Olslo Coffee – Plate 49

Jen Bernstein was excited to see that her neighborhood coffee place was on my list, and when I needed to make some schedule adjustments, she jumped at the chance to make Oslo her second leg of 93 plates (link to first leg). I was happy that everyone was able to accommodate the schedule because this meant that I didn’t have to wake up at 5:30 on Wednesday to meet Eat It Brooklyn for breakfast here. Williamsburg isn’t tremendously accessible from Brooklyn proper; as a noob, I didn’t know this.

I took the 2/3 to the L this morning to get a walk in. I’ve gained ten pounds so far – 204 to 214. I took ten pounds off in two weeks before my ten year reunion, and I was at 198 at the beginning of 2008 and after my buddhist retreat where we had two vegan meals a day and fruit for dinner, but now I’m back in the mid 210s and my jeans are getting tighter. I’m not exercising, I have a sore throat from the dryness of my apartment, but other than that, I feel pretty good. Oslo should be a light breakfast and give me a bit of a break.

Jen gets a Regular Coffee (not pictured) and I get a Mocha Breve (top). For pastries, we get the Zucchini Peach Pecan Muffin (pic) and two Croissants, Chocolate (below) and Almond (pic). The muffin was awesome. This is the second zucchini-something-something muffin I’ve had in three days and they’re not bad. I have to say, I wouldn’t think the triple combo would be something I’d normally order, but these places are making a believer out of me. This one tasted a bit like gingerbread with a nice crackly sugar on top.

Jen’s favorite is the chocolate croissant; there is none left. The almond croissant is my favorite. I resist eating her half. The almond paste inside is almost crystalline, like the filling of a pecan pie; almost tart, quite almondy. Of the three pastries, it works the best with my mocha. The barista said it was tough to make the cool cappucino designs with the fatty steamed milk.

There were some old guys up front that were sitting in the best light of the store. They were from the neighborhood. I mean born and raised in the neighborhood. We asked them if we could use their light and struck up a conversation. One of them had Frankie Rao’s cell phone number and he showed it to me to prove it. I saw (718) 680-4 and I don’t know the rest, but I figure it’s a good start to get a table there.

Jen says it’s promising that the locals are here:

It’s not too hard to understand why. They roast their own beans, it’s unpretentious, there’s a great community vibe, and the pastries are pretty money. Those old guys know a thing or two about a thing or two.

Guest Writer: Jen Bernstein

The IRL Arts Foundation and The Wandering Foodie thank Oslo Coffee for providing this meal.

Oslo Coffee
133 Roebling St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 782-0332