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| - On my recent road trip from Dallas to New Haven, CT, Randy S. and I stopped in Pittsburgh to revel in its charms. This, I must add, was in opposition to his mother's strong protests to the effect of, "There's nothing *in* Pittsburgh, why would anyone go there?"
Tazza D'oro is the answer to that question. Especially if you like coffee. This is easily one of the best coffee shops east of the Mississippi, and I've been to a lot of them. So, what's so good about it?
Let's go in order of importance:
Coffee - It is really, really good. They use Batdorf and Bronson beans, where an ex-gf of mine used to work in Olympia. Believe me when I tell you that B&B is good. It's not amazingly great, but it's very solid and they take roasting seriously. When I go to a new coffee place I suspect might be good I always get a latte. Why? This one has a high upside if done well and the lowest downside (lots of milk) if done poorly. I got a latte. They have a few sizes, 12oz was the first one I got. It was fantastic. They did a nice little rosetta in it too (look up latte art on google if you have no idea what this is). The baristo really knew what he was doing and pulled a some good shots with excellent crema.
The coffee was so good (coffee is supposed to taste bold, smooth and rich, which it almost never does and this place had it down) I had to go back for an 8oz, which is another level of trust. It has the same amount of coffee but less milk to hide poor coffee quality. It was always superior.
This is a coffee place that is truly top notch based on the coffee alone, but there was more.
Pastries - They all looked amazing. I had a plain donut while I waited in line. Normally I don't eat plain donuts, because life is too short for plain donuts, but it was really, very good. Everyone was commenting on how nice the pastries were.
Atmosphere - This place has it exactly right. It's a mom & pop feel, nothing forced. Some tables, outdoor seating, maybe some local art, but not in a goofy sort of way. Very friendly employees. Just a complete home run.
Obviously I loved it. Behind me in line for my re-up, I heard a girl behind me in line complain, "we could just go to Starbucks, it's cheaper!" then proceeded to order with sugar free syrups and skim milk. That's fine. Everyone has to do what they like... and with the proliferation of bad coffee (Starbucks only being guilty of mediocre, though a little bit interesting coffee) over the past 10 years, I don't blame people for being set that way. But the beautiful thing about Tazza D'Oro (cup of gold in Italian) is that--if you let it--it will remind you that you don't need to make your coffee up like a drag queen on Halloween.
Tazza D'Oro stands as a reminder that coffee can be enjoyed in all its naked glory in an awesome setting on a beautiful street and give you a good f'ing reason to go to Pittsburgh.
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