Well it has finally come to pass…the old Metropolitan
Coffee & Tea space, vacant since last May, is empty no more: Sabor
2 is the new tenant in the Pasadena Playhouse District location..... click here for the full article.. at http://pasadenaviews.com
5625 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.466.0481. Mon.-Fri. from 6:30 a.m., Sat.-Sun. from 7:30 a.m. AE, MC, V. WHY A friendly vibe, fairly easy street parking, free WiFi and skilled baristas. WHAT
A double-wide storefront in Little Armenia, this spacious, inviting
coffeeehouse.......
“Sabor y Cultura”means “flavor and culture”. Stepping into the
spacious, mellow cafe, it certainly looked like the kind of place that
hosts a healthy attempt at “culture”: Local art hangs casually on the
rich purple and light pumpkin...... Click here for the full article at www.la.cityzine.com
Starbucks
conflates charcoal with complexity, and while Peet’s, the best of the
chains, compensates for the overly dark roast of its beans with care in
preparation, we still long for the sort of gracefully balanced espresso
that’s ubiquitous in Paris and Rome and Seattle. Because what most
caffeine-and-laptop joints sell is nothing more than a thimble of dirty
water. There are some exceptions, of course: When we’re in Eagle Rock,
we always have confidence ordering a shot at Swork, where they use
beans roasted by Chicago’s estimable Intelligentsia Coffee. West
Hollywood’s Urth Caffe makes two admirable espressos, regular and
dolce, with organic beans. But the revelation in our hunt for the ideal
espresso was Sabor y Cultura. Formerly called Espresso Mi Cultura, the
artsy, activist-minded café on Hollywood Boulevard boasts rich,
chocolaty espresso that’s smooth rather than bitter and capped with a
layer of thick, dark, gleaming crema that escorts and protects delicate
aroma notes. It’s a product of painstaking precision in grinding,
compacting, and measuring. Owner Ramon Pantoja even adjusts the
fineness of the grounds according to the humidity levels outside.
“Espresso is so rarely done right in America,” he says, “which is why
we treat it like people do in other countries – like the gourmet drink
that it is.” The free wireless Internet access, monthly art exhibits,
and regular evening entertainment wouldn’t be the same without a
demitasse of Pantoja’s espresso.
Attention L.A. writers: Spring is officially here! Come out of your dark caves and feel the sunshine on your pale skin! Experience the sights and sounds of real people! Whether
you are an established novelist or a young scribe plugging away at your
soon to be award winning screenplay, now is the time to leave the
solitude of your home office (and your procrastination-friendly
internet connection) and venture out into the city that surrounds. Let the creative energies of these writer-friendly cafés stir your juices.
A word of warning…writing in L.A. is not exactly a novel pastime. You are not alone. Keep
yourself from glancing at the laptop screens around you, as this is
likely to lead to sudden depression at the realization of the sheer
number of people writing screenplays. If you do happen to
catch a glance of a seemingly amazing script on the MacBook of that
21-year old next to you, use my steadfast trick. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then, say to yourself, “Thank god I’m not an actor.” You will instantly recover.
9. Sabor y CulturaHollywood
The energized atmosphere and world-class espresso of Sabor y Cultura Café makes this the ideal Hollywood writing spot.
