Pass the Eye

Today's Covet: Almodovar Espresso Cup for Illy

Two of my biggest obsessions (coffee and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar) come together with this Warhol-esque espresso cup designed by Almodovar for espresso maker Illy.

Entitled Los Abrazos Rotos (broken embraces), it's the first in a series that will be released this fall.

Illy isn't my favorite espresso brand (not even close, actually); however, I give them full props for their masterful marketing strategy that's featured creative (and marketing) geniuses like Jeff Koons and now Almodovar.

The cup is $60 (!) and available here.

Five Summer Must Haves

1) Rite in the Rain notebooks. We're having the wettest spring and summer in recent memory in NYC. So to make sure I can still capture my thoughts -- even when dashing to the 2 train in the rain -- there's the classic waterproof with the trademark yellow cover. 

2) Bora Bora juice. I don't mind a bit of gilding the lily here and there, but the thing I like about this juice is that it's pretty much squeezed and that's it. I stumbled across it in my cafeteria at work and have been drinking it ever since. Super C is the one I drink most often, and I have a couple of bottles in my fridge now. 

3) Prosecco. A nice dry, sweet, sparkling glass of prosecco has been a summer staple for me for the past few years. I've tried dozens, but my favorite by a mile is Primo Nino Franco which I have only found at one place in the city: Nancy's Wines on the UWS.

4) 'cesca's faro salad. When it comes to Italian food, I'm evangelical about il Buco. But I recently stopped into 'cesca and -- at the bartender's suggestion -- tried the faro salad. The crunchy, slightly mealy, tangy, oily mix is one of the best chopped vegetable salads I've had in years. A must try. 

5) Pomegranate soap. This is a year-round favorite, but my stock is running low so it's front of mind. This is the my favorite soap on the planet, and I suppose it should be. Santa Maria Novella has had 600 years to figure it out. Along with Diptyque, SMN is the brand habit I can't shake. 

Coffee Wars Heat Up. Latest Casualty: The Clover

One of my favorite T-shirts in college featured a torso-sized likeness of Jesus, illuminated from behind, with a pale porcelain hand lifted. He was crowned with a halo and this caption: "Thou Shalt Not Decaffeinate."

At the time, I was writing my honors dissertation and working two jobs. Coffee was such a big part of my existence that I credited it in the acknowledgments section of my thesis. Fast forward about 15 years, and I'm still a big-time coffee drinker.

So it's with no small amount of interest that I've been following the Coffee Wars. Simply put, Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's are moving in to challenge Starbucks. In New York City, Dunkin has been a presence for a while now, and I'm not stepping foot in McDonald's -- I don't care how good their coffee is. So for me, no big whoop. Until, Starbucks managed to take the Clover coffeemaker off the market by buying up its parent company.

The Clover's been hailed as coffee's Holy Grail. I literally salivated when I read the first story about it and prayed the machines would be affordable enough for at-home use. Not so much at $11,000 per.

The acquisition is a smart move for Starbucks -- giving it a chance to lure coffee connoisseurs back to the chain that's notorious (at least in my neighborhood) for burning coffee.

What does it mean for the little guys? Well, they're losing an obvious competitive differentiator in the Clover. If you read the AP story linked above, many of the small stores that had bought Clovers are turning around and selling them. But, maybe there's a hidden disadvantage to the Clover for Starbucks. This story suggests the machine, when fed Starbucks coffee at least, doesn't produce such a heavenly brew. And, I'm sure it won't do anything to help the long lines that dog the chain in major cities. The only thing I need more than coffee, you see, is time.

Say It Ain't So ...

No that's not Hugh Jackman in a Van Huesen ad. It's Al Copeland, the creator of Popeye's who passed away this past weekend. As this obit makes clear, the man who gave us spicy chicken led a rather spicy life. And, by the by, who knew the chain was named after Gene Hackman's character in "The French Connection"? Have to admit, makes me love the place even more.

Of course, it's truly the food that keeps me going back. Between the spicy chicken, cajun fries, BBQ sauce (excellent with the fries), biscuits, and strawberry jelly, well, I'm not sure I'll ever get enough. Here's to you Al!