Post article
"A beautiful coffee ought to be savored," she said.
this sentence made me smile:
Labermeier's attention to the intricacies of producing near-perfect coffee is shared by a small but growing number of chefs, including, most recently, Washington's José Andrés.
thats pretty freakin hot.
17 comments:
Please don't get me wrong - In general, I love Big Bear Cafe and what they've done for this community and the city. The camaraderie, meeting local neighbors and the overall experience used to be worth the extra costs in my budget. I was willing to overlook some minor quirks in the past but I've been continually disappointed with the service and speed when ordering food and/or drinks.
Sometimes I feel I just get attitude (when I'm pretty much all smiles). Other times, I just get down right bad service and very long wait times. It has made me think twice before walking a only a few blocks for an expensive drink, sandwich or salad and will opt for just making something at home. I've even met other locals who have stopped frequenting the cafe for the same reasons - bad attitudes, long wait times and overall bad service.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think the staff at Big Bear would do better if they appeared to spend a little more time on their person hygiene? You know its pretty bad when a friend says he won't meet me there for lunch because he is afraid of the cleanliness of the staff!
- concerned would be patron
I agree. The staff always look sweaty and gross. And Big Bear no longer carries skim milk. If you want something other than whole you have to pay an additional 55 cents for soy. What a rip-off! I would rather drive to Columbia Heights and patronize Mayorga or Columbia Heights Coffee.
Unfortunately, I have to agree. Not only do I find the hygiene/cleanliness of the staff there dubious at best, but their overpriced sandwiches and drinks are notworth the one block walk... not to mention their lack of catering to a growing vegetarian(-conscious) crowd.
And extending this to the Farmer's Market, I won't buy the veggies and salad greens from vendors who fondle the very food I will put in my mouth. Yes, of course you have to wash the greens and veggies before you serve them, but watching a 20-something finger my mesclun salad doesn't make it more appetizing, no matter how locally-grown and pesticide-free it's claimed to be.
Call me pretentious, precautious, paranoid, prudent, whatever. It's the Unfortunate Truth of the Matter, I say.
I generally disagree with the comments posted thus far. I've had a few mediocre service experiences at Big Bear - but that has been the exception, not the rule. On the off chance service is below average, the ambiance of the place more than makes up for it. Big Bear goes beyond just being a gathering spot for locals, although it does a great job of bringing our neighbors together. Overall, I think it's an amazing, unique, edgy place that helps give Bloomingdale its character. And, while I'm not a big coffee snob, I'd have to say Big Bear's brew is the best I've ever had at a coffee shop in DC.
And, Anon, why would you go to Columbia Heights to save 55 cents?! Really?? And I really can't fathom how someone could speak poorly about the farmer's market. What do you expect? Wash the produce when you get home if it will make you feel better. Some of this stuff grows in dirt for crying out loud. Come on, people... when & why did we become such snobs?
Not a "snob," I just have standards.
I choose to buy veggies and salad greens that haven't been sitting out in the hot, humid summer sun and picked over by a sweaty chick with dirty hands.
Just my choice.
As for Big Bear, the servers are still less than sterling.
I love supporting an idie but if they can't carry skim then they shouldn't nickel and dime you on the soy. That's why I would choose to DRIVE to CH and get coffee at Mayorga.
I've never had good service from Big Bear. I'm glad it is in the neighborhood, and I'm glad that a lot of people like the place. I remember when Big Bear was a liquor store that had characters hanging out in front in all weather, at all hours of the day.
However, I can't fathom the reasons for the poor service, other than the fact that the staff are pretentious kids who look down on neighborhood homeowners who try to support the business.
Long term, it is a business model that will fail. You can't alienate people just because they are over 25, take showers daily, and know the ironic fixie hipster scene is full of posers. (The cool kids have already moved on to something else)
What's so bad about the service? You order a drink, you pay for it, they make it and then they hand it to you. Sometimes when it's busy you have to wait a few minutes - because it's busy. It's a coffee shop. I'm not sure what you folks want (r st. I'm looking at you) or expect from purchasing a cup of coffee or a sandwich.
My only problem with the place is that it gets so damn smoky during the day sometimes. They need to work out some proper ventilation if they're going to be frying sandwiches back there on the coleman.
Quirky,
Where do you think the produce in grocery stores comes from? A farm. And that non-contaminated-looking bagged lettuce? Right. Still a farm. And how do you think it made it into those bags? If we're still talking lettuce or spinach, it was by someone's hands. Anyone's. As for the loose stuff—bunches of greens, carrots, etc.— how many hands do you think they passed through before they made it onto the shelf?
You may witness the fondling of the vegetables at a farmers market, but be glad they've seen just a few pairs of hands (harvest, packing, market), and that you can look the people who've been touching your food in the eye. It's a fact of agriculture that people will touch your food. I for one would way rather have some "dirty" hippie chick handling my produce than a bunch of faceless workers dusted with pesticides, herbicides, and, yes, dirt. But at least on a local, sustainable farm, you know that the soil is healthy. There's something inherently screwed up about growing food in dead soil that can't even support a few earthworms. I'll take the dirt and the bugs, thanks. They rinse off under the faucet. Carcinogenic pesticides (and e. coli from nearby feedlots) don't rid that easily, and even then, you still won't avoid the dirt.
Solution? Grow it yourself.
Well Eric, I responded to your ill-conceived question with a complete and well-defined answer. Our host here decided to delete my answer because, apparently, it was not "respectful" of you.
Here it is again in a nutshell. Let's see if it gets past the censor this time: Eric, to follow your line of thought to its logical conclusion; next time you receive shoddy customer service from your bank, a restaurant, or the HR department at your employer, remember this: You are wrong. You did not receive poor service.
How do I know this? In the same way you seem to "know" that I didn't receive poor service at BBC. Which is to say; you have no way of knowing.
r street,
i've deleted no comments in this thread.
R St - I never refuted that you had some bad experience. My basic point was, what do you expect? You're buying a cup of coffee in a dingy (ish) kind of place, staffed by young hipster doofuses, and owned by young hipster doofuses. If you want to be called sir or ma'am and be served with a smile, and "have a nice day," you're better off going somewhere else. Perhaps try Greenberry's in Arlington - they cater to the older crowd.
Regarding your little quotes around "know", I'm not sure who you're quoting but I certainly never said anything about "knowing" you didn't have bad service.
So go there, don't go there, I really don't care. Have a nice life.
i've always found the service at big bear to be pleasant and the atmosphere pleasing. sometimes the wait is a little long (such as on Sundays during the farmers' market) and once there was a mix up with our food and the order had to be put in again, but nothing that put me off and lana very quickly, and efficiently put it right. in fact we got free drinks out of it too, if i remember rightly.
no doubt in my mind that it's a great neighborhood asset. but i will echo the comments about vegetarian food. more please!
anyway, congratulations lana and staff at the big bear for such a terrific post article.
i think you guys kick ass.
I am thrilled to see the mention and am proud that Lana et al are in Bloomingdale.
I'm thrilled to see the mention in the Post and proud that Big Bear is in Bloomingdale.
for lack of skim compainers:
i'm pretty sure that bbc isn't trying to rip you off by not offering skim anymore. trickling springs milk is delicious and wholesome on its own. no need to mess with it by taking out any of the milkfat. also, from what i understand, it doesn't steam as well resulting in a drink with milk that isn't as silky.
try your latte with whole next time. don't want the calories? try a whole milk cappuccino (six ounces instead of 12). still don't want those calories? get brewed coffee. simple as that. they're not trying to rip us off. they're trying to make your cup of coffee taste better.
good for them. big bear rules.
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