Espresso shops have sprung up like mushrooms around here during the past decade. Most of them are good at what they try to do. But it seems most also follow a similar formula in design, menu, music and atmosphere. Even the type of espresso beans they use.
We didn't want that. The one thing we always wanted to achieve with Aldo Coffee Co. was to give you the feeling that you were no longer in Pittsburgh.
Not that being in Pittsburgh is a bad thing, but for all the coffee shops that promise an genuine Italian espresso, we wanted to be the ones to provide an Italian experience. To actually transport you six time zones East to Florence or Napoli or Verona.
Melanie's family has summered in Rome for a number of years. During her recent visits, Melanie took copious notes about what she wanted to do when she opened her own place. You're seeing the results. And she and her sister took the photographs you see on our walls.
We've been gratified by the comments many of you have made during our first few weeks. Nothing makes us happier than someone telling us, "You did it, this feels like Italy."
The walls are brighter. There's more light. It's airier. No rock on the CD player - only jazz, opera, classical and sometimes, Italian. (We finally relented to both customers and staff who wanted something "peppier" - mornings are now usually standards/jazz, afternoons/evenings may feature adult alternative, depending who's on bar). There are windows to the fields of Tuscany. A stand up counter bar. (Took it out late '06 - nobody was using it! Chalk one up for cultural differences in the 'burbs.) US and foreign newspapers. A TV to crowd around during the World Cup (or any Steeler game). And, in warm weather, a patio out back (now with an herb garden).
Of course, in trying to create this atmosphere, our espresso must be an integral part of the experience. The Black Cat Espresso Blend we use is designed to work specifically with the precision (some might say 'fussiness') of our La Marzocco equipment to create the best espresso shots possible.
Unlike overroasted and "bright" beans designed for popular latte milk drinks, Black Cat is designed for the connosieur who likes their espresso straight up or with just a little milk or touch of foam. And if you've travelled to Italy, straight espressos and capuccinos are the way it's done. And Black Cat also makes a fine latte if that's your drink.
We thought about what else we would do since there's more to life than just good coffee. Rich spent most of his life between New York and Boston. There was Wooster St. in New Haven, Arthur Ave. in the Bronx, Federal Hill in Providence, and maybe best of all, Hanover St. in Boston's North End, home of Cafe Vittoria and cannoli and ricotta cheesecake unlike any other.
If you've been to the North End you know exactly what we're talking about. We tasted a lot of recipes until the fillings were just the way we wanted. We then created our cannoli bar. In homage, our cannoli shells come from the North End. (We switched to a place in Long Island - same quality, better distribution).
Given the contraints of our kitchen space, we knew there would be a limit to what we could do. We had to choose carefully between what we could make in-house and what we had to source. But sfogliatelle had to be on the menu along with more "standard" bakery items. And, if we were going to do panini, we knew we had to find the right bread and produce to create authentic panini. Given the comments we're getting so far, we think we chose OK.
We're not done yet.
One of the reasons we chose a blog format for our web site was to keep our customers informed daily of what we're offering daily and what we're planning. More importantly, we hope the social networking aspects of the blog will build community and allow you to share feedback not just with us, but with all of the Aldo family - both staff and customers. This is as much your place as it is ours.
We thank you for supporting us so generously during our opening and we look forward to seeing you often in the coming months and years.
Ciao,
Melanie and Rich
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