You neglect to mention that's Seattle ex-pat Bob behind the espresso machine!

Go Bob!

call me an east coast wag, but why the fuck does it matter what pretty floral arrangement is on the surface of my coffee? what am I gonna do, not drink it? I don't care if it does have a token fern drizzled on the top, what matters is whether the coffee underneath tastes good or not (and hops me up, of course).

The fern pattern makes it taste better. Mmmm...

I'm always bitching about the lack of good coffee outside the PNW. I just want to be able to order an espresso that doesn't taste like burned dishwater.

Fuck you, Starbucks!

Thank God - I came through NYC for the first time after travelling internationally, looking forward to the comforts of America. While staying in Manhattan, where you can presumably get good anything, I was devastated by the lack of good coffee. I had the same experience when living in Boston.

Maybe Vivace can move to the Lower East Side when they close to make room for the light rail station?

They drink dunkin' donuts coffee there.

It's a different coffee culture altogether.

K: The pouring technique that allows the barista to create a rosetta also makes the drink taste better. The rich brown cream on top consists of the espresso crema from the shots. So if you sip off the top, the drink tastes rich and delicious, not like warm milk. That wouldn't happen if the barista just dumped the milk in your cup and called it good.

as far as the rosetta goes, i agree. it is the best tasting layer of the latte.

fuel coffee, on 19th, makes a RAD rosetta.

and the "good orange" is amazing as well.

The guys in Little Italy don't give a shit about your rosetta, and they don't muck up your espresso with a quart of cow-titty juice. And for just walkin' around, I'll take a little greek cup of "regular" any day. Y'all are babies!

Chris, you ignorant slut...It's an oft repeated myth that the crema is somehow the best tasting part of the shot. In reality it is only gas bubbles surrounded by the same espresso that constitutes the rest of the shot. The rosette is purely for visual appeal, an indicator of the skill of the barista which is only possible with properly steamed milk and freshly roasted and ground beans. It is not uncommon enough that a beautifully presented cuppa might taste atrocious as a result of an improperly maintained machine, for example.

K - you are an east coast wag.

It's about time NYC woke up and smelled the coffee. But if New Yorkers start taking credit for inventing - or perfecting - espresso, I'm gonna be mighty annoyed.

People in Boston do drink excessive amounts of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and complain like hell if they can't get it. I don't know what the deal is. Once I tasted real coffee (not water with a little bit of coffee mixed in), I couldn't drink it anymore.

Thank god for Vivace!

From my experience in pouring coffee if all the elements are there for making a pattern then it means the coffee is correct and the milk is correct consistency even if you do not make a pattern and just pour it in. If someone likes the coffee with a pattern then ok. If the correct balance is not there to be able to create the pattern weather you create it or not then all you have is a cup of "Bong-Water" you may as well go to McDonald's or if in Canada Tim Hortons where they specialize in the time honored tradition of making "Bong-Water".

What the fuck is up with Dunkin' Donuts around Boston? I went there to meet my husband's family a few years back, and they had more Dunkin' Donuts shops than a hooker has crabs. When we asked for directions, they actually gave us the number of Dunkin' Donuts we'd pass before making turns.