The Bang Bang Thread

I dunno what they’re putting in there TBH besides coffee, mint (muddled + fresh), some type of dairy, and simple sugar. Tastes like magic. It’s not a coffee connoisseur type drink or even a strong cup of coffee. It’s like a high class Starbucks drink.

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A very liberal interpretation of the word “mojito” I suppose lol

The only reason I value Phil’s is that they are a true counter culture institution in the Bay Area. I mean this very literally and no in the way you would think. All of the 3rd wave shops like Ritual, Sightglass, Blue Bottle, etc… have a culture where they explicitly have no outlet, no wi-fi, and uncomfortable brushed wood seating (if you ask, they will explain that it is a conscious effort to survive on their part because the wealthy techie/hipsters that frequent them and have made those types of shops boom, would sit in the shops all day if they offered these luxuries since so many of them work remotely on laptops).

Meanwhile, Phil’s is not really a proper 3rd Wave type shop, but an improvement on Starbucks, and they have just the opposite culture where they have exorbitantly comfortable seating, free wi-fi (with purchase), board games, outlets, etc… there have been many times I have got a single origin espresso at Ritual and then walked to a Phils to plunk down and charge my phone in a comfy chair. I guess Phil’s can do this because they aren’t cool enough for the techie/hipsters, I don’t really know, but even as a hipster myself, I find it really valuable there.

In SoCal, I don’t quite get it, as most 3d wave shops offer the luxuries that SF shops have banned. I suppose it is just an updated Starbucks for people who are tired of Starbucks or something like that. I mean, the vast majority of people drinking coffee are primarily drinking sugar cream and other flavorants anyhow, so that makes as much sense as anything else. They’re also pretty cheap, which is cool (I think I by iced coffee for like $2.5 when I need to charge my phone in them in SF).

The appeal for me @ Phils is it’s more low brow. Sure they take their coffee seriously and brew each cup individually and blah blah blah, but they’ll also slam that shit with milk and sugar by default. Some of the 3rd wave guys don’t even stock simple syrup.

And it was $5.50 for a large mint mojito.

I’m not sure what you mean by low-brow, especially when you’re buying a $5.50 coffee lol

Like I said though, most people drink milk + sugar with some coffee added. Actually, in large part, the people who drink Phil’s and Starbucks make more sense to me than someone who goes to a place like G&B and loads up on cream and sugar (a touch of cream can make sense; or certain drinks like cortados and cappuccinos, that are made markedly better by the precision of working with milk and foam also make sense to me even though I drink black espresso personally).

But I guess there really isn’t a cost difference…a latte at a 3rd Wave shop that you loaded with simple syrup is typically $5. So Phil’s is a bit more expensive it seems? Anyhow, they seem like different sides of the same high-brow coin to me, but perhaps I am confusing my terms.

Personally, I like shops that are so hardcore they don’t even have simple syrup; usually they also won’t serve espresso to go, which is awesome, because espresso should never be served to-go by itself. I use sign’s about only serving espresso to stay as a marker of shops to try when I am in foreign environments haha

You’re overthinking it.

It’s just coffee.

#BuyDrinkRepeat

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I don’t think it’s possible to overthink coffee.

Says the mod for the geekiest of the foodgeek websites.

You’re overthinking it.

It’s just a burrito/pastrami/sushi/ramen/etc.

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I love you.

Who’s thinking? Much less overthinking.

I just eat.

#NothingBetweenTheEars

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Philz is my go-to coffe place (2 short blocks from home) in the Mission. And it often makes my head hurt, toooo many questions/options first thing in the morning.

I just need some effing caffeine, Philz. Plz.

$5.50 for a coffee. No alcohol, right? Shit.

3.50 for a small coffee. 4.50 for a large. Add a dollar for the iced drinks.

sounds…interesting. thanks again for the info.

…says the blue face who prefers his coffee at 211F… Or was it 210… 212?

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Went to Mon Petit Poulet and Baby Blue’s BBQ, both on Lincoln about a half block away from each other in Venice. I needed to feed people for the game.

Mon Petit Poulet: How does one overcook chicken to the point that the dark meat is dry? The ratatouille was so stewed down and overloaded with garlic you couldn’t even discern the vegetables in it.

Baby Blues BBQ: Driest ribs I’ve ever had. Ralph’s deli has better ribs. The “smoked chicken” rice was rice with Zatarian seasoning, no chicken, no smoke. Good mac and cheese

$75 and I ended up grilling bratwurst for dinner.

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Holy shit… my life can almost be summed up as doing everything I possibly can to avoid situations like that.

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That sounds awful - your MPP experience was almost diametrically opposite to mine…

I went at about 4:30 p.m., and all I can guess is that I was given food from both places that had been sitting around since lunchtime. Which is so wrong. If you’re going to sell old food, why not mark it as such and price accordingly? Like day old bread, or soft vegetables.

I’ll probably go back to Mon Petit Poulet and give them another shot, but first I will call and ask what time the chickens come off the rotisserie, so I can plan accordingly.

Btw, I also got a baguette from them, which was fresh and pretty decent, but different. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I realized that it was missing the faint tang we are all so used to in California.

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Good plan. On a prior visit, the staff there have advised me to call ahead as well for best results.

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What is the faint tang of? Butter?