A new coffee shop called The French Press will be opening this fall in Belmar in the location recently vacated by Wystone's World Tea Cafe, and it looks like it will be cute, local, and low-key.
How do I know? Simple! I visited another French Press location-- there are two, one in Aurora, one in Lakewood-- and checked things out for myself.
I went to the one in a Lakewood, which is located at 85 S. Union Blvd., in a dilapidated strip mall that could easily double as the set for a post-apocalyptic zombie film. In fact, the barista I spoke to told me the French Press was moving to Belmar because their current digs were being torn down. "It'll be different," she told me rather wistfully. "Our current location has its charms."
Really, I thought? Because all I saw were weeds and sun-baked asphalt. Yep, that strip mall was as charming as week old road kill.
What did surprise me was how busy their Lakewood location was, especially for two o'clock on a Monday. But it was. The French Press, despite its post-apocalyptic location, clearly has a loyal following.
Their menu highlighted a list of inventive breakfast and lunch options. So, there's eggs benedict with your choice of crab, carnitas, or lox. There's a range of pancakes, including zucchini pistachio and raspberry oatmeal, and a number of interesting sounding variations on french toast (think chocolate bourbon pecan). I was most tempted by their chipotle cheddar biscuits with chorizo gravy, but alas, I'd already eaten.
Instead, I had come to inspect their coffee making equipment, because in my mind, that's what makes or breaks a coffee shop.
Wystone's, for example, as much as I want to like the place, doesn't have an espresso machine that meets my expectations. I know, I know, Wystone's is a tea place, first and foremost, but they do have coffee on the menu, but they have a weird looking super automatic espresso machine that's clearly meant to run smoothly even in untrained hands. And it may in fact run smoothly. But it also doesn't have what it takes to make good espresso-- so far, every coffee I've had there has come out watery tasting, with milk foam that's way too frothy and way too hot. I've learned my lesson. At Wystone's, I stick to the tea.
Update: As of late August, Wystone's has upgraded their espresso machine and the coffee situation there has completely turned around. Read about it here.
The French Press, on the other hand, has a real, commercial espresso machine, an Italian-made Wega. It's a semi-automatic, meaning the quality of the coffee depends on the skill of the barista. But in the right hands, it should be fully capable of turning out excellent coffee drinks.
And my strip mall loving barista? How did she do?
I order a cappuccino-- always a good test-- and it came with a nice, stiff foam and a full-bodied, even shot of espresso. Perfect.
I'm looking forward to writing a full review once the new location in Belmar opens, but I'm excited already. The French Press could prove to be just the local breakfast place that I've been looking for.
Yes, it's a little thing, but I'm looking forward to being able to drop off my dry cleaning without having to take a car trip down Wadsworth.