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Skim Latte for Me

3 November 2008 197 views View Comments

mediciI live in the best neighborhood in the best city in the country. Ok, I’m biased.

Anyway, Clarksville really has it all – green space, great architecture, bars, restaurants, a grocery store, location, and great people. I’m lucky to have found an apartment I can afford to rent in such a desirable neighborhood. Clarksville is one of the areas in Austin where it is very apparent that we live in a “blue oasis in a red state.” Obama signs abound.

We also have the greatest coffee shop in all of Austin – us liberal elite need to go somewhere to get our daily latte fix, right?! In Clarksville, we go to Caffé Medici. This coffee shop is a true neighborhood gathering place and is filled with students, young families, eccentrics, slackers, worker bees, and there is always a dog or two (usually mine) tied to the fence in front. Lucy loves Caffé Medici because the people are so friendly there – and she can count on a treat or two to enjoy just before the six block trek back home.

The best days at Caffé Medici are when I run into my friends and neighbors – Josh, Kelli, and Rob live a couple blocks away and it makes my day when I run into them and we get a few minutes to chat and catch up. I’ve known Josh for 20 years and it makes me smile to think that two Jewish kids from Potomac, Maryland have ended up living in the same neighborhood in the great state of Texas.

At Caffé Medici, the baristas are friendly and committed to making perfect-looking and delicious-tasting coffee drinks. I’d venture to say that they make the best coffee in Austin. Runners up for me are Teo (blog link) and Jo’s. Where do you like to get your daily cup ‘o joe?

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  • Rachel
    I totally agree with you. Medici is the best coffee in town, by far! But, shh, don't tell anyone. I already have a hard enough time finding a seat there:)
  • Lindsay
    If you're on campus, you have to try Texas Expresso. I learned to make the BEST lattes when I worked there in college :)
  • Jodi
    Laura thanks for the additional coffee shops! I'll admit that I have not yet been to Genuine Joe's -- aren't they evangelical? I went to one of the local mega-churches for Christmas Eve a couple years ago and they were giving away their coffee beans to non-members as an incentive to come back.

    Also -- thanks for the edit on the title of the blog. I have fixed it now but hope you won't judge me too harshly -- I hadn't yet had my coffee for the day!
  • double tonic
    P.S. - What's a nonfat skim latte? I thought it was one or the other .... :-)
  • double tonic
    I like Epoch, Genuine Joe's and Quack's (all in "north Austin"), but the best coffee shops near me is Dominican Joe's (part of their proceeds go to education and economic development in the Dominican Republic) and Jo's on south Congress for people-watching and music.

    A Panamanian friend of mine was in town for the film festival, and he's a true coffee snob. (I mean that in the best way.) He thinks Medici is the best coffee in Austin, hands-down.
  • Anonymous
    I can't wait to experience your neighborhood and the coffee shop when i come for a visit. It all sounds like so much fun. Love, Mom
  • Austin Kleon
    They just opened one these up across from the architecture school at UT--I haven't been there, but my wife says it's really good.
  • Marcos
    I don't like Medici. This might be a cultural thing here: I go to cafes to chat and laugh and tell jokes with friends. Americans seem to go to cafes to study, read, or stare at a laptop screen (nothing wrong with that).
    But if I go with my friends and start making noise, I can't help but feel guilty.
    Medici is small and cramped and weirdly laid out so it's hard to go there and be noisy. Therefore, not my kind of place.

    Are you blogging at 4:30 AM???
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