming into work a few weeks ago, to see a big, white, baseball shaped tap at the end of the Capogiro bar. You see, we only have two beers on draught at a time here, picked wisely by our coffee/beer guru Chris, and our bartender Red. I always appreciate their thoughtful selections, but never has a Capo beer choice struck so close to my heart. Now, as a more educated drinker, I know that the "amazing" flavor of the Pennant Ale is the product of a supremely well crafted product made by a small, mindful company, committed to their mission (just like Capogiro!). The balanced nature of the four kinds of hops is what keeps the beer tasting nuanced, but not overbearing. The gentle 5% abv, and the Scottish Maris Otter Malt, well known for its toasty, biscuit-y flavor and smoothness, is what keeps that session going - you and your cozy companions cracking those bottles open long after you should have gone to bed.

As the fall rolls around, and the oppressive summer heat wanes, things feel new again. We unpack our sweaters, we re-connect with friends, we feel refreshed and ready for anything. Maybe it's the collegiate in me, but I always embrace the autumn with great gusto. Pennant Ale is the beer for early October, through and through. Plus, it's named in honor of the 1955 World Champion Dodgers, and the thrill of hometown baseball pride is something many people in our fair city are digging right now. So in the last few nights warm enough to sit outside, come try a pint of the Pennant Ale (on tap at CapoPenn for a limited time only!), and relax in the courtyard, a scarf around your neck and a smile on your face.