Flyover Flavor

            When you walk into La Cosecha, it’s easy to see the love that the owners have for coffee. The walls are decorated with framed burlap coffee bags and pictures of coffee farms. Right inside the doors, green coffee bags are piled on pallets, and the condiment bar is decorated with hand-crank grinders, French presses and more coffee paraphernalia. This all comes together to create a casual, cozy shop that serves phenomenal coffee.

            La Cosecha has been open for 10 years and is located on the main strip of Maplewood. It sits in the front half of a long, narrow space that it shares with Great Harvest Bread Company. That means the space almost always smells like fresh bread or cinnamon rolls. A dark wooden bar acts as a boundary, separating the coffee section from the bakery and enclosing the small Diedrich roaster and Simonelli espresso machine.

            This coffee shop stands out for me because of the espresso. This is one of the few places where I can drink the espresso straight without the need to cut it with milk. With prominent chocolate and caramel notes, this espresso leaves no bitterness or sharpness behind.

            La Cosecha also offers a lot of variety. While you won't see dozens of flavored syrups or a long list of specialty drinks with cutesy names, there are several brewing methods to choose from, including nitro and clever dripper.
            Don't worry. If you like sweet milky drinks, you can order a mocha, flavored latte, or seasonal drink. For fall, the specials include a maple spice latte and a creme brûlée latte, for which the barista uses a torch to caramelize sugar on top. I tried the maple spice latte and was surprised how good it was (I don't typically enjoy sweet or milky drinks). I ordered it in a 12-ounce mug, which was the perfect portion and maintained a nice milk-to-coffee ratio. With the perfect amount of sweetness and spice, it was a nice alternative to the pumpkin spice latte.

             All in all, La Cosecha is a comfortable spot that serves great drinks. There is a lot of competition in Maplewood. But even with Foundation Grounds to the east and Living Room to the south, I still say La Cosecha wins as best coffee in Maplewood.

                Missouri Baking Co. opened on the Hill in 1924 and has earned a reputation for its cassata cake, cannoli, Italian bread, and assorted cookies. This seemed like a slam dunk – if anyone in St. Louis was going to do tiramisu right, it would be the nearly 100-year-old bakery in St. Louis's Little Italy.

                I was wrong! It was not what I expected. When I think tiramisu, I think spongy lady fingers oozing espresso and rum or Marsala wine covered in a thick layer of custard. It’s rich, yet airy. While Missouri Baking Co.'s tiramisu was airy, it had hardly any espresso flavor. It was made with two layers of vanilla cake that looked like it had a skimpy drizzle of coffee on top of each layer. That was it! Then there was a buttery layer of frosting on top, which tasted fine, but was not the creamy goodness I was looking for. It was good cake and paired well with a cup of coffee, but without the interesting texture and flavor of coffee-soaked lady fingers, it lacked personality.

                I also tried a blackberry cobbler that suffered from a similar problem. I expect cobbler crust to be flaky like a pie crust or maybe dry like a biscuit. While this was denser and flakier than cake, it had a distinct cake-y sponginess and sweetness. I didn’t dislike it, but I would have preferred a flakier texture. The filling itself was wonderful – not too sweet and not too tart.

                After this disappointing first trip, I wanted to give Missouri Baking Co. another try. It has earned too many stars and rave reviews over the decades not to deserve another shot. Plus, with the huge selection, I figured I could hit upon something delicious.
                When I walked in for round two, the place was packed with eager customers. I had to take a number and wait for one of the teenagers behind the counter to call me up. While I looked around, I asked a couple of women what they recommended. Without hesitation, they directed me to the cookie section, so I took their advice. I got four kinds: amaretto macaroons, a chocolate and mint cookie, a butter cookie topped with apricot jam and a ravioli cookie, which was shaped like ravioli with jagged edges and walnuts sprinkled on top.
               Round two went much better. The young woman who took my order recommended the amaretto macaroon and explained it was voted best cookie in St. Louis by Riverfront Times. It lived up to this reputation. It had a balanced sweetness and pleasant almond flavor. The chocolate and mint was my favorite, though I preferred it without the mint frosting. The ravioli was almost too sweet for me, but the walnuts cut it with a slightly bitter flavor. The apricot cookie tasted like a boring sugar cookie with sticky jam on top. Not my thing.
               While I didn't accomplish my mission to discover phenomenal, classic tiramisu, I did figure out why Missouri Baking Company gets so much love. It's worth a trip for the cookies, at least. Just be sure to bring cash - it's cash only!

When Retreat Gastropub opened on North Sarah, I was skeptical. Why would you open a gastropub between The Scottish Arms and The Block? Both of these restaurants serve specialty food and cocktails, and have strong followings – especially The Arms. But I gave Retreat a try and I’m glad I did. The food has been hit and miss, but this spot wowed me with the drinks.

                While the interior isn’t noteworthy, it has a nice cozy feel with a small covered patio in the back and a few tables on the sidewalk. It looks like a lot of trendy restaurants in St Louis with a decor that blends modern and rustic details. The table tops are a glossy, light wood, and the bar top is made of a mottled concrete. These warmer colors are paired with a dark concrete floor and cold metal chairs and bar stools. The usual hanging fixtures with exposed bulbs cast soft light, creating a relaxed vibe.

                The food also doesn't break the mold. It’s a gastropub, so of course it offers dressed-up bar food. Artisan sandwiches, flatbreads, and a few full entrées. It has nice variety, so you can either get an appetizer and focus on the drinks or sit down for dinner. They also offer lunch and a weekend brunch.

                I’ve tried a caprese sandwich and was pleased with the portion and flavor. It came on a fluffy, toasted baguette with lots of melty mozzarella and pesto. It was fresh and the right size for a small meal. A friend ordered a creamy chicken pasta that was excellent for a heartier dinner.

                When I tried Retreat's brunch, however, the food fell flat. I ordered a breakfast burrito with cheddar, sausage, potatoes and eggs wrapped in a flour tortilla. As a staple brunch item, this should have been a no-brainer. But it was cold. In fact, it looked like it had never been hot. I could see the individual pieces of the shredded cheese – it never melted! I enjoyed the flavor, so I think it could have been great if it had just spent a few minutes in a toaster oven.

                But, this misstep with the food was made up for in a big way with the drinks.

                Among the usual list of local beers, red and white wines, and staple cocktails, there is an intriguing selection of  house cocktails with names like Heatsource and Back Scratcher. All these drinks have tantalizing recipes that combine classic spirits with spices and syrups made in house. With unusual ingredients such as curry, cedar syrup and cardamom, it was hard to pick. I played it safe and went with a classic negroni. This place earned brownie points by putting this on the menu - it too often gets snubbed! I appreciated the simplicity of Retreat’s recipe. It was mixed well and served with an orange peel, the perfect complement to the bright pink drink.

                Retreat earned double brownie points with the coffee cocktails and mocktails on its brunch menu. I struggled to choose between a Cold Fashioned (Sump cold brew and bitters) and a cold brew and tonic. I went with the Cold Fashioned. Sump's light roasted coffee pairs beautifully with the tart, herbal flavor of the bitters. It was the perfect amount of buzz for a late morning – not enough that I had to clear my schedule for the rest of the day, but enough to make it an official Sunday Funday.

                While the food was inconsistent, I think the drinks and the covered patio made up for it. I will certainly give them a second chance on the brunch.

Quick Bites

 

Service: No complaints. Friendly and attentive.
Food: Inconsistent. Dinner was good, but brunch was served cold.
Drinks: Excellent! A great selection. Finely crafted cocktails and coffee mocktails.
Atmosphere: Casual and comfortable.
Score: 7 out of 10

Finally, a new coffee shop in St. Louis! I've wanted to try Coma Coffee since it opened a few months ago, but have struggled to get there. It closes by 4 pm during the week, 1 pm Saturdays and is closed Sundays. But, a new coffee roaster hasn't opened in St. Louis in a while, so it's worth visiting if you can make it there while it's open.

                Coma is located across the street from the Galleria in the ground floor of a tall black building that towers over the neighboring shops and parking structures. I was surprised by how large the space is. The white walls stretch tall, finally reaching a black ceiling with exposed support beams and ducts. Large windows face out into the parking lot, letting in tons of natural light, as well as a sad view of the oversize Dillard's sign across the street. In front of these windows stands an impressive bar made of white and gray granite. This white and gray theme plays across the space in the tiles that cover the counter and decorate the wall behind the counter.

                As I looked around the sizeable space, I noticed a couple copies of The World Atlas of Coffee near the espresso machine. This is one of my favorite books about coffee, so I geeked out about it with the barista behind the bar. He was knowledgeable about coffee in general and Coma Coffee in particular. He explained that the shop is run by a brother and sister and the name comes from a combination of the first two letters of their names: Corbin and Macy. 

                I was dazzled by the Synesso espresso machine. It was white with silver accents and wooden levers to activate the steam wands. It was lovely and, according to the barista, cost about $30,000. There goes my dream of installing one in my kitchen.

                Unfortunately, the espresso did not dazzle as much. Coma roasts its beans very light, as do most shops in St. Louis. I would have liked to find something different here. The espresso was a single varietal Colombia and when I tasted it on its own, the first sip was an explosion of bright acidity with just a hint of spice. The finish was a little odd and I couldn’t quite place it. My first thought was pumpkin – not for the spiciness you expect in a pie, but the mushy, mild, slightly sweet flavor of pumpkin itself. Maybe I was influenced by the Autumn season and the presence of gourds everywhere you turn.

                The cortado was more pleasant, though still too acidic for my taste. After the double espresso and a sip of cortado, my stomach was calling out for Tums. I could not drink this coffee everyday. And the fact that I can find a similar style at Kaldi’s, Sump, Mud House, Comet, and the list goes on, I can’t guarantee that I'll make it back to Coma. But, whether you're a fan of light roasted coffee or not, Coma is worth checking out. The drinks are prepared well, the service is excellent and the space is great.

Service: The barista was friendly and skilled.

Drinks: Very lightly roasted beans. The espresso was prepared well.

Atmosphere: Beautiful space, though it was a little cold and stiff. Not a cozy coffee shop.

Score: 7 out of 10