I understand your rage, Mad Barista.

Whilst biking around West Philly on this pleasant, lightly flake-filled afternoon, I decided to stop at a neighborhood cafe and grab a quick doppio to inspire the rest of my afternoon endeavors. After waiting almost two minutes for the gloomy grump of a barista to step away from the dishes and hastily and half-heartedly dry their hands, I was already getting a little frustrated. After placing my order, the slumping grinch stepped up to a shoddy, grind-covered wee machine and pulled my shot, which was then left on the grill a good thirty seconds after extraction while she glowered suspiciously at a group of tween girls who had just entered the cafe. When she placed the cup on the counter, I was hoping for something that looked like this:



What I received instead looked something like this:



My excitement over what I had hoped would be a tasty afternoon treat waned further as I put the paper to my lip and immediately realized that the liquid therein was mouth-scorchingly hot, and not at the pleasant temperature I was accustomed to when consuming my daily shots at Capogiro. I waited until the espresso had cooled enough to no longer render my mouth as shredded as half a box of Cap'n Crunch might, dropped my crummy little cup in the trash (zut alors! what a waste!) and walked out feeling a mite bit grumpy myself.

As a laborer in food service establishments for nigh-on ten years, and as a coffee connoisseur of fifteen years, my appreciation for the standards that we at Capogrio maintain grows daily. When I pour a perfect rosetta in a cappuccino and the customer, who might have never though twice about the drink she was about to consume otherwise, makes a glowing comment about how beautiful it looks, I do indeed feel a sense of pride. My smile widens as our kitchen staff brings out pan after glorious pan of gelato every morning, and getting that first little nibble of blood orange sorbetto is always a highlight of the morning. When Jason carefully hand assembles each plate of crostini, layering the prosciutto atop a fine layer of mascarpone, you know the assemblage is one of love. I am hard pressed to imagine a finer end of the night drink than one of our carefully selected (universally, uniquely delicious) draught beers.

As someone planning on working with food and drink for the rest of my days, the attention and love that everyone here gives to our work is a daily inspiration. It makes me feel good to let people know that I work at Capogiro. It feels wonderful to be the smiling face presenting you with a perfectly sculpted latte (with espresso at a proper heat, pulled from our gleaming Adonis of a machine) and a fine Au Fournil pain au chocolat, toasted ever so subtly. Sharing excellent experiences of flavor and presentation is really what cafes and bars should be about, and Capogrio is a gleaming example of that ideal.

See you at the bar for a Smuttynose IPA, perhaps, Mad Barista? The first round is on me.



And don't laugh; his name really is Adonis!

Remember when you could walk outside without 3 pairs of pants on?

I'm trying to focus on positive things about the snow. Hot cocoa is generally my "go-to" reason to love the cold weather but, after the last few weeks... I'm starting to need a bit more motivation to leave my cozy nest. This snow thing has gotten a bit out of control. Don't get me wrong; I do love my plastic, rain/snow boots. I have a little song that I sing when I put them on; "I know you jealous of mah boots... mah boots." [Sing, dance and repeat until someone punches you in the face...won't take long.]

I've started ordering particularly summery drinks at all the Philly bars just to try and trick the sunshine into coming out of hiding. I don't think I'd make it through the snowpocalypse 2010 without Steph's hot, delicious zuppa. She's in the big kitchen right now slaving over a giant cauldron of Potato bacon soup and listening to NPR. (Cutie*) 

My snowbound friends of South Dakota are making the most of the weather by diving face (or beard) first into giant snow piles and plastering it all over youtube. (I apprenticed at an awesome web design studio out there in my former life. Asio Studio, they're the cat's pajamas). My bearded South Dakotan friend, Dylan started a new winter sport and deemed it "FWAMPING". Check it out, it'll make you kick yourself for not going out and enjoying the weather... and you might get a little beard envy too.

Whatever you have to do to convince yourself that this weather is tolerable, be sure to have a good time doing it!

BAGELS! You Want Us To Have Bagels?!?!

Over the years I have been asked to carry bagels. I thought for a second and then laughed in their faces. HAHAHA! We are Italian, dummy. Bagels, come on! I love bagels, but pu-lease. Don't ask me to do that. Besides, I grew up in Jersey, by the beach, and the bagels were delicious. Philly bagels, not so much. Okay, maybe I was not that obnoxious, but I was in my head. I could not imagine bagels fitting in with our cafes. We serve beautiful Au Fornil pastries and La Colombe that pairs well with our gelato and panini. Bagels? Bagels are for delis and bagel shops, not our cafe! Bagels make too many crumbs and all those spreads? No, can't do it. So, sorry. Go away.

Did my rant stop the requests? No. It did not. Why? I'll tell you why. Bagels are delicious. Bagels are the perfect morning accompaniment to drip coffee. I love bagels and I missed them. Could it be? Could I have been wrong!?! Apparently. I am so wrong because when I tell people that we can have the famous H&H Bagels sold at Capo, no one says, "You're selling bagels? Wrong, so wrong." They say, "FINALLY, GOOD BAGELS, SO EXCITED. WHEN? WHEN? AT ALL THE CAPOS?" Next Monday. Bagels arrive. Fresh bagels, made that morning.

I don't hate being wrong....not really.

What The F@#& Is A "Pastiglie" Anyway?

Walking past the gelato case at 13th Street is hard. (Especially on days like today, when we have Banana SORBETTO and Sea Salt gelato!!) But if you dare, you are greeted on the other side by an array of tasty treats. Some sweet, some salty, and some that will leave your head tilted. I mean, what the f@#& is a pastiglie anyway? And why is there a woman dressed like a flight attendant from 1983 on the Colt's Bolts' display? Let's examine...

A pastiglie is a... Well, it's kind of like a mint, but not... I say that because when you open up the box they look all chalky like little Altoids, but they're MUCH different. They are sweet, and dissolve smoothly in your mouth, and begin to come to an almost gooey consistency as they finish. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to try them at first. I mean, I'm just not a gum/mint kinda guy. But once you try them, your stuck. And they come in a LOT of cool flavors too; Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, Orange or Viloet, or grab all of them in a Mixed Flavors box if you're the Tiger Woods type. Interesting side note, pastiglies are often recommended for digestion, to help settle the stomach after a rich meal.

I know all I want after a rich meal is some chocolate! Colt's Bolts are whole roasted almonds and peanut butter covered in either milk or dark chocolate. YUM! And yes, they are for all intents and purposes a decadent, less high-fructose-corn-syruped/ older, more mature brother of the Reese's cup. And while I can't answer for sure why the woman on the display hasn't updated her look in 30 years, we (the baristi of 13th street) have come to the conclusion that she is probably the maker of these fine treats, and that she was probably a beauty queen before her candy-making days and that she wants to be remembered forever as that beauty queen. Leaving that image of herself all around the world like the great sphinx. I know, that's a lot of speculation, but we seriously get a customer commenting on her photo at least once a week, and we've come to amuse ourselves with this answer.

So next time you're at 13th Street, walk past the case (I mean, go back eventually, you're gonna get gelato either way) and explore the wonderful candied world we've created for you. :)

It's starting to look a lot like...

The Dead Of Winter. Seriously. Mardi Gras is over, Valentine's Day came and went...even the Olympics are nearing their half-way point. (Incidentally, every single time someone wins a medal for anything, I find myself getting all misty-eyed and emotional...bizarre.) I think it's safe to say that anyone who hasn't found themselves succumbing to the slight lag of winter blues may or may not be a pathological liar. Or optimist.
However, in the midst of it all - the historic amounts of snow, leaking row homes and completely plowed in cars...the city, in its tenacious glory, continues to grind along. It's uplifting. It keeps me going. Whenever I leave the city for any extended amount of time, there's a piece of me I leave here with Philly. I can't help it. No matter where I go, how exotic the locale, there's something about flying over the skyline before landing that pulls at me. I even try to schedule my flights around sunset, if I can. No lie.
All I really have to say is that in eleven days, it's gonna be March. March! The one that goes out like a lamb! We're almost there, kids, we're in the final stretch. If I could dig my forsythia out of the snowbank in my back yard I'd start peering at it for buds, any day now (ok ok so maybe I'm trying to adopt that pathologic optimism, so sue me).
But you know what? Spring in Philadelphia is amazing. The Flower Show starts the day the Olympics end! And the first PHILLIES Spring Training game is in 14 days, 1 hour and 17 minutes, according to the count down on their website! CapoPenn has avocado sorbetto today!! And `Yunk will be open again before you know it.
Now there's some for real Philly optimism.

Chilly? We Got Some Stuff That'll Warm You Up...

Let Capogiro Warm You Up from Capogiro Gelato on Vimeo.

We are open!

Come on in, we'd really love your company. We can sip craft beers and watch the snow fall, or sip Darjeeling tea and tuck into some macroeconomics texts. And, you know, it's never too cold for an affogato (with or without a warming touch of Jameson or Frangelico!).

Celebrity Flavor Combos: A Baristi Tradition

Over my 3 years at Capogiro there has been an endless game of "Celebrity Flavor Combs", that today I would like to begin to share with you. The rules? There are none, other than to comically compare traits of a flavor of gelato or sorbetto with traits you might find in a celebrity. For example, a Jennifer Aniston might be Pinoli, because no one ever wants it. (To be fair, I personally LOVE Pinoli, but to be honest, it's almost always looked over in favor of Pistachio, or Hazelnut, or... You get the idea.) Ok, let's play!

If Lady Gaga were a flavor combo at Capogiro, I think she'd be Aloha Monkey with Sea Salt. Why? Well like Aloha Monkey, Gaga is a fruity drunk with a side of coconuttiness. And Sea Salt simply because people are always amazed when they see it in the case. The Lady Gaga will have you "Just Dance[ing]" with delight. (Ha, ha, ha... Get it?!)


The Beyonce combo would probably be Pistachio, because of it's strong, classic flavor, with Dulce De Leche and it's curvaceous sweetness. Whereas the Taylor Swift combo might be Dark Chocolate, because it's the best seller (can you believe she's sold over 10 million albums?!), with Mexican Chocolate whose spice interrupts it's milky chocolate flavor like Kanye at the VMAs.

Political flavors? We got them too! The Sarah Palin combo would probably be Lemon with Toasted Almond, because it don't make no sense and you would never elect it President. On the other hand, the Barack Obama combo would be anything you dreamed of, until you got to Capogiro and realized that we were closed due to the second Snowmageddon in one week, ultimately leaving you incredibly disappointed. (Ok, I'm having a little fun with that one, we seriously almost never close, and if we do you'll have plenty of warning from our email list, or our Twitter, or this blog. I'm just a little disappointed with D.C. is all.)

Last but not least? The JD Salinger flavor would be Chocolate Peanut Butter, because we miss it when it's gone. :(

Ok, your turn! Leave a comment with your own witty (or not witty, it doesn't really matter, we just want to hear from you) "Celebrity Flavor Combo". Well, what are you waiting for...

WHO DAT!?!?!

Congratulations Saints! Wow! I am speechless. New Orleans is a special place for my family. We spend every Christmas in New Orleans and Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras are always in the cards. We love it there. I hate to admit this, but I just did not think that they would win last night. I mean, Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning. That is why. Only reason. New Orleans worked so hard, and perhaps I was projecting my Eagles angst, but I just thought we would be disappointed. We were all in our black and gold and just shook our heads as they were getting outplayed in the first half. Not crushed, but definitely outplayed. Then, someone in the organization grew a huge pair and that onside kick was it. Brilliant. Cannot see Andy Reid trying that one. At least, not in the Super Bowl.

Wow! I am not sure if it was the guttsiness (not a word, but leaving it) of their play or the fact that Peyton Manning just could not beat his beloved New Orleans. He went to Newman, which is so rich in tradition. My nephews are students at Newman and the pride they have for their school and city are amazing. The owner on accepting the trophy attributed the win to the city. That is pride. I want some of that pride!

During the Christmas holiday everything was Saints, Saints, Saints. The milk tops had fleur de lys on them, every store had a Saints flag, "Who Dat?" was on EVERYTHING. We were on our way home from a delicious dinner at Antoine's, when we passed by a store selling everything Saints. Tiger (Chris' husband) declared that he would return this week to buy that, as he pointed, "Who Dat?" shirt. Everyone laughed. Since I was not feeling any pain after the one maybe two old fashions, I asked at great risk, "What does that mean 'Who Dat?' Is it from...something?" Everyone stopped and looked at me. Christine replied (also not feeling any pain) with a huge smile on her face and said, "It is just 'Who Dat?'" The NFL is issuing Cease and Desist letters to small tshirt shops in New Orleans that are using 'Who Dat'. Who dat being disgusting? The NFL, Dat Who! It belongs to the City of New Orleans and the small businesses who pride themselves on their city and their team. Always has, always will.

I love New Orleans. Congratulations NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!

Snow Lovin'

Have you gone out and made angels yet? Nailed your neighbor with a snowball? (it's perfect packing snow!) Gone out just to get chilly and have a reason to drink a hot chocolate?

What're you waiting for?