It’s actually Abraço, and I think it’s destined to be my favorite neighborhood coffee spot. I wandered in this morning, too weak to amble much farther than (good god) Dunkin’ Donuts, and instantly my day started looking up. The barista, a cheerful, lanky dude with a mop of gray hair (I think this could only be Jamie), poured me a polished cappuccino. The espresso ($3) tasted a little less mellow than 9th Street Espresso‘s, more slap-you-in-the face, but was very good, and topped with leafy foam art. While I waited, I was swayed into ordering zeppole–two fried-to-order balls of light, doughnut-like ricotta, rolled in sugar ($3). The standing-only space holds two narrow bars just wide enough for coffee cups, so the folks eating in were either chatting or just drinking coffee–no newspapers, laptops, or cell phones. But ambiance aside (Abraço is Portuguese for “hug”), this cafe’s secret weapon is that it has an actual cook, so there’s a whole rotating lunch menu to explore, complete with grilled cheese panini ($6), a deliciously light, eggy frittata ($4), and sweet-and-savory olive cookies ($2).

The only downside is that Abraço is sure to be popular, so I’ll have to get my happy tropicalia coffee fix early to beat the rush.

Abraço Espresso, 86 E. 7th St., at First Ave. 8 am – 8 pm, Sun. 9 am – 8 pm.

Saturdays require a refined sort fuel, a job for espresso masters. I have a fear of putting my caffeine addiction at the mercy of a slapdash barista, but at Ninth Street Espresso I can relax, because I know I’m in good hands. Don’t try to order a highly-customized half-decaf non-fat extra-foam something-or-other with an extra shot in a venti cup. Simply order “a cappuccino” ($3.50) and perfection results. A perfectly-poured cup with just the right amount of rich foam in relation to bold, sweet espresso, with a design of a heart, or a leaf, dribbled into the top.

If that’s not reward enough for your week’s labor, there’s visual stimulation as well. The clientele is mostly young-ish, stylish, and chatting quietly or reading something that looks like it has more words than pictures. Maybe it’s the not-exactly kid-friendly rules posted over the bar (“Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free dog”) or the location (avenue C) but this place attracts some of the yummiest, potentially-single eyecandy this side of the East River. Frequently the music pumping through the speakers of this little corner of the universe is awesome.

And there you are, revived and sailing forth from the far East Village to take on your weekend.

Update Feb ’08: I see they’re now serving baked goods from Balthazar at the counter!

The art of cupping at Ninth Street

Ninth Street Espresso, 700 East Ninth Street at Avenue C
7 am – 8 pm

Update 12/08: Hopscotch has closed, this former coffee shop now houses a sustainable living knick-knack store. While I was tied up with job and out-of-town stuff, my usual East Village neighborhood coffee haunt, ALT.coffee, shuttered forever to re-open at some point as Hopscotch, a “family-friendly” establishment.

I was never quite comfortable hanging out at ALT, and there were the usual reasons–the urine smell emanating from the black bathroom, with its blindly staring stack of busted monitors, the too-loud music, and the decaying furniture. I couldn’t help but cringe as I’d descend into a graying assprint on some piece of moldering, crumb-studded upholstery, downwind from a 9-11 conspiracy rant. But really, the place was loaded with one simple, bothersome association. Stepping into this vestige of dirty old East Village reminded me of my high-school self, picturing myself older and cooler in this very spot, sipping coffee and doing whatever artistic people do.

For such a huge nerd, I had a profound lack of goals as a teenager.

I walked by this weekend, and Hopscotch wasn’t open yet. Even though my vague high school dreams of artistic coolness were never fulfilled and my inner yuppie seems to mind dirt and smells, I miss the old ALT. It served as my refuge from roommate weirdness, my back-up when neighbors put the smackdown on my wireless internet pilfering, and a destination for pretty decent cappuccinos to take on my escapes into the park. I’m on the lookout for a new coffee spot, but I know it won’t be quite the same.