Coffee sampling at Caffé Artigiano with Sammy Piccolo
2 Comments
Tiny Bites Consulting
November 30, 2008
When I first set out to investigate the state of specialty coffee in Vancouver this summer, I had the chance to sit down with award-winning barista Sammy Piccolo for an informal chat at the bustling JJ Bean on Commercial drive. Down to earth and happy to meet a newcomer to coffee, he extended an invitation to visit him for a personal coffee tasting. I took Sammy up on his offer last week at the Caffé Artigiano that he runs in the heart of Capitol Hill.
My first reaction as I strolled into the Burnaby café was astonishment: it was huge! Seating for 20 by the bar with capacity for another 30 in the adjoining room. The space was already decked out for Christmas; ornaments hung from the chandelier and toy soldiers lined the walls. After greeting Sammy, I chose the table closest to the brightly lit Christmas tree and ordered some lunch.
Sammy, four-time Canadian Barista Champion and three-time finalist in the World Barista Competitions, poured my latte himself. I counted myself lucky that such an accomplished barista was making me coffee. In the 5 minutes it took to unpack my camera and remove all the layers I was wearing that chill and foggy day, I observed the remarkable staying power of the latte art atop my drink.
My first sip issued pillowy foam and hazelnut. It was delicate for what I expected out of an espresso blend, and it seemed that the flavours of the steamed milk were given almost as much attention as the characteristics of the espresso itself. I savoured the faint aroma of cream and caramel as I downed the rest of the cup, stirring the the milk into the espresso as Sammy suggested to create further balance and bring out its inherent sweetness.
Between sips, I nibbled at an Autostrada panino, first extracting all the green olives from the housemade bread to enjoy them on their own. The Autostrada was layered with salami, prosciutto, mortadella, capicolla, and provolone, accompanied by a side of fresh tomato drizzled with garlic mayo and a crackle of pepper.
Sammy also brought me a bowl of curry chicken soup for me to sample. Being the soup fiend that I am, this was a pleasant bonus, and eclipsed the appeal of the panino the moment the bowl was set in front of me. This soup delivered in spice and heartiness. The potato had a nice bite–not too mushy or starchy and yet not undercooked. Even the carrots retained its shape and texture. The regular-sized serving would have been a perfect portion for me on its own, so I had a lot of leftover food by the time my stomach protested. I gobbled as much as I dared (taking care to leave room for more libations) and packaged the rest for a late afternoon redux. Too bad this café wasn’t around when I worked at the nearby bank; I’d have been a regular lunchtime patron!
Ben, the late-night manager of the Hastings & Rosser location, stopped by with a French press tasting of the featured Panama La Carleida: the winner of the Best of Panama auction this year. 49th Parallel, partner roaster for Artigiano and run by Sammy’s brothers Vince and Michael Piccolo, purchased the entire crop for exclusive distribution through Artigiano.
Panama La Carleida
Best of Panama Auction Winner #1, 2008$10 / 8oz cup
Available by single serving French press$105 for a 1/2 lb bag
Coffee group: Café Granja La Esperanza
Growing region: Jaramillo arriba
Variety: geisha
Elevation: 1550 metres
Cupping score: 93.16Artisan-roasted whole bean coffee
This amazing coffee encompasses a unison of complexity and engaging flavours. Florals and jasmine balanced with a high citrus acidity and sweet tropical fruits synch perfectly. This year’s Best of Panama auction took in $47 USD / lb in its green bean state. The entire lot of 200 lbs was roasted to perfection by 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters and will be sold exclusively at Caffé Artigiano.
I had read these stats while munching on my soup and sandwich, so I sat there with skepticism as the press brewed in front of me. How much better can this coffee be to justify such prices?
After the first few sips, it became apparent why this bean garnered such high praise. It was the most complex coffee I had tasted to date: mild, sweet, and fruity in the nose with notes of apricot at its hottest that morphed into unripe plum as it cooled. It reminded me of the first Kenyan I had had on a Clover, but with a lot more fruit and a muted brightness.
The cooler it got, the more I tasted red fruit and a mild tartness…cranberry, perhaps? Didn’t taste the jasmine, but it was easy to see how this cup could be likened to tea: it had a similar body without being watery and one of the more delicate finishes that I’ve experienced in a cup of coffee. All in all, it was a fantastic coffee whose flavour profile still lingers in my memory. I don’t think I would pay for such an expensive bag for home consumption (I’d probably butcher the brew!) but I highly recommend at least one taste at the Artigiano nearest you.
My exploration of the Artigiano chain did not stop with this visit. When my brother-in-law flew in from Calgary the following weekend, we brunched at the location on Hastings & Granville, where all the foodstuffs are housemade and distributed to the rest of the cafés in the Lower Mainland.
Sammy sold me on the Uova Napolitano, so that was my meal choice. It was an enormous plate of poached eggs in a tomato, onion, and oregano sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and spicy Italian sausage. It could have easily fed all three of us! I’ll have to remember how large this dish is the next time I come in for breakfast.
My husband had the daily omelette and my brother-in-law chose the smoked salmon bagel. The omelette was deemed so-so–plain compared to what I had ordered–but my BIL relished his bagel (though I had dibs on all the capers). I ordered a ristretto that was a little too bold on its own. A splash of milk and a package of brown sugar did much to mellow it out. Good on its own was the cup of drip hailing from Mexico that my husband chose. As I was beginning to identify in many of Artigiano roasts I’ve tried, this one had a pleasant balance and a nutty appeal.
My BIL liked his first Artigiano experience so much that my husband took him to the Hornby location the following morning, with both of them indulging in the daily coffee and reporting back with two thumbs up. I likewise returned to the Burnaby location some days later (and incognito) to sample the day’s Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and a beautiful smoked turkey panino. It was nice to be able to balance out my initial visit, where I was treated to lunch by Sammy, with several visits on my own dime, and I am happy to say that subsequent visits to a number of different locations were all positive experiences in taste, ambiance, and customer service.
I hope that upon his return to Calgary, my brother-in-law will be pleased by the Artigiano in his city as much as we enjoy the ones in greater Vancouver.
Caffé Artigiano locations I’ve visited
I’ve listed the location and hours of the ones I’ve personally been to below. For a full listing, visit the Caffé Artigiano website.
763 Hornby Street | Downtown
(604) 694-7737
M – F: 6:30am – 7:30pm; Sat: 7am – 7pm; Sun: 7am – 6pm
740 West Hastings Street | Downtown
(604) 915-7200
M – F: 6am – 5pm; Sat & Sun: 7am – 3pm. Brunch: 8am – 3pm.
574 Granville Street | Downtown
(604) 688-3422
M – W: 6am – 7pm; Thurs & Fri: 6am – 8pm; Sat: 7am – 7pm; Sun: 7am – 6pm
4359 Hastings Street | Burnaby
(604) 473-2180
M – W: 6:30am – 8pm; Thurs & Fri: 6:30am – 9pm; Sat: 7am – 9pm; Sun: 7am – 8pm
Categories: Burnaby, Coffee, Downtown, Food, Restaurants
Kitsilano dinner hopping with Social Bites
11 Comments Karen HamiltonNovember 29, 2008
5:30pm at the Hamilton household
Already another opportunity to take my netbook for another mobile blogging spin. This time, it’s a 3-part dinner experience via Social Bites, a unique way to dine about the kitchens of Vancouver.
We are just about to jump into the car towards the home of the first hobby chefs of our evening, Alexis and Matt. They’ll be treating us to a creamy corn and crab chowder, followed by tapas-style spare ribs and rosemary and garlic mashed potatoes.
Follow along as I give you the scoop on location, and check out our personalized Social Bites Kitsilano Agenda (PDF) until the next update goes live.
6pm at Alexis and Matt’s
Nicely settled at our first pit stop with our hosts and their dog, Rusty, who was wary of us at first but is now getting friendly with my camera. Matt is on the patio basting the ribs while Alex keeps us company in the dining room.
6:30pm
Guests Trudy and Tina arrived with a bottle of Quail’s Gate gewürztraminer, and a peek at the grill outside indicated that dinner was ready to go.
The corn and crab chowder was first on our plate. A twist of lime and all six of us were digging in. Corn nibs were whole and juicily sweet, and the Dungeness crab imparted a sweetness of its own. My husband noted a slight creaminess that he enjoyed; I was too busy cleaning my bowl.
The pork back ribs were next, marinated for a few hours with a dry rub of ginger, mustard, allspice, and basted on the grill with a sweet Thai chili glaze. An interesting combination of brown sugarness on the first chew that transitions into a mild kick of heat. We all eventually abandoned the knife and fork for our bare hands, but Alex and Matt had finger bowls on hand when we were through. Overall a great first experience!
7pm, after a fab first course
We are now departing for the next hobby chef meal at Katerina and Marianne’s, who will treat us to Greek lemon chicken, authentic tsatsiki, and lemon-infused, oven-roasted potatoes. My mouth is already watering…
Back in about an hour.
8pm at Katerina and Marianne’s
Back from a quick stop to the liquor store on MacDonald to equip ourselves with a bottle of red that we had unwittingly forgotten to procure when our evening began. We chatted in the living room with our second hobby chefs and familiar faces Karen G. and Brent, who complimented the vegetarian lasagna they had from the Mystery hobby chef, who happens to be Annika Reinhardt, Ms. Social Bites herself.
In a heartbeat, we were seated with individual servings of tsatsiki showcased modernly in the center of the table. Hosts Katerina and Marianne presented four giant servings of lemon chicken breast and roast potatoes amongst much oohing and aahing. We dolloped generous amounts of tsatsiki over our dishes and attacked our second dinner with fervour. The potatoes were the highlight for me, with crunchy bits providing textural contrast to the soft, melty, starchy bits that melted in my mouth.
In 30 minutes, we’re off to CocoaNymph to join up with the rest of the Social Bites attendees, with story swapping, single origin chocolates, and musical performances ahead. I hope they have Wifi…if so, I will continue with this sort of live blog posting and attempt to upload all the photos I’ve taken thus far.
Stay tuned.
9:30pm at CocoaNymph
Here we all are, 22 strong, gathered as a single group in a cozy chocolatier’s shop with pots of green tea and Ethical Bean coffee scattered about. The majority of us have finished casting our ballots for the hobby chefs of the night, while Brian set the mood at a baby grand the colour of white truffle.
Annika welcomed the assembly and introduced Rachel Sawatzky, our CocoaNymph host, who is taking the group for a tour of chocolates handmade by Rachel and/or her assistant, Nina. Rachel’s shop is just a year old, and for this evening and any holiday pre-ordering, the attendees are being offered a 10% discount on anything in the store.
Bullet points on Rachel’s cocoa tasting:
- 3 tastings: 2 single origin chocolates and a South American blend
- Tasting process: check for temper (snap), shine, smell, and taste
- Taste chocolates in increasing order of strength (%), where the % indicates the amount of total cocoa extracted from the bean press
- Indian Ocean (64%): citrus, fruity, candied, sweet, sugary, light in body, more acidic
- South American blend (70%): smooth, mellow, like a Brazilian coffee. The majority preferred this one, and one participant suggested that it was because it tasted the most like the chocolate North Americans would be used to
- Venezuela (72%): “Mmm….tastes like Hugo Chavez” –Brent
- The rarest cocoa beans are from Cuba and Madagascar, which are great enjoyed as single origin but not usually used in a blend
- The bean press creates two major outputs: cocoa butter and cocoa mass
- Truffle tasting of the Illa, which was featured by Vancouver Magazine as one of the 101 things to eat before you die (#96, in fact). Tasting notes: salty first burst with a smooth transformation into caramel and ganache
- 14 other truffle flavours are available with another 8 coming out soon
- Rachel shared her story about how she ended up in the chocolate business, which started in medical school and resulted in a first batch of 3000 chocolates from an investment of $100
As Annika hides to tally the results for the Hobby Chef Award, the rest of us break to sample more truffles and mingle. Back soon, if my battery allows.
10:15pm, after the ballots were tallied
Congratulations to Alexis and Matt, who won tonight’s Hobby Chef Award, including Social Bites passes for future excursions and a prize pack from indishpensable. The scores were quite close, with the pair winning by a margin of two points. I would certainly come back to their abode for more of those fantastic ribs if ever an invitation were to come our way.
Kudos to the rest of the hobby chefs (Annika, Katerina and Marianne, and Matt and Mark) for putting on such a close race and opening their homes and recipes up for our judgement. Special thanks to Nancy of Le Petit Spa for providing a space for Annika to serve her meal.
Diners also did not walk away empty-handed. Each of us were gifted with a keychain with a balloon whisk trinket (nice touch, Annika) fitted with a member’s discount card for specialty food store, Meinhardt. We also collectively gave back to the community, with half the proceeds going towards the Vancouver Food Bank (more than 50% if Annika is able to cover her costs).
11:30pm, back home and preparing for bed
Sigh…what a wonderful evening. The concerns that I had about timing and travel between locations were for naught. Annika laid out a precise schedule and everyone made a concerted effort to keep to it. It was a novel way to meet new people through food and conversation, and I hope that these new connections enjoyed themselves as much as we did. When the next Social Bites event hits Yaletown (likely late January – mid February), you never know…we may just open up our Yaletown apartment as part of the next wave of hobby chefs.
Update, November 30th: Annika has confirmed the next Social Bites dinner excursion for Saturday, February 7, 2009. Yaletown is the most likely location but that is not yet set in stone.
Feedback time!
While I take the next few days to properly upload all the images from this event, I want to hear from you, whether you be attendee, hobby chef, or Tiny Bites reader. What did you like about this event? What could be improved for the next Social Bites occasion? What news or photos can you share about the hobby chefs we didn’t visit? What would you like to know about that hasn’t been covered here?
Tell me what you’re thinking by posting a comment or emailing me at karen[at]tinybites[dot]ca.
A play-by-play of an American Thanksgiving with Farmstead Wines
4 Comments Karen HamiltonNovember 27, 2008
3:09pm on American Thanksgiving 2008
I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Unique opportunities. Friends that push me to pursue my passions. Mentors that guide me along the way. A husband and family that have been by my side no matter where the ride has taken me. The support from you wonderful readers that keep me inspired with my lens and keyboard. I pondered these blessings as I puttered around the kitchen this morning, preparing for the Thanksgiving festivities at the home of Anthony Nicalo, founder of Farmstead Wines.
The schedule of the day is pretty open. Anthony will have his door open from morning to night for communal cooking and dining, with liberal amounts of Farmstead Wines at the ready to slake anyone’s thirst. I had intended on getting there before noon but my food processor is too small to do one batch of the dough needed for the dessert I’m contributing, let alone two. What I estimated to take a few hours has now stretched into the afternoon…eep!
Happily, the tortes are now out of the oven and are almost cool enough to survive a car trip over to Anthony’s. While I make my way over to resume a somewhat live blog of the gathering, take a peek at what I had been baking: cranberry linzertortes, whose recipe (at bottom) was passed to me by my culinary rockstar of a mother-in-law.
Another update will follow upon our arrival.
5:30pm, at the Nicalo household
My husband was able to get off work at 4pm, so I waited to set out to the party together. Arrived at a quarter to 5. Anthony greeted us at the door and immediately enabled us with a glass of wine and a serving of squash soup, peppered with juicy bursts of pomegranate. First Farmstead wine taste was of the Martin Arndorfer 2006 Reisling, which I had first tried at Salt Tasting Room. Worked wonderfully with the soup; others at the table raved.
Some pictures for your viewing pleasure:
Intermezzo has just arrived: candied salmon and olive oil gelato, paired with a late harvest pinot gris by Marc Tempé. Another update when the next wave of food comes in (around 6:30 / 7pm).
7:24pm, after second dinner
First dinner was shortly before we had arrived, so this time, we got the chance to partake in the dishes that Anthony and Boris Mann were churning out for their hungry public. Highlights were the turkey sausage, sourced from Moccia and minced / encased in the Nicalo household; the sausage stuffing that my husband, who makes a fantastic turkey stuffing, could not get enough of; brussel sprouts that my anti-brussels husband adored; and a grilled salmon with miso gravy that I kept on stealing from other people’s plates.
Renato Dolcetto D’Alba: may I just say how much I love you?
Lots of Twitter folk about: @nalei, @jennmae, @julesjulesjules, and @vinaroon, off the top of my head, along with new faces that whom I will no doubt follow after this night is through. I was especially flattered that @julesjulesjules made an appearance on the strength of the cranberry linzertorte photo that I had posted earlier.
Quotables:
- “Hey Tiny Bites…that’s a mighty big sausage for you to handle…” — @julesjulesjules
- “Bridget Moynahan pulled the goalie” — my husband mine
Visuals:
Dessert round coming up soon!
9:13pm, after tasting all the desserts and more wines than I can recall…
Four desserts were offered to the masses: pumpkin and apple pies by Rebecca, coffee cake by Sarah Nicalo’s mother, and the cranberry linzertorte by little ol’ me. To my extreme relief, the tortes were well received and no one seemed to display symptoms of food poisoning. Point: Karen. My favourite was the apple pie, topped with the hand-whipped cream that Anthony prepared against much colourful commentary.
I enjoyed dessert with a sherry that drenched the senses with molasses and Sunmaid raisins (you know, the ones in the little red boxes). After relishing a glass of the Renato Barbaresco, I watched the spontaneous dance party that occurred in the living room, complete with demonstrations of the “shopping cart”, the “salt and pepper”, the corresponding “pepper grinder”, and my husband’s contribution of “the typewriter”.
Back with a second glass of the lovely Dolcetto D’Alba, I am now putting down my computer for the evening, to participate on the dance floor and continue picking at the smorgasbord of food that lingers in the Nicalo’s kitchen.
Good night and Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Cranberry Linzertortes
Equipment you’ll need
- 9″ fluted tart pan with removable bottom
- Food processor (one that can hold > 3 cups at a time, as I learned the hard way)
- Wax paper
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheet
For the cranberry sauce
- 1 bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
For the hazelnut dough
- 1 1/4 cups hazelnuts
- 2 1/3 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chilled unsalted butter in 1/2″ cubes
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Directions
- Lay hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes in a 325F oven. Wrap inside a tea towel and rub vigourously to strip as much of the husks off as possible. Use a sieve with largish holes to sift the powdery husks away, and let cool.
- Stir 1 cup sugar into 1 cup of water in a large pot until dissolved. Bring to a boil.
- Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and continue at a gentle boil for another 10 minutes. Be wary of popping berries; thank goodness my apron caught all the splatter!
- Remove from heat and let cool completely. Voilà! Just over 2 cups of easy peasy cranberry sauce. You can use leftovers to fuel the rest of your Thanksgiving dinner, if you wish.
- Toss the cooled hazelnuts into a food processor with 1/3 cup flour and process until finely chopped.
- Add remaining flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder and process for another 30 seconds or until blended.
- Beat egg yolks and vanilla slightly and pour through feed tube as machine is running. Process only until dough starts to come together. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Butter tart pan and press 1 1/2 cups chilled dough over bottom and up sides of pan. Spread cranberry sauce over bottom. Chill.
- Roll remaining dough onto a large piece of wax paper into a 13” x 10” rectangle. Freeze dough for 5 minutes.
- Cut 12 half-inch-wide strips lengthwise from the rolled dough.
- Arrange 6 strips across the torte, spacing evenly. Arrange remaining strips across the torte in the opposite direction, forming a lattice. Seal ends of strips to dough edge, trimming any excess.
- Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Cool.
- Push up the removable bottom of the tart pan to separate the torte for serving. Sift powdered sugar over top, if desired.
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