A Nice Cuppa

Love of craft beer and excellent coffee go hand in hand. Almost all the craft beer enthusiasts I know are just as nuts about their coffee as they are about their beer. And almost one hundred percent of the people who are fussy about both their beer and their coffee insist on eating only the finest foods and desserts. So it’s probably safe to say that even though we craft beer types are obsessed with the taste of our beer, we are not blas?? about everything else that goes in our mouth. The stereotype of the fast food eating, chip chomping, Sanka sipping beer swiller doesn’t apply to the craft beer enthusiast.

After lunch in the pub or dinner at a bistro/beer bar what I want is a good cup of espresso. Your high end beer bar will probably also have the latest in rocket science-level cappuccino machines so you don’t have to leave the pub in search of a quality espresso, but I have yet to find a brewpub that has satisfied my desire for a good espresso. So in those cases I have to search for my espresso elsewhere.

One of the habits I’ve developed over the years is looking for what I call “a second place.” Now a second place is special; it can be just about any business that is within walking distance of a pub where I can hang out for a half hour to forty-five minutes prior to hoping into my car. It’s truly special when I can find the right combination of brewpub or beer bar that is in close proximity to a coffee house. Patchogue, New York is one such place where good beer and good espresso can be had on the same outing.

Just down the street from the Brickhouse Brewery and Bobbique in Patchogue is a little cafe called Main Street Caf?? (350 E Main St, 631-207-6710). They are a full service cafe serving breakfast and lunch. They even have a selection of bottled beers for the lunch crowd. But what they are best at is their espresso. I’ll have to learn the fancy language of the coffee connoisseur so I can describe it. I’ll do my best: it’s smooth and richly flavored, has a thick mouthfeel, but isn’t overly bitter. The crema is a beautiful buttery toffee color and doesn’t dissolve too quickly.

I usually end up having two espressos at the Main Street Caf??. One is never enough. If you are ever in Patchogue, make sure to stop in and try the espresso. Also if you see their chocolate chip cookies on the counter, get two or three of those. Espresso and a chocolate chip cookie after drinking a world class beer is enough heaven for me.