MACCHIATO ESPRESSO BAR
9/20/2007New York, NY 10017
(212) 867-6730
Macchiato is an espresso bar, but appears to spend more energy on food than on coffee. Its coffees, Danesi brand, are very good and, for those who can afford the time to to stay and enjoy themselves, can be had in a real cup. It serves muffins, croissants, cookies, danishes, bagels, salads, and sandwiches. All of the prices, it should be noted, are comparable, if not higher than Starbucks, its aforementioned most obvious competition. Penny pinchers should look elsewhere for their cheap joe.
Of their food items, I've had their Blueberry Muffin and Cranberry-Walnut Muffin, which were moist and delicious. They charged me extra for butter, but I guess they have to cover rent somehow. I've also tried the Butter Croissant, which has to have been one of the flakiest, sweetest croissants that I've had in a very long time. That's a good thing, but you'll need a plate. No breakfast on the go with these puppies. Too many other places serve them dry and brittle (not the same as flaky) or rubbery. The Egg and Cheese Sandwich, on a ciabatta roll, is PRVixen's breakfast of choice when she wants a Macchiato breakfast, though she wishes that they sold eggs on their own.
On the lunch side of the menu, I'm not a big salad person. But I can't turn down a good sandwich, so one lunch, a co-worker and I went on an sandwich excursion. She ordered the Prosciutto Sandwich and IMed me to tell me that she thought it was "amazing". It comes stuffed with prosciutto de parma, mozzarella, fresh basil, balsamic-dipped tomato, avocado, and an olive tapenade. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich on whole grain. One of my new favorite sandwiches. The inside is hot and tender with a pesto mayonnaise over lettuce, tomato, sun-dried tomato, and onion. What would turn this sandwich into something really exceptional is some brie.
With tax, by the way, these sandwiches come within pennies of $10 each.
It would seem that Macchiato is best for European-styled coffee, a trendy atmosphere, and breakfast pastries, but that its sandwiches are hit-or-miss.
Correction 10/08/07:
I made a boo-boo about the hours that Macchiato is open (thank you dear readers). It's in fact open from 7am to 6pm. But it's still closed on weekends and I don't out of work before 7, so I still can't meet people there after work for a coffee.
Update 12/21/07:
Macchiato, as I have already mentioned, has incredible croissants. As I wander out of the office for my mid-morning coffee fix, I head off to Starbucks. A few minutes later, coffee in hand, I suddenly and unexpectedly begin to crave a croissant. So off I head, and inside I go, to Macchiato.
"What are you drinking?" comes a voice from my side, finger extended towards my trespassing Starbucks cup. "Coffee. But I just want a croissant."
"How about a coffee?"
"I have one."
"How about one of ours free?"
"Same size? A trade?"
"Yes."
"Seems silly."
"You give us that coffee, we'll give you a large one on us." I ponder this. Do I keep the coffee I like for something that most assuredly tastes the same, just so I can get a slightly more expensive version that gives me the privilage of being their office advertisement? Whatever, it'll make for a good story.
"Sure, knock yourself out." And away goes my venti into the trash can, replaced by their Danesi blend. It must be noted that it was not, in absolute fact, the same size. It was smaller. So I lost out. Stupid. Next time, I'm keeping my coffee.
"We're very proud of our coffee," she said. Yes you are.
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