Strawberries Con Almond Croissant

You may or may not know that we do a Gelato con Brioche, but it's where we take one scoop of your choice of gelato and slop it in between a toasted Brioche. It's amazing, trust.

You also may or may not know that this is now officially Strawberry season. Double amazing, I know.

Triple amazing? A Strawberry con Brioche!! But, what if you want something a little different, like me, today? Well, you could try Strawberry gelato on a toasted Almond Croissant!! YES, it's amazing, just look...

Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom.

Dear amazon.com: HUSTLE UP, BUTTERCUP.

So I have three awesome sisters who, despite their awesomicity, have essentially given up trying to actually pick out gifts for me. Instead, on every relevant day (Christmas, birthday...TWO MONTHS after my birthday from one of them this year--better late than never, right?) I get an email from amazon.com telling me that one of them has sent put money in my amazon.com account. Awesome, right? Shopping for yourself is always the best.

I know they didn't collaborate to make all this come together, but I have a feeling everyone in my family got sick of me whining last summer about how bloody hot it was. My bedroom gets HOT. I live in West Philly, and my room faces due south. And is on the third floor. And has black shingles overtop. HOT. So I spent what may have been an inappropriate amount of time last summer whining on Facebook, and towards September people started telling me, in effect, to stuff it. "You knew what your were getting into when you moved back east," was the main thrust of the, uh, feedback. "So deal with it."

I've thought about this more than you might think. I'm pretty troubled by the carbon footprint of a little single-room air conditioner and question whether or not the environmental cost is truly justified. Remember, I'm the guy that actually left the east coast for a hot minute (eight years). Air conditioners in Vermont? Sure sign that you're a Flatlander--someone with big city ideas and big city ways. You probably think a tractor is something you use to mow the lawn. And Seattle? The secret that every mossback knows and doesn't want to tell you is that the Pacific Northwest, in the summer? GORGEOUS. Clear skies for weeks on end, a steady breeze off of the Pacific (even as far inland as Seattle) and temperatures that rarely get above the mid 80s and usually drop to the 50s every night, even in August. There's truly no reason to have an air conditioner in Seattle. Except for my last summer there, of course. THAT'S when we saw the worst heat wave I've ever experienced. A full week of days over 100 degrees, and nights only dropping to the high 80s. I think we'd all admit that that's a legit heat wave. It was miserable. My sister, her daughter, and our dogs all huddled in the basement of our little bungalow because at least it was 10 degrees cooler down there. Long week.

But at this point I'm fairly convinced that within the BosWash Metroplex, air conditioning isn't strictly a luxury. When it's in the mid-80s at night in both temperature and humidity--and it stays that way for weeks on end--it starts having a deleterious effect on one's constitution. I really was going a bit nutsy last summer, mostly because I couldn't get any sleep. I'm a poor sleeper anyway, so combine my rampant insomnia with positively gooey climate conditions...I was a mess in August. Little bit dumb.

So I got home late yesterday afternoon after work, and when I walked into my bedroom I had a little bit of a flashback to last summer. It was hot yesterday. Not as hot as it's going to be, we all know that. But yesterday was definitely the first genuinely hot day of the year (great day for Ted's strawberry granita, incidentally!). I had a pretty visceral reaction and flew to my laptop. I'd been eyeing air conditioners on amazon.com for a few weeks, not really sure if I was committed to the idea of sucking down all that petrochemically derived electricity. The breaking point? I put my hand on my bed. It was warm to the touch. So: an air conditioner for me this summer, due to the help of my awesomely awesome sisters. And even as I'm writing this, I got the email from amazon.com telling me that my order had shipped. So...what, Tuesday, maybe? And I'm heading to my mom's place in Cape May for the weekend...yeah, I can hold out. Tonight might be a little...moist. But I know that when things are f'real in July, I'll be sleeping like a delightfully chilly little bear.

And I make you this promise: you won't hear me complain about how cold it is come December. Different blog post, that.

COOKIES?!?!

Ahhhhhh the heat has officially fried my brain for the evening. The haze is here and it's magical. Here's a list of Capo-yunk's amazingly scrumptious Cookie Confidential selection:

Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Oatmeal

Ginger Snap

Jelly Bean Sugar

Strawberry Shortcake

Snickerdoodle

You know you wanna.

Fun Facts About Espresso

I couldn't sleep last night. I kept having scary dreams about a psycho killer chasing me (I dont know about anyone else, but in my dreams the psycho killer is always wearing grimy overalls. Does anyone have a fear of Osh Kosh?). So, this being said, I am verrrry sleepy today. Luckily for me, I work in a magic place that has just what the doctor ordered, a ton of caffeine! In the spirit of my love for coffee, here are some fun facts about our old pal, Espresso:
Luigi Bezzera created the first commercial Espresso machine in 1901 because he was a very impatient man and didn't want to dilly-dally over a whole cup of coffee.

It is a little known fact that Espresso is left handed.

Espresso joined the army during WWII, although it still remains unclear as to which side he fought on.

Espresso degrades quickly with heat loss, and a shot should be served immediately after being pulled, at a temperature of 165 degrees.

Espresso has been married three times. Once for love, and twice for money. His second ex kept the corgis.

A shot of Espresso has less caffeine than a cup of coffee. A shot of Espresso poured into a cup of coffee is a recipe for heaven.

In the 40's, Espresso was once arrested for murder but eventually acquitted on a technicality.

There is a rumor that the French developed an earlier model of an Espresso machine, but all who speak of it have since been silenced.

Espresso is a natural medicine! Caffeine helps kill headaches. And honey badgers.

Espresso is the most delicious thing in the world and now I've had three shots of it and my brain is moving faster than my hands can type so I'd better go out front and run around in circles before I write any more run on sentences like this one because that would be bad and you would be annoyed. Ok, bai!

Googling Capogiro

For those of you loyal Capogiro blogians, you may have noticed by now that I'm a pretty visual person. This is why most of my posts include a number of photos that I've taken describing my life here at Capogiro. Turns out however, today I've forgotten my camera. So I thought we could take a walk through Capogiro together through other peoples eyes, as I Google Capogiro for you...

We Deliver

Introducing: Dash! 

Ahhhh, I remember those days! Staying up late, having parties, watching movies in front of the tv and craving something... Something sweet, something creamy, something like gelato. But, but, but, I have a party to plan, I will miss the first few minutes of my show, it's RAINING outside, my couch is so comfy, I don’t want to put on pants!..... what to do?!!? If I leave, there might be a line at Capogiro!

DUN, DUN, DUHHHH! Enter DASH!!!! DASH meets our needs. Too busy? Not enough time? Too lazy? All good, my friends. We deliver!

Click HERE to check it out!

Rittenhouse Row Festival is not just about food...

Tomorrow is the annual Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival in Philadelphia. You know the drill; walk, walk, walk, eat, eat, eat, drink, drink, drink, maybe dance a little and try not to get annoyed with the crowds. We will be there, of course, selling our delicious gelato, including strawberry!!! Ahhhhh, festivals. So much fun, they are.

Anywho, there are certain things you hear daily in Philadelphia. Of course you hear Phillies, Eagles, Flyers....., but there are some names and places that are just part of our lexicon. We walk through Rittenhouse Square, run down Kelly Drive all the way to Manayunk and of course we have the Ben Franklin Parkway and Washington Square. A plethora of names that for most have no meaning. Philadelphia is so rich with personalities. Guggenheim, Cassatt, Chomsky, Furness, Kelly, Strawbridge, Roberts, Eakins, Wanamaker, Biddle and Kelly. All Philadelphians. Which brings me to my point - Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse Square, Rittenhouse Town, Rittenhouse Street....

Look what I found on the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online!

Rittenhouse family

David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) Source: Wikipedia Commons

Originating in the Lower Rhine, the Mennonite family name Rittenhouse (Rittinghuysen, Rittinghausen, Ruddinghuysen, Rittershausen) dates back at least to 1591. There is no trace of the Rittenhouse family among the European Mennonites after William Rittenhouse came to Pennsylvania in 1688. Willem (William) Rittinghausen (1644-1708) was born in the Rhineland near Mühlheim, Germany, and was living in Amsterdam before he immigrated to America in 1688. He became the first Mennonite minister in America and builder of the first paper mill at Philadelphia in 1690. It is believed that all American Mennonite Rittenhouses have descended from him.

Many American Mennonite Rittenhouses have remained in the place where their ancestors first settled (near Philadelphia in Montgomery, Bucks, and Berks counties), while some went to Canada with the Bucks County migration of 1799-1800. A few families moved to Wayne County, Ohio and a smaller number still, moved to Indiana, Michigan, and Alberta. Many descendents of the original family joined other faiths as well.

Some notable members of the family, besides the pioneer William Rittenhouse, have been Matthias Rittenhouse (1770-1832), a minister in the Skippack (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Church (MC) congregation of the Franconia Conference, and Nicholas (Claes) Rittenhouse (1666-1734), son of William, one of the subscribers to the Dordrecht Confession of Faith at the 1725 conference. The most famous person bearing the family name was David Rittenhouse (1732-96), thePhiladelphia astronomer and scientist and the first director of the United States mint, who was a son of Matthias of the third generation in America. He was not a member of the Mennonite Church.

As you wander through the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, look around and notice the street names that seem to echo throughout the city. Go home and use the Google machine. History. I love Philadelphia's age. A few weeks ago I wandered through Elfreth's Alley with my in-laws. I forget how charming the city is at times. It is not just about pulled pork sandwiches and a Capogiro cart. Although, that ain't bad.

DENZEL!

Ah, spring. The herald of many lovely things: blossoming flowers, sunny evenings relaxing on the porch with a lager, asparagus feasts aplenty, and around here, commencement at Penn. Usually, this doesn't mean too terribly much to me aside from a huge wave of Penn parents discovering the wonders of our gelato, but this year, my wife Carrie finished her Masters degree in urban planning. CONGRATS, CARRIE! Both her parents and mine came to town, from Sioux Falls, SD and Seattle, WA respectively, we had a huge party, and we also attended the general commencement ceremony, which was quite the spectacle. It was exciting to see how many of our departing regulars cap off their year. The commencement speaker was none other than star of the silver screen Denzel Washington.

I'm not huge on fawning over celebrities, but Mr. Washington presented himself in a very humble and genuine manner, which I truly appreciated. It made it all the more hilarious when many of the other speakers at the cerimony continuously praised all facets of his oeuvre, including when the chancellor repeatedly cited one of his most recent cinematic efforts, UNSTOPPABLE, which I would categorize as one of his lesser achievements, disingenuously as "one of [her] new favorite classics", listing it alongside films such as CASABLANCA and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. Why not sing the praises of his other classics, like FALLEN or THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123? At any rate: it was rather hilarious to watch Denzel's downcast face on the Jumbotron as other speakers dropped reference to several movies of which he was obviously not too proud. Unsurprisingly, his speech was largely about embracing your failures to learn what you are capable of.

If you're reading this, Mr. Washington, you may want to follow your own advice and stop doing pictures with Tony Scott.

Silly Weather

Even all this delicious Gelati, Sorbetti and candy can't make this rain go away......

But it certainly doesn't hurt! The weather may not be very summery but many of our flavors are! Come on by and try some of the emerging summer flavors (like strawberry!). And grab some Jellybean Cookies while you're at it!

Rapture or Bust

Alright, there are two possible outcomes for this weekend; stay or go. If you haven't heard, there are several thousand zealous folks who think that the end of the world will come to pass on Saturday, May 21st. In case you're scurred, here's their website, WeCanKnow.com (spoiler alert!). This leads me to believe that there are two avenues of life with which I should focus this weeks' blog on, chillaxing and jumping ship.

If you are sticking around: There was an awesome study published this week that links coffee consumption to cancer-maulin'! Apparently, "Coffee contains many biologically active compounds, including caffeine and phenolic acids, that have potent antioxidant activity and can affect glucose metabolism and sex hormone levels. Because of these biological activities, coffee may be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer." (JCNI, 2011) Hooray (if you are a coffee-drinking dude, anyway)! Us chicks will have to rely on our old fashioned heart-healthy diet of red wine to fight the cancer away. Drat!

If you are leaving the planet forever and destined for a Better Place: There is no greater way to shuffle off this mortal coil than with decadence and indulgence. Before you hop that last lonely bus for Atlantic City, to carelessly gamble away your hard-earned fortunes and the inheritance you planned on leaving your grandchildren, be sure to stop by Capogiro 20th Street for the end-all of deliciousness. If I were going to meet my maker tomorrow, I would first want to first indulge in a gigantic cup of Strawberry Tequila Sorbetto with a wee dollop of Hazelnut Gelato on the side, just to round things off. Then, I would hop over to Capo Penn and enjoy a series of delicious gelato cocktails. If you're going to go, go with a vengeance!

They're HERE!!!!

News Flash!!

Strawberries have descended upon Philadelphia. Eye witnesses witnessed the truck pulling up to several Capogiro locations unloading what looked to be strawberries. The unmarked white truck had a “Farmers Rock” bumper sticker and a parking permit for the Old Road Mennonite Church on its side window. We believe this source to be credible.

Hurry, the season only lasts a few weeks! The strawberries can be volatile when left uneaten as seen in this undated photo.

Garden Your Heart Out!

One of my FAVORITE things about spring is starting my garden. Over the past month or two, my housemates and I have begun to get our summer garden going. We live in an end-of-the-row house in West Philly, so while we don't have a huge yard, we're fortunate enough to have a decent amount of workable land in the back and front.

Two summers ago we decided that our front "lawn" could and should be sacrificed for the sake of more planting space. Our landlord didn't seem to be bothered (or notice) so this spring we did a bit more garden-friendly landscaping to add to the potential. Last Monday, my sister came over and we spent the afternoon transplanting seedlings, building a big raised bed, and starting a few late batches of veggie seeds. This morning when I went out to check on the seedlings, I found that yet again, one of our fat neighborhood squirrels got overly excited and dug around in about 6 or 7 pots looking for the recently planted seeds. Come on! They really are chubby, and I know there's no need to store that fat for the summer. They already go through our trash cans and compost heap as it is.

Anyways, today when I get home I'm going to start a few last batches of seeds and I'm going to think of ways to squirrel-proof our garden. If you're in need of veggies, herbs, butterfly-watching, or simple garden gazing, you're welcome to swing by our house. Just try to identify yourself as a friend so we don't think you're a green tomato-stealer (like our block captain, who was caught in our front yard with a flashlight at night stealing our green tomatoes for her own frying purposes last summer). I doubt we'll grow enough of any herb to provide for a pan of gelato or sorbetto at 13th street, but if we do, I'll let you know. In the mean time, the awesome folks at Green Meadow Farm, West Philadelphia High, Mill Creek Farm... the list goes on... grow some of the delicious herbs - among other things - that will make frequent appearances in our summer flavors :)

Hey, honey...

Ok so...hi, my name is Sarah, and I'm obsessed with honey. But no, really. Here are the six jars I currently have in my house...ranging from pretty standard filtered wildflower honey from a ranch in Montana (thanks Dad!) to a super funky, pungent and just downright bizarre Italian chestnut honey, to an unfiltered, sandy, damn near chewy wildflower honey. The one with the nuts in it is from Greece, brought back for me as a gift (thanks Caitlin!!)
I started becoming interested in bees and apiaries a few years back when I saw one perched on the roof in Brooklyn (an apiary, not a bee). I began investigating the notion of urban beekeeping, and subsequently discovered documentaries focusing on "colony collapse disorder". Honeybees are disappearing en mass. Poof. Gone. No mas. This is happening in tandem with flowers losing their scent. Scientists are baffled by this. Something is wrong, and it's not ok. Keep an eye out for this documentary. A little dramatic, but necessarily so. Honeybees are a link in a massive spiderweb of symbiotic relationships, with very tangible end results. One link fails, they all fail. Farming and agriculture as we know it fails. And really, who wants to live in a world where flowers have no scent!?Did you know that over one million bees are rented (RENTED!) annually in the United States to pollinate crops? It helps keep food cost low in the United States, the first documented instance was an apple farm in New Jersey in 1909. And honey is the only food that never goes bad. AND yeah, if you eat something like five pounds of local honey your allergies will probably lessen, but...that's somewhat excessive, don't you think? There are people who are fighting the food fight, though. Like these guys over at The Woodlands Community Garden. There's hope! There always is. But this is one of those big, indicative of much bigger, problems that isn't going to go away with any manner of quick fix. I'll let these guys finish my tangent for me, as I climb off my late in the day Friday soap box. Cheers. And do the honey bee!!

Grown Up Gelato, How Risque!

ICE CREAM ISN'T JUST FOR THE KIDS IN 2011!!!

Having been in the food service industry for close to four years, I've seen at least a handful of the foodie trends and can admit to growing tired with quite a few of the "nouveau staple" ingredients that seem to pop up every 3-6 months. Like truffle oil. Remember truffle oil? God I never want to eat truffle oil on anything ever again, whether it be on french fries, burgers, aioli sauces, rib-eyes, whatever. Don't get me wrong, it is delicious when I forget it exists, it's just that I'm tired of it. This is probably mostly due to the fact that I've worked around it, and the fantasy is removed from just about anything when you consume it nearly everyday.

However, two and a half months strong at Capo-yunk and I can proudly say that I HIGHLY enjoy my daily ration of gelato, and you know what? I'm still intrigued and excited, every single day. Some of these flavors are obviously timeless; others are eclectic and unexpected, yet never gimmicky or trite. The possibilities for pairings are endless, and when I do the daily board suggestions, I still get psyched when I figure out that Thai Coconut Milk is absolutely BANGIN' with our Champagne Mango and just a hint of Sale (Sea Salt).

But what is this jaded ex-server MOST PSYCHED ABOUT?

THE BOOZIE FLAVORS!!!

This is no trend. These guys are here to stay, and for extremely good reason.

IRISH COFFEE GELATO: YOU'RE MOSHING

LIMONCELLO SORBETTI: ITALIAN GRANDPA, WHERE YOU AT?!

Call me a lush since I'm into the drunken flavors, but holy-moley. Something about the slight tinge of that whiskey-burn in a frozen concoction with just the right amount of sweetness and body makes me go cuh-razy. Granted, no one is getting loaded off this stuff. But yeah, wow. Cranky grown-ups everywhere, rejoice. There is the perfect dessert out there for the hard to please, and it is Mexican Coffee, Mojito, or Margarita gelato. Come out and do it up this summer with one of our boozies; they're in constant rotation, and are bound to caress even the most discerning of palates.

It's like an APERITIF AND DESSERT ALL IN ONE.

AHHHHHHH

-C.

SPECIAL DELIVERY!

Don't want to leave the house/park/roof deck to walk and get gelato? As Sarah mentioned earlier, Capogiro has teamed up with Dash Philadelphia to make getting our delicious gelato to your doorstop even easier! Simply go to their website and choose your favorite flavors from our menu page. They call us, and our skilled baristi get right to work scooping your pints. A Dash Delivery guy comes to us in a rickshaw (or car, I think it was a car), and boom! - Gelato in yo' face. This is an especially great idea when you have a small event to cater, or are just not feeling like getting off the couch. Try it out today!

A New Way of Thinking

So it's nice out, maybe you've noticed, and I've got a new idea in my head that I think might change my life. Or whatever.

A Bacio sugar cone on a nice day is good enough. You all know that. I mean, just look at it!

But I've been thinking to myself: hey, you're walking around a lot more now that there's not a wind chill, maybe you deserve a little extra. A treat for after your treat. Desert's desert! That's when I saw them...

A Sea Salt Caramel Lolli! The perfect ending to your prefect ending.

An unfiltered selection of things I surprisingly enjoy.

Y'know, when you're a kid you get preconceptions about what you are and aren't supposed to like. Take Brussels sprouts: of course we all whined about them as kids, probably to the point that our parents never bothered to make them. I blame cartoons, mostly. I think Scooby Doo had something against tiny personal cabbages. So you know...I got older, still working under the paradigm that I hated Brussels sprouts. Gave 'em a shot one day--something about a dinner special at the restaurant in which I worked. And you know what? Brussels sprouts sauteed with olive oil, shallots, dijon mustard, and pancetta are TASTY. So there's your weekend recipe.

And goat cheese: whoda thought? I was in my mid twenties before I ever remember trying goat cheese. "CHEESE?!," I remember thinking the first time I saw it. "This isn't cheese. It's all weird and crumbly and it's not even ORANGE." My palate has broadened a bit since then. I'll take goat cheese however you've got it. (Cana de cabra is a personal favorte. Let it get warm and squishy then spread it on pan-fried toast points and add some roasted tomatoes. Weekend recipe #2.)

I think the biggest surprise of my last couple of years is my bike. I'd been a mountain-bike-converted-for-urban-travel kinda guy for a few years, but I sold my Cannondale before I left Seattle (needed a new laptop, dontcha know. Laptops get sad when you step on them. Different story). Got to Philly, borrowed a friends Specialized beater for a couple of months, then decided it was time for me to buy. Looked around at a few different places and knocked a few off the list pretty instantaneously. I'm not a fixie guy, for one thing. Brakes: they're all the rage. And then there are all the varieties wholly unsuited to my personality. Cruisers? Um...I don't really do the "cruise" thing in any context. And BMX? You can't cover any distance at all with that tiny little crank. And I'm going to stand on it the whole time? No sitting? Yeah no.

So my friend's boyfriend says to me, "Come see me at my shop. We'll find you the right one." (Conspicuous shout-out to Toby and the Bicycle Therapy crew.) So I get there--on my friend's beater, naturally--and take a look around. I look at some of the mountain bikes, not totally feeling committed to anything...

Then I see my soon-to-be bike. I had no idea at the time. Pretty sure I turned up my nose when the lady helping me suggested it to me. No way, I thought. There's no way that bike is for me.

It's a road bike. A road bike! But she talks me into taking it out for a ride. "This is weird," I'm thinking. "I'm all bent over and the brake levers change my gears and holy CRAP are these brakes strong and my head feels too low to look around and the ride's a little stiff and oh I'm totally going to hit that pothole on a test ride of a bike I'm probably not going to (WHAM) OHGODMYBUTT."

Wasn't really used to a road bike saddle. You may know this already, but they're not nearly as forgiving as the saddles you find on most other bikes. I honestly had to pull over for a moment and make sure that I hadn't broken my butt. (Of course you can't break your butt. I would come to learn that my saddle isn't any more or less uncomfortable than most. It's just that my sit bones--those are real things, and if you ride much you're pretty intimately acquainted with them--weren't nearly in the shape they needed to be. I've since come to be quite happy with my saddle.)

So I'm about ten blocks from the store, and I know if nothing else I need to ride back. Get back on gingerly, start pedaling. Shift up. Shift up again. Oh wait, there's another ring I haven't used yet...let's get on to that one. Shift up again. And again. Suddenly I realize that I'm FLYING down South Street.

Thought to myself, "Um...this thing's kinda fast." Bought it.

Needless to say, my bike is one of the favorite things in my life, and I'm still totally surprised that I love a road bike. It's fast, but it stops fast, too. I never realized a bike could be responsive, but when I stomp on the pedals, I move. And I love working the transmission as though it was a car with a stick. One of my goals for the summer is to finally get out of the city and ride for some real distance.

Guh. Rambling. I've got gelato to scoop! So let's wrap it up with this:




which might be the perfect video ever. Deep funk, weird hats, kids, and muppets. Have a good weekend everyone!

Running, Trains & Bad Manners...

Last weekend was the Broad Street Run. I decided way back in February that I would sign up and put my new holiday chunk on notice. I was coming off of the marathon and thought, oh yeah, 10 miles? Nooooo problem, man. Well then, the weather has been crappy and I seemed to find any excuse not to train. My awesome friend Marisa and I texted each other daily, "Didya run today?" More often then not the answer would be negative. What was I thinking?

I could not sleep on the eve of the run. I was worried that I would oversleep. I had to get on the Broad Street Line before it was a sardine can filled with runners. I managed to rise and walk to the corner of Spring Garden and Broad. I arrived at the station at 6:50am. Marisa texted, "I am boarding on train 571, first car, left side of track." Left side of track. That confused me. Left side. Left side?.. A few moments later a train approached. Train #521. 5.2.1. not 5.7.1. I panicked, did she read it wrong while in haste? Was it a typo? What to do, what to do!.... The doors opened just as another train approached on the LEFT side (ahhhh, she boarded the express). Train #571, yipee! The doors closed on 521 and it began to pull out, just as 571 failed to stop. What the... Marisa texted, "We did not stop! I saw you!" Rats.

So it was another 25 minutes before another train arrived. Three express trains passed packed with runners and failed to stop. I was among 30 or so other runners when the first train passed, now there had to be at least 100. A train pulled up completely packed. When the doors opened I wedged myself in muttering apologies. The conversation between the runners was the usual talk of past runs and of lost training. "Are you ready?" "What did you run at the Bladee Blah Run?" Then it happened. Someone yelled, "Was that YOU?!! Grrrrroossss! I cannot believe you did that! HAHAHAHA!" Someone farted. Really people? It went on for several minutes with discussions of what the farter had consumed to produce such a stench, until I loudly said, "Please. Shut. Up." The faces scanned the car looking for the individual who said that bold statement. I raised my hand. They looked away. My apologies, but the fart talk needed to stop. I have two pre-teen boys. Fart talk is a big part of my life and yes, it commonly elicits giggles, but in a subway car packed like sardines, it is disgusting and unfunny at best prior to running 10 miles at the crack of dawn.

The subway arrived at the Olney station, I met Marisa at the turnstiles and off we went. Marisa is much faster than me and after stretching and talking, we went off to our separate corrals. The race started and it is really the people's race. The usual young girls and guys took off sprinting. I caught up with them at mile 5 and passed. I ran the first 5 slowly and the last 5 fast. It was a great run for me. You really see a nice slice of Philly running down Broad Street with 30,000 of your closest friends. The crowds are thin until the end. It is a nice run. I recommend it.

My biggest regret is that I did not get a pic with Marisa. So, here is the one with us at the marathon.

AHHH WEATHER WHY ARE YOU SO WEIRD

Oh Philly, why are you so indecisive lately?

I remember growing up in the beast of the N'East (aka Wissinoming/Frankford, the last frontier before the city starts totally looking like a bizarre suburb) and having plenty of spring days after school was finished where I could climb the smallest billboard in the world, eat goofy kid snacks from the penny candy store, and find skateboards that I thought were possessed because they had metal band names on them. A seance at dusk around some 15 year old's graffiti'ed shark-looking broken deck while wearing my Catholic school uniform is one of my fondest childhood memories of spring, and I would totally up and relive it if Philly would finally pick a season to commit to. Everyone knows that witch-y moon woman clothes are neither proper summer nor winter apparel, and if I'm going to have a seance at 22, I'm absolutely going to have to dress like Stevie Nicks.

Philly, you've been fickle and moody weather-wise. We all know that the bigger cities treat you like a redheaded stepchild, but there is no reason for you to take it out on the ones who love you most. Your recent summonings of blaring sun one day only to follow up with big, cold, rainy, baby tears the next (come on, a sunburn on a Monday, and a winter coat that Tuesday?)...its all just totally unacceptable. You are worse than a three year old.

However, some positives have come out of your barometric temper tantrums. When the shock of these sporadic summer-like afternoons come right after a cold, rainy day people tend to appreciate the weather a little more and adventure out of their crawlspaces over to Capo-yunk. The avenue has been booming when the sunshine decides to hit the right spot, and when all the planets seem like they've aligned, I admit it has been psyching me up for the summer season. I guess for now I'll consider these weird little bursts of warmth a coy tease in preparation for June, July, and August, when everyday has that glorious, lazy haze of summer.

-C.

P.S.: Happy Cinco De Mayo err'body.

A Salute to the Red Eye

The Red Eye has been my staple ever since I started drinking coffee. For those of you who don't know, a Red Eye is a cup of coffee with an added shot of espresso (not to be confused with an overnight flight from coast to coast or across the pond). I've decided that I have a natural immunity to caffeine, or am just naturally sluggish, so it takes a little extra to give me that added zip. Upon deciding to write about my love of Red Eye's however, I came upon a wealth of knowledge about them that I previously did not know, mostly thanks to Wikipedia. Note to researchers, if you go to Urban Dictionary seeking information on the Red Eye, you will not find anything related to coffee. Don't do it. Gross.

Alternative names for the Red Eye include, but are not limited to, Shot in the Dark, Black Eye, Dead Eye, Sludge Cup, Hammerhead, Black Gold, and Mondo (which I think is a stupid name, who orders an iced Mondo and retains any scrap of dignity?!) Apparently our braggart neighbors to the north occasionally refer to it as a Canadiano, thus making fun of an Americano, which is espresso and hot water. Hoosiers. In any case, they are delicious, nutritious, and are guaranteed to put some extra pep in your step. Come on down to 20th Street and grab one today. Our coffee, whether hot or cold brewed, is AMAZING and so is our espresso. Put them together and it's love for sure.
Bonus Fun Fact! In some parts of North America, a Red Eye refers to a concoction of tomato juice or clamato juice with beer. At my house, we have a similar drink but we use orange juice instead and call it a "ghettosa".

Don't forget... breakfast!

Every now and then I forget the most important meal of the day. Sometimes I'm just late and don't have time, other times I'm way too excited about the rest of the day to remember anything but coffee when I wake up. When I was in high school I went through a spell of "I don't like breakfast", but even if I didn't like it, my tummy sure did, which it made clear by betraying my cool attitude and growling beginning mid-first period and through the rest of the morning.
I moved beyond the no-breakfast phase fairly quickly, and I am happy to say that I am once again a firm believer in the importance of a morning meal. I've come to love breakfast on days when I have my morning free and can prepare and enjoy whatever I please, and I have really come to LOVE brunch. Sunday. Brunch. Is. Incredible.
It's easy to be smart (and/or indulgent) about breakfast at Capo. Steel cut oatmeal, fresh fruit cups, granola coppas, melt-in-your-mouth pastries, bagels, breakfast sandwiches...!!! If those all sound good and you don't think you'll be able to make up your mind, don't worry, we're excellent judges of character and mood and will be able to narrow it down to your true desire.
And now, I'll part with an air of P.E. instructor/health class teacher/nutritionist/Mr.T. Breakfast. Don't skip it. Don't try to be a cool cat at the expense of your bod! We pity the fool.