Reviews
DM Juice
Olivia G.H. Espinosa • Special to Juice • April 17, 2008
DMJuice Article
The Look
From the outside, the Black Cat's marketing is bold. The windows are covered with large yellow letters advertising coffee and a cafe, which is actually good to know since the building has inconsistently housed a variety of businesses in the past few years. Inside, the cafe is surprisingly mellow, with dim lighting, dark furniture and artsy embellishments like the red and black damask hanging lanterns. There are a few furniture lounges (we plopped ourselves at one with leather sofas and a coffee table), short and bar-height dining tables and about six stools perched at the bar. A mic stand and a couple of chairs fill a corner reserved for either live Bossa Nova guitar or world music on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Crowd
The frigid Wednesday night we stopped in, two regulars chilled at a couple of lounge chairs. Another fellow in his 20s sat at the bar chatting up the bartender. The cafe's owners are Croatian and Romanian, and they have attracted a worldly following of local and international patrons.
The Two Drinks
Tim, the bartender, chose to brew two of the cafe's coffee drinks. He warned us that he wasn't an expert at making the shop's extensive list of coffee specialties. We were there on a rare night that neither of the owners were in, he said.The first drink was a classic mocha, served in a cute glass mug along with a petite stir spoon and chocolate wafer straw. The mocha was sweet and plenty chocolaty. The second drink was a classic macchiato - a drink I've never raved over the few times I've sampled one. A few heaping spoons of sugar helped relieve some of its overpowering strength.
The Black Cat also serves a full wine menu and about a dozen bottled beers, including a small selection from Croatia and Holland.
The Grub
A variety of pastries, muffins and bagels, catered in each day. We snacked on a Pasquales pizza available from the bar.
The Verdict
On a weeknight, it's an ideal spot to grab a coffee or a glass of wine over quiet conversation. Then stop in on a weekend to catch the worldly vibe of music and a diverse crowd.