It was on Staten Island where I really thought about this blog idea. Even trying an "experiment" on Facebook. I don't consider these full blown blog posts. So I'll call them Short Takes. Here are a few spots on that other borough to stop in for grub and java. These are places I'll likely follow up on in the future. 

April 18th, I stopped into A Piece of Cake at 177 New Dorp Ln. 
​Getting seated and service started out a bit discouraging. We’ll see how this goes... The service turned out to be very good once I was seated. Better than average cup of coffee. The One Eyed Jack turned out to be a breakfast I would’ve scripted myself. A runny fried egg cooked into brioche toast, on the side pesto atop of fresh ricotta cheese. I ordered it with a side of bacon this was breakfast heaven. Friendly waitresses come around and offer you pastry samples. Great selection of eats and a clean banõ, you can’t do better when in New Dorp, Staten Island.

May 9th, I stopped into the Harvest Café at 694 New Dorp Ln.
Interesting breakfast menu. I did the Nutella and strawberry waffle with coffee. I had no experience with Nutella before but it worked with syrup and fresh strawberries. Never mistake large portions for quality but the side sausage patty is three, nice surprise for this carnivore. Quick, competent, friendly staff. Clean banõ.

Aug 2nd, I stopped into Project Brunch at 4553 Arthur Kill Rd.
​Described as “clever breakfast fare” I find that accurate. From the mentions in the menu they seem very proud of their home fries, they should be.

May 21st, I paid a visit to Beans and Leaves at 422 Forest Ave.
So I’m back in Staten Island, this place is highly reviewed, waffles their specialty. I’m gonna have to give it another shot because unfortunately I wasn’t all that impressed. My mistake because I ordered some crazy insane peanut butter waffle. Unfortunately this thing is just a gimmick or better as a dessert. Carnivores will be disappointed because there’s no side of bacon or side of sausage available. Good coffee. El banõ is airplane size and clean enough.​

So, I was working as a test driver for an OE manufacturer. Whose main customer base in North America lives in the NY Tri-state area. It only made sense to test the final version of vehicles on the streets and highways where they are likely to roam. We randomly chose routes everyday that covered all five boroughs, northern NJ, Connecticut and the NY Hudson valley. You got two coffee breaks and a half hour lunch each day. I enjoyed finding the locally owned place that people loved to have coffee in. Ditto for lunch. I found myself writing reviews and taking pictures, I enjoyed that as well. It turned out a few people I knew enjoyed reading my few paragraphs on coffee and lunch. So, I decided to do the only sensible thing. Quit my job and write coffee shop and luncheonette reviews full time. My lovely wife did the only sensible thing to do, she backed me up. Seriously.

Who is my audience? Who are you? I imagine you’re someone with the day off on a Tuesday and you want an idea for nice breakfast after everyone else is at work. Maybe you’re living in Europe and you are crossing the pond for vacation. Perhaps you just moved into the neighborhood. We’ll discover what is going on in NYC under the one bright light, that shining orb in the sky that warms your face. That’s right daytime coffee, lunch, a stroll in the park, an afternoon at an exhibit. I love NYC at night and I’m sure someone…many someones are covering that.

​We will take that day trip together to see what the Tri-state area has to offer before noon.