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eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters
Jul 17 2005, 02:43 PM

Posted by: Carlswell p osts: 1,130 Joined: 27-May 03
F rom: Montreal M ember No.: 8,756 Post #116

Dropped by the newly opened Caffe Art Java on the north side of Mont Royal Blvd. , four or five blocks east of the metro station, yesterday.

Sorry to say it's not really an espresso bar. Although there's a small counter for adulterating takeout orders, no provision has been made for ordering an espresso for immediate consumption while standing. You place and pay for your order, take a number in a plastic holder and sit at one of the tables, where they bring the order to you.

Much attention has been lavished on the decor: two levels with seating arranged to maximize opportunites for watching the to-and-froing on the boulevard; folding French doors at the front open to the street; clean, modern decoration; designer chairs; high-definition plasma screens running a latte art instructional video. The main counter is in back. The first thing you see is a refrigerator case packed with sandwiches, wraps, pastries and desserts. Behind that is the order station, a couple of grinders and a drop-dead gorgeous La Marzocco machine (I'm guessing a four grouper, though I didn't get a barista's eye view) outfitted with "naked" (spoutless) portafilters — a Montreal first as far as I know.

I began with a double espresso at a pricey $2.40. It arrived promptly in a properly heated cup. The crema was as thick as I've ever encountered; the texture exceptional; the flavour rich, layered, beautifully complex — "browner" tasting and less intense than Café Italia's but, flavourwise, probably the best I've encountered in Montreal. The only sour note was a slightly sour note, the kind you get when the machine is a bit under temp. I didn't see them make the shot so I don't know if they ran water through the group before pulling it. If they didn't, they should have because the machine wasn't seeing much use on a oppressively muggy afternoon.

The beans, ground fresh for each order, are the Leftist Blend from Gimme! Coffee in Ithica , NY . You can also buy them to take home.

Sandwiches (on baguette) and wraps run $9-11. My sandwhich — roast chicken breast with avocado and pesto — was good, though light on the pesto. It was served with chilled fresh asapragus and a cherry tomato and onion salad jarringly garnished with pistachios. Other sandwiches featured lamb; duck confit; prosciutto and parm; beef and blue cheeese; and, I believe, a veggie option. Service was pleasant if slightly confused: when ordering, I'd stated that I wanted to start with the espresso, then have the sandwhich with a bottle of mineral water. They brought the mineral water first, so I sent it back; then they forgot to bring it with the sandwich.

I'd intended to order a latte after finishing the sandwich to see if they lived up to their name. But by then the heat and humidity made the thought of a large hot milk-based drink unappealing. The lattes served to the table in front of me looked liked they'd come out of the latte-art porn video: perfect microfoam and photo-worthy rosettes.

Even on the basis of a single visit, I feel confident in saying that Caffe Art Java is one of the city's premier coffee houses. And if they can get their machine up to temp, they may well take the crown.

This post has been edited by carswell : Jul 18 2005 , 02:04 PM