PrintRoots Cafe in South Slope Wins With Stumptown Coffee, Bologna Sandwiches
South Slope's 5th Avenue started 2009 with two new coffee shops. A sterile soulless-feeling chain off 16th Street called High Point with multi-colored triangular flags outside that should go back to the car dealership, and the polar opposite, Roots Cafe, off 18th Street. Comfy and cushy—somewhere between hipster living room and the grandparents' backwoods cabin—Roots is the winner of the two.
Formerly called Cafe Sutra, it was owned by a Serbian couple ("sutra" means tomorrow, despite the obvious kama reference) who got up and left a couple weeks ago, leaving new owner Jamey Hamm, a neighborhood barista, with a new toy. He added a bookshelf (Dave Eggers, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mr. Tolkien all included) and chalkboard menu, which includes his personal favorite, the bologna and cheddar sandwich ($3.50, the cheapest besides the grilled PB&J). "Yeah, it's just Oscar Mayer or whatever." He's not ashamed. He considered using the fancier stuff, but knows that after frying the pink meat for a second and throwing it on good bread with good cheddar, it's just fine.
The green eggs and ham ($6.75) is a Seussian-California fusion with the avocado. "I used to be afraid of avocado." Luckily Hamm faced his fears because avocado is, um, magical. The breakfast sandwiches—you can technically add egg to any of the paninis—are served all day.
The cheesy grits have also been really popular, and Hamm is excited to experiment more with tofurkey.
The tea is nothing fancy—"yeah, I use Lipton for my iced tea"—but the coffee is where it's at. Portland-based Stumptown Coffee was a recommendation by his Oregonian buddy, and Hamm should give him a friend award. Fellow Serious Eater Michele, also along for the Roots ride, would even go as far to call it "honeyed" and "floral." Neither of us are coffee snobs, but we agreed: no unpleasant acidity. Just smooth, roasted, and good.
The wall o' mugs near the registers was almost too much. Is this place from a fairytale heaven? After paying for the first round, regulars can score free refills. As South Slopers, Michele and I got warm, fuzzy feelings knowing we could call this our "nabe" spot. I want to hang my mug here and bond with other bologna converts.
Roots Cafe
639A Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (map)
205-246-2149
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5 Comments:
this place looks adoreable, I can't wait to try it out.
Laurel E at 4:41PM on 01/07/09
i have a feeling that this place is going to beat the pants off of has-beans. :) can't wait to go tomorrow!
mollsrawks at 10:38PM on 01/07/09
Ah. The wall o' mugs. There were a couple places in Portland (Oregon) that did this. You'd pay for the coffee and get your choice of mug for the self-serve carafes. My roommates and I lived above a café that did this, and one weekend, while the Rose Festival was going on, we had our faces photo-printed onto mugs and ended up covertly placing them in the rack. A few weeks later, someone drinking out of one of our mugs recognized one of my roommates from it. No, this doesn't have anything to do with Roots Café, except that maybe I'll make a mug of myself and go place it in there secretly.
Adam Kuban at 11:05PM on 01/07/09
I want the bologna and cheddar sandwich! And the other one. And all of them. Dammit.
Maybe I'll even try the coffee. :)
roboppy at 11:23PM on 01/07/09
This place needs to get some more love from readers. I went there this weekend on a food tour - bologna and cheese was fantastic. A testament to childhood foods reinterpreted with a quality concept.
TheUE at 10:44AM on 02/11/09