For those who plan on visiting NYC

See these links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/dining/10coffee.html?_r=1

http://www.salon.com/food/international_cuisine/index.html?story=%2Ffood%2Ffeature%2F2010%2F08%2F25%2Famerican_espresso&source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily+Newsletter+%28Not+Premium%29_7_30_110

I like that McNally's Bookstore made it in top 40 (although their teas may be better):

Espressofabriek

One of the best places for coffee in all of Amsterdam is De Espressofabriek in the old Westergasfabriek (to be found in Westerpark), although its official address is:
Gosschalklaan 7. http://www.espressofabriek.nl/westergasfabriek.html There is another outlet at Ijberg (a supposedly trendy part of Amsterdam on one of the harbor islands, but in my humble opinion that place is basically a Vinexwijk for well connected middle-class families), but I won't go there.

The coffee is absolutely superb; even Italian tourists are impressed. (A bunch of them found their way to the usually very quiet upstairs--the stairs are hidden behind the barrista's.) The brownies and muffins are addictive, too. Better yet, the place has free wifi (and clean toilets); the password is... But foodies will be left hungry. Worse, on sunny weekends (admittedly rare in Amsterdam), the place is a zoo. The lead manager of the place is a terribly self-satisfied barrista, who thinks of his craft as an art that needs to be admired slowly. Moreover, he doesn't mind letting tall blondes skip the very long cues that develop due to his out-sized narcissism. But when he is gone and on ordinary week-days, the place is among my favorite hide-abouts. The barristas live all over Holland, and they make long trecks (treks?) to serve the very best coffee to a growing group of appreciative customers.

Note to the computerfreaks: I have been unable to find a picture of espressofabriek on google.pictures.

Cafe Daalder

Cafe Daalder is at the corner of Lindengracht 90. The owners of the place, Frans and Wilke, are our neighbors, so I need to be careful!:) Despite its name, the Lindengracht is not a canal anymore. But it is a quiet street that is mostly used for outdoor parking except on market-days (Saturday). There has been a market for over a century which tells you how long it has not been a a canal. There are terrific Greek, Indonesian, and Japanese take-out places around the square and side-streets.

Daalder has free wifi (the pass-word is Frans' birthday). The coffee is decent, but not superb. I was a huge fan of the tuna sandwich. But they have unaccountably removed that from the menu. During the day it is a very mellow bar with a leisurely atmosphere. The wait-staff knows who you are and will leave you alone. People, including some of Holland's best known artists and writers, come to read the daily newspaper and not to be disturbed. Moms with children like to sit outside on the ample terrace (when sunny). I like the fried cheese sandwich.

In the evening it turns into a busy bar and a lovely restaurant. In particular, when Frans is in the kitchen (he is the bold one), the menu really comes alive with a mixture of salads, steaks, and fish--all for a reasonable price. There is some terrific finger foods.

Newsflash: Letting to be sold!

My favorite and much beloved Letting http://coffeespotamsterdam.blogspot.com/2010/07/one-of-my-favesand-its-neighbor.html has been sold, and will start under new ownership after July 26. (Apparently new ownership is a couple with British roots.) Word is that little will change (and coffee-cards honored) until the end of year after which a new concept will be unveiled.

Besides great coffee (and cookies), free wifi, and delicious sandwiches, Dennis whose generosity of spirit makes the shabby chic of Letting glow with joy will be much much missed. He's moving with Let and Ing to their pancake place a few blocks up the Prinsengracht. It is to be hoped he will open his own place sometime in the future.

http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=prinsenstraat+3,+amsterdam&sll=52.377914,4.887379&sspn=0.000725,0.00236&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Prinsenstraat+3,+1015+Amsterdam,+Noord-Holland&ll=52.379817,4.887371&spn=0.0115,0.037766&z=15&layer=c&cbll=52.377696,4.88738&panoid=miPok-MZ07y6FZ_IPKjmuA&cbp=12,208.28,,0,17.64

Boycott Tazzina!

Today my fiancee had an emergency stop at Tazzina in order to discretely breastfeed our 7,6 month old son. (She has a Brittish sensibility so she is very polite about such things.) Anyway, She was told to cover up her breast, or leave! In AMSTERDAM (after customer complaint by a Dutch man)! Mind you the law permits breastfeeding in public, but not in Belgium by the way.
Anyway, it's official: I call for a boycott of Tazzina!

To put this in perspective:a few days ago I already called attention to their lousy attitude:
http://coffeespotamsterdam.blogspot.com/2010/07/great-coffee-lousy-attitide.html

Great coffee, lousy attitide

One of the best places to get coffee in Amsterdam is Tazzina on the Brouwersgracht 139. They serve their coffee with delightful Italian cookies. The place is familiar to locals for having once housed a bar with rather graphic homosexual wallpaper. The location is idyllic overlooking a draw-bridge, and it is conveniently located at the entry to the Jordaan. For a picture, check this:
http://maps.google.nl/maps?ll=52.381677,4.886298&spn=0,0.037766&z=15&iwloc=A&lci=com.panoramio.all&layer=c&cbll=52.381567,4.886167&panoid=f4xIIU_lGW_Dq8izTxd5gw&cbp=12,57.16,,0,5.1
Because it straddles two sides of a corner it's small terrace can capture sunlight for most of the day. They have had trouble with their oven, so I fancy their panininis cold rather than lukewarm. One of the best things about the place is that they package coffee to go including for your home mechanical espresso-machine.

Nevertheless, I am not the world's biggest fan of the place. On week-ends and lunchtime it gets very crowded. Worse, the owner is rather stingy--she grudgingly serves water in the smallest possible glasses (which are more appropriate to Dutch gin than water). This attitude is familiar from Flemish bars, but in Holland it is bizarre. This often embarrasses her employees. Moreover, she also enforces a tight ban on laptops. Weirdly this is unmentioned on the outdoor menus (or anywhere else visible), although it is claimed to be printed on the indoor menus. I haven't gone back to check this.

Of Apple-strudels and stars

With the very best Apple strudel and location (Noordermarkt 43) of Amsterdam, Winkel attracts tourists and locals alike. From Spring to Fall its terrace is the place to be seen by movie stars, intellectuals, and dog-owners. (In Amsterdam these can still be one and the same person.)
http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=nl&geocode=&q=noordermarkt+43,+amsterdam&sll=52.381567,4.886167&sspn=0.01095,0.037766&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Noordermarkt+43,+1015+Amsterdam,+Noord-Holland&ll=52.378954,4.886403&spn=0.000725,0.00236&z=19&iwloc=A&lci=com.panoramio.all&layer=c&cbll=52.378977,4.886546&panoid=FKvkAy7OvyH6yz0Ct_7iFA&cbp=12,321.47,,0,5

The coffee is so-so, and there is no wifi (not even to be borrowed from neighbors). I am very fond of the Tostis (fried cheese sandwiches), but the kitchen can get easily overwhelmed on tropical days; so prepare for delays. The best time to visit is early in the morning and if sunny, see Amsterdam awake gloriously while reading a newspaper or enjoying a book. Avoid the place on Saturdays (upscale farmers market with folk that buy their status with biological food) and Mondays (normal market) unless one is willing to stand in line for service.
There is a decent dining menu, but I would head next-door to Noordwest, which has a slightly better food-menu (but, despite sharing an owner, does not stock the world-famous Apple strudel).
For the really hip crowd Proust is a stroll away on the other side of the Noorderkerk, but the place has nothing to offer to the coffee-sipping wifi-addict, except crowded people watching, drinks and decent hamburger.