NYC's coffee boom

The Times today examines the number of new (non-chain) coffee places that have opened in the city the past few years...places that serve "well-made, well-prepared coffee." Including in the piece are East Village favorites Abraço Espresso on East Seventh Street and Ninth Street Espresso. "There are so many of these places that some people claim that New York is experiencing a coffee renaissance," writes Ted Botha, who did the piece for the Times. Here are a few passages from the article:

“What you see going on now is a de- Starbuckification, if you will,” said Suzanne Wasserman, a food historian who is director of the Gotham Center for New York City History. “People are yearning for authenticity.”

It will probably be a while before specialty coffee shops are as prevalent in the city as wine stores. Most New Yorkers must still travel several miles to find the perfect espresso, and price is often a deterrent to patronizing these places.

Nancy Ralph, the director of the New York Food Museum, describes paying more than a dollar for a cup of coffee as extortion. She also doubts whether $4 mochas will be enough to cover ever-rising rentals in the city. “You’ll have your answer in a year,” she said.