Northstreet
557 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
Midway between downtown and the airport, just a few blocks from the old Oscar Meyer world headquarters, tucked into a cozy neighborhood, sits a trifecta of independent local businesses working in concert, more like a symphony, to deliver a bakery, beer, and coffee destination of excellence. Welcome to the future.
Coffee:
Domestique operates the coffee shop. Of French derivation, this translates to servant, and with a country seeped in the sport of bicycle racing, it more explicitly defines the rider who works solely for the benefit of their team and leader. Aware of this meaning, I smiled to myself as I looked forward to seeing if their service matched their namesake. First, the cortado. Not only was it presented in a Gibraltar glass, it was surrounded by a small battalion of honey bear crackers. My smile persisted. This was the best cortado I have had in a good long while, a while that has been punctuated with far too many substandard renderings. They perfected the steamed milk so that it commingled completely with the coffee, creating a single, uniform liquid. I thanked my barista for a cortado done well. He responded, “Thank you, it’s easy to make.” And knowingly, I replied, “Yes, it is, and it’s easy to screw up too.” Domestique rotates their beans between a variety of small roasters from around the country. My espresso beans were from Bivouac, an independent roaster from Evergreen, CO and they originated from a small grower in Southwestern Mexico who sun dry their coffee vs washing it. While this process takes longer, it is significantly more environmentally friendly. Bivouac was the first coffee company in the US to exclusively support this method of production. When I womple the mile high city, I’m stopping in! The espresso’s flavor profile was at once, both chocolate and vanilla. My drip used Stellar Collisions beans, a blend of two Columbian coffees with a coconut lemonade ferment, from Seattle based Brandywine Coffee Roasters. It’s flavor profile brought to mind dark chocolate studded with nibs of dried fruit.
Barista:
Clean, efficient, and knowledgeable, my barista was an engaging craftsman who defiantly served me up some lumps of goodness.
Vibe:
Truth told, I expected a food court kind of vibe, and didn’t think I’d write this one up. I am at times, a fool and now I can only wonder why this sort of concept is not more common. Some mastermind rehabbed what has the feel of an old service station and made it a gathering place supplied by a high quality, local coffee shop, a microbrewery, an elegant bakery. Each purveyor is laser focused on their offering and the result is a trifecta of excellence. The space is airy and inviting with a variety of seating options both inside and out. Upon entry, a lighted sign informs you what is being served and which way you should turn to find it. For bakery, I had a gooey masterpiece of a sweet potato donut complemented by an intriguing black pepper and parmesan scone. They have WiFi and three unisex bathrooms, each with their own sinks and as well, have hand washing stations in the rest room foyer. Interesting local artwork adorned the interior walls, and the exterior walls were covered with vibrant murals. I came back at night for a beer from an intriguing menu, but just missed last call.
Make You Better
I would have appreciated a more prominent musical element. It was present at night, but barely noticeable at the coffee hour. Parking is limited to what you can find on the streets.
I believe this concept of having local establishments of excellence, cohabitating a communal gather place, is something we will see more of, and I welcome it.
~ Clyde <3
