Water Avenue Coffee

I love my city; I really do.  However, I occasionally encounter something so preposterously Portland that I'm not sure whether to chuckle or cringe.  Such was the case when not one, but two, gentlemen were lounging on Water Avenue Coffee's comfortable sofas in their bicycle helmets.  Chin straps buckled.  You are unlikely to find many fashion tips in this blog, but here is one: it's hard to pull off wearing a helmet inside.  I am guessing Brad Pitt would never have been cast in Fight Club if he'd ever been seen wearing a helmet inside.  On the other hand, I am often wrong in matters of fashion, and it's undeniable that, in the event of a major earthquake or nuclear attack, the guys in the helmets will have the last laugh.

And, judging by the twenty or so bikes parked outside on that same morning, two wheels are apparently the best way to arrive at Water Avenue.  It's hip in a very hip neighborhood that includes Hair of the Dog, Bunk Bar, ClarkLewis and Boke Bowl.  Inside, it's warm and cozy in an underfinished industrial way, and they are pulling superb espresso shots (I recall them making that espresso on a Synesso machine, but their website prominently features a high tech Nuova Simonelli).  Pastries and sandwiches looked tasty.  The staff is friendly and casual.

Water Avenue's signature blend, which is used at several other great coffee places around town, is called El Toro.  It's described on their website as "dark chocolate, sweet peanut butter, bright cherry, woodsy."  I had some trouble finding the peanut butter, but there is definitely a nice cherry flavor, and the coffee finishes with a citrusy sweetness.