Cafes
Si Espresso Bar
Si Espresso Bar, like a well-brewed Americano (which they've got here, incidentally), is the source of more fun and energy than you would expect to be contained in one, little china mug. Or one little neighbourhood coffee stop, as the case may be -- especially when that neighbourhood is so far from your own.
Owner Egidio, or "Edge" as he's better known, clearly loves his coffee and loves sharing it with his kindred customers. Just how kindred? They all seem to match his biting wit, and some his propensity for kickass names - "call me Mercy," one in particular says, as casually as though she'd actually said "Sue."
As a working actor who has been in the game for twenty years, Edge's gift for clever banter and more one-liners than I could possibly recount here ("use them all," he shrugs) is uncommon and highly entertaining. Interactions with his regulars (which they, literally, all seem to be) are loaded with familiarity, genuine kindness and endless enjoyment on both ends.
Such traits manifest themselves in acts like the delivery of tea to an elderly woman, who waits out front with her walker. I get the sense that this is a daily ritual. "This place is my home, these people are my family," he says more than once. "I'm not doing this to get rich."
As for me, I like my coffee as I like most things in life: laid back. The coffee is far too strong and bold to fall under this label itself, but the delivery could not be any more so. I know there is no discernible reason for the process to be mired in formalities - particularly first thing in the morning. Edge agrees. "Don't be pretentious with me," he says in his calm, but no-nonsense manner, to those who might be tempted.
The interior is impeccably devoid of nonsense. With no room or need for tables, a smattering of stools really facilitates the social atmosphere. While a smattering of treat decisions, including scones and muffins from old standby Circles and Squares, a couple of mini (and large) cakes, and those delectable-looking Amaretti that Mercy swears she's addicted to - helps those of us who tend to be indecisive.
"Don't try and tell me what I want," he says to those who have tried before. "I'm Italian, I've been drinking coffee since I was five years old. I know what I want." It's that confidence that pervades every inch of this lovely establishment, giving it an energy so unique in this city; the unmistakable vibe of having nothing to prove.
Though the next part of my day involved visiting a brand new baby(!) I find it hard to leave; it just feels like I'm gonna miss something if I duck out too early, with all the interesting people coming in and out, (many artists, industry people and even two folks who had lived in Brampton before) constantly mixing up the conversation. It seems like I'm missing out on something every day, and I guess I'm just gonna have to accept that, or start taking the scenic route to work more often.
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Sorry to be a killjoy, but it would be helpful to have more details about the drinks themselves. How's the espresso? Does he make a mean latte? and so on...
"Edge" was giving fantastic service and he seems like a great dude, but the coffee for me was so-so.
My americano was very good, the service was neither more nor less than I wanted (which is how I like it: be polite, but don't act like I'm your date), and the tarts were good.
I'll dare to get a long machiatto next time. If he can pull that I'll go nowhere else in this town, as I've only got that made right in two locations (Linux and somewhere in Little Italy) and never twice in the same location.
To me, this place is a Danforth kinda place, so I disagree with the other reviewer. Edge and his shop have just as much (if not more) character and life than can be found 20 feet away on the Danforth.
Keep it up, Edge!
For some. Edge might be off putting, because he's brash, straightforward and chatty. I like him myself. He's gloriously Italian.
Espresso is a highly variant creature, and it's not easily tamed. There are too many variables, so every shop is capable of giving gold and giving you mud. The best places strive for consistentcy, and still have lousy coffee. Edge knows how to pump good espresso. The rest is fluff.
I'm not sure the owner's heart is in the business. I've chatted with him a few times. And it's frustrating. If he doesn't want to be compared with upscale shops which serve culinary coffee - which he's more or less stated - then fine. But it's irrelevant. If you don't look after your business, whatever you want it to be, it won't look after you. Then again, He's made a real effort to do a lot of things right. He's worked hard, according to him, to get his espresso right. It must be true. His espresso is good, and that's not going to happen accidentally. So I figure he's sort of schizophrenic about his new biz. He wants to do it 'and' he's not sure he wants to do it.
Egidio's a very friendly fellow - unless you know coffee and talk shop with him. Then he tends to look uncomfortable and, to a degree, he talks nonsense to you. It almost seems deliberate, as though he doesn't have patience for people who aren't happy with what he's done and wants to do. But he needs to relax, in my view.
I don't believe the baristas are properly trained. The one time I had a macchiato, the woman had no idea how to make one. She had no clue about micro foam. Nice person though. I've got no issues with the people. They're all great, even Egidio, who maybe just needs more sleep.
The eats look good. I've only tried the marzipan, or whatever it is. It's awesome.
Egidio should send his baristas to Dark Horse or Te Aro to try their macchiatos and maybe get an idea how to make them properly. If his espresso is good, then he can go all the way. The distance is neglible. He can claim to be a simple, not fancy, coffee shop, if that makes him happy, and everyone will win because his simple coffee shop will be dynamite and he'll get business.
And be open when you're suppose to be dude! ;-)
Thank you
Egidio Tari
Owner Si Espresso Bar
You must know who I am. I leave my website url for folks to view.
Seriously, You strongly disagree with my reporting that your shop was closed when I said it was? I didn't make that up. You weren't specific about what you strongly disagreed with. But I'm not asking for that. I want you to be comfortable. It's up to you what degree of criticism you want to accept. You've invested a lot of physical, emotional and monetary capital in your venture. When I look - just look - at what's involved in starting a small business, I feel like feinting. I don't want you to feel my criticisms as weights on your head. There's enough of that in life. I want you to get from your business what it gives, namely smiles. I've already seen that at your cafe. (Maybe I needed to mention it.) That's what coffee shops should be about.
You answered one question for everyone. You're not schizophrenic about your biz. You'll be okay, whether or not you do coffee the rest of your life.
Best wishes.
To put it simply, what you posted "That's not cool".
You may be right about the fluffiness of the blogTO (which would make it more commercially useful). I don't think you have the right, however, to demand that I be fluffy like this blog. As well, If I happen to take coffee more seriously than you do, that doesn't mean I have no place in a fluffy forum about coffee. Nor does it mean that my deeper, hopefully well presented, comments are mean. You may be confusing 'mean' with 'informed and serious'. I take my fun seriously. Is that a crime?
I can't help you David.
Too cool is indeed cold.
- I never made any point to blogTO being "fluffy", it is a daily blog site and not the Fifth Estate though.
- Your comments weren'"deeper, informed", or "serious", I don't think anybody wants someones cheap "I took Phycology in university" opinions of the owner of a cafe and what you believe he feels about his business, he paid for that space, we registered the company, he built the place, who are you to step in for a slice of time and pass judgement on presumed intentions.
- "I can't help you David", thanks please don't, I'm sure in some sick way you think you're helping Si Espresso.
- "I take my fun seriously. Is that a crime?", No, but it also explains why yo think it's normal to write a 439 word comment posting about a cafe. Not a crime, but just weird.
Also nobody knows "who you are", or care about a link to your website, we are not all crazy internet people who have bizarre websites that are only interesting to themselves. How many comments are posted on your website? I had trouble finding any. Some people that have their own blogs actually feel the need to be interesting, kudos to bucking that trend. I guess the world needs terrible, wordy, self-indulgent blogs to show us the truly great ones. Thanks for taking one for the team.
It's not worth it to engage the flamers. Sometimes they do draw you in though. It's a shame too, because they take something good like coffee and coffee shops, which this worldly could always use more of, and bring the evil out there into it. That's just what we need, Nowhere to get away from evil, hate and violence.
"Egidio's a very friendly fellow - unless you know coffee and talk shop with him"
What the hell does that even mean. I don't think that you do know coffee shops and baristas. I'm a young guy, I have time to waste on stuff like this, I'm not an over-50-year old guy commenting on a public boards, calling out an owner for things like conversational skills. You're not getting this, but nothing I've said is "evil, hateful", or "violent".
The problem is you are taking a good thing like a cafe or espresso bar and imposing your beliefs and thoughts on someone else's business. Maybe, just maybe, they opened with something else than what you thought it should be.
Also, a flamer is "A person who deliberately makes inflammitory or slanderous posts on internet message boards for the purpose of starting a flame war." I believe that you wrote the first post, remember that 439 word essay up there? And that I'm just trying to defend what I believe to be the misguided intentions of posters that don't realize that this is a public forum and that regardless of your ability to write whatever you want, there should be some common sense.
Ie. It would be inappropriate to mention an employee by name and say something like they smelled bad.
or mentioning an employee by name and saying that they have a problem holding a conversation with someone.
Understand yet? Or is there going to be another email from you sitting in a cafe around toronto, using their wifi to criticize how little an employee knows about micro foam. Go to Italy and ask a barista about micro-foam, see what they say. "micro schiuma? ridicolo!"
Also, "You're fairly safe with me..." and "..If you're with me you're okay?", what they hell are you saying? What does that mean? You want to talk about awkward conversation, that's awkward.