Beep Beep and I started our Sunday at Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room. Forget the original store in Pike Market. Check this place out instead. Other Yelp reviewers have compared Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Personally, I think it’s more like a Playboy Mansion for coffee nerds. There are two floors to this super sweet pimped up Starbucks.
We learned from our friendly barista that when this place first opened, to work here you had to 1) be a Starbucks employee 2) be nominated by Starbucks and 3) undergo months of training before even touching the coffee.
Beep Beep use to work at Starbucks too, and I still remember when Gordon Campbell picked up a latte she made. He drank a sip and make a big face, like he drank sour milk. I joked to Beep Beep that she would have never made the cut at Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room. She agreed. She’s better at writing data then pulling shots of espresso.
I ordered a Nitro Cold Brew ($7.50). This cold brew is infused with nitrogen, which brings out the coffee’s creamy, natural sweetness. I added fior di latte (cold sweet cream) to my brew. Refreshing, but I preferred Beep Beep’s drink over mine.
Beep Beep ordered the Classic Affogato ($7.50), which is made with two shots of Starbucks Reserve espresso, poured over a scoop of Mora Iced Creamery ice-cream. Oh my. This ice-cream is full of creamy goodness. All this pleasure for only 120 calories.
There’s something intoxicating in the air here. I swear, when Beep Beep and I were drinking at the bar, we both felt tipsy. The prices are higher than your run-of-the mill Starbucks, but justifiably so. Service is excellent, baristas are knowledgeable, and the drinks are far superior than your standard Starbucks.
After our Starbucks experience, we walked over to Pappardelle’s Pasta in Pike Place. I bought enough dried pasta to completely fill up my carry-on luggage. There was a team of young kids manning the pasta station. They do a good job engaging with customers and offering samples. When Beep Beep saw how the staff were having a fun time working together, she started to romanticize. “Do you think they hang out after their shifts? What do you think they do when they aren’t here?” I shook my head and retorted, “Do you realize you’re fantasizing about these kids like they are on that show Friends? Do you think they’re talking about us and saying, “Oh. There are those stalkers again. I wonder what those bored, middle-aged office workers do after working in an office all day?”.
We walked for about ten minute from Pike Market to Belltown for brunch at Lola. Though I made reservations, we still had to wait. We ordered the doughnuts ($9.50), Eggs Benedict ($19.25) and Fava Skordalia ($4.25) and Kopanisti ($4.25) with freshly griddled pita. The doughnuts were fine but it was the vanilla mascarpone that made this dish so yummy.
Cool on the tongue, not too sweet and with a rich whip cream like texture, putting this mascarpone on anything would taste good. With the cherry jam, the doughnut reminded me of an old-fashion jelly doughnut.
Our server recommended two dips. The Fava Skordalia and Kopanisti. The fava skordalia was bland and tasted like a hummus I could make at home (by the way, my homemade hummus sucks). The kopanisti was very tasty. I liked the smooth cheese texture, herbs and the toasted pistachios. The pita was nice when it was warm, but once it got cold, it didn’t taste nearly as good.
The best dish for me was the Eggs Benedict. Beep Beep and I shared an order, which was plenty of food. The garlic fried smashed potatoes were crunchy and well-seasoned. The Bavarian ham was high-quality. The egg was poached perfectly. I asked for the hollandaise to be served on the side. With the addition of fresh dill, the sauce was light and subtle.
I would return. The prices are on the high-end but the portions and quality make up for it. Note that Lola adds an automatic gratuity of 20% to your bill. Our server saw me exchange Canadian cash with Beep Beep’s American money (I was buying some American money off her). I could see our server’s face contort in panic. She ran over to take a peek at the bill to ensure we didn’t give her our dreaded Monopoly money. I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to be stuck with Canadian currency either.
Hitting the Sauce 