In one corner of Ocean City, that would be 1st and Asbury, it's a chocolate espresso scone (on the left) from Fourth on First, the old Fourth Street Cafe, if by that you mean the people who cooked the food and ran the place, as opposed to the actual place itself. Yes, the people who went out west to start a vineyard, then inexplicably returned to keep the Fourth Street spirit going. On First Street. The ones who have now spraypainted the old gray volvo station wagon with "Scones" and their new number. The coffee was the reliably unsurpassed La Colombe, the African blend.
And...in the other corner, the old lovely comfy spot at 4th and Atlantic, it's Positively Fourth Street, positively spruced up with new paint and chairs and nice art on the walls, a weird headless surfer mannequin dude whose surfboard holds the half and half. This coffee bar and lunch spot is now run by the people who own the building at 4th and Atlantic, but never ran the restaurant. They were serving a pumpkin pecan scone (below, right), and Harry's coffee, organic from Honduras.
Ok, so this really suggests a deep and soul searching question. What gives a coffee shop its je ne sai quoi? Its ambiance, location and want to stay there for two hours feel (winner and still champ, 4th and Atlantic). Or its unbelievably crunchy on the outside, melt in your mouth on the inside mysteriously amazing scones? For this, you'll have to travel to 1st and Asbury for the authentic 4th Street Cafe touch. The scones at Positively Fourth Street were good and ambitious, but, you know, there was a clear winner.
As for the coffee, I prefer La Colombe (1st and Asbury), but Harry's, which originally was based in Ocean City, is certainly a respectable choice.
I'll let others more qualified than me rate the food (Fourth on First is serving dinner, not yet for Positively Fourth Street), the menus are both reminiscent of the old Fourth Street Cafe (chipotle chicken roasted red pepper quesadilla $6.50 at Fourth on First; pesto skirt stead with bleu cheese, $7.50 at Positively Fourth; both had chicken salad), but I'm still not sure where my allegiances will lie.
The new Fourth on First has a nice patio, but the inside's a little cramped for me, doesn't seem to lend itself to extended slacking. Can I get my coffee at 1st street, skip the scone, and just go for lunch at 4th street? The cabbage and blue cheese soup was pretty tasty the other day, though, like every soup I've ever ordered at 4th and Atlantic under old management and new, it was up to you to add the salt.
Comments (9)
dove รจ la capuccino?
Where can one go to get a real cup of capuccino downashore? I'm talking Italian capuccino vs the American small, medium or large variety. The closest we've found is a bakery/deli in Sea Isle. Believe it or not McDonalds has better capuccino than just about anywhere we've tried so far.
Posted by bill | May 29, 2008 12:58 PM
Posted on May 29, 2008 12:58
Good question, Bill, and I will start my research right away. Any thoughts from readers? I'm not buying the McDonald's cappuccino thing at all. I think the Fourth on First (Fourth Street Cafe) La Colombe cappuccino has always been excellent, especially if you drink it there and it's in a ceramic mug.
Posted by amy | May 29, 2008 1:25 PM
Posted on May 29, 2008 13:25
Bill,
What's the name of the place in Sea Isle?
Posted by Tim | May 29, 2008 4:27 PM
Posted on May 29, 2008 16:27
Bill, are you talking about CoffeedotCOMedy at 29 JFK Blvd, on the main road leading to the beach in Sea Isle? I've had a good latte there. Plus, the little kid comic performs there in the summer.
Posted by Amy | May 29, 2008 4:34 PM
Posted on May 29, 2008 16:34
A suggestion for cauppucino: Coffee Talk in Stone Harbor. I spent a lot of time working at the old diner tables that had been re-purposed into coffee tables there.
CoffeedotCOMedy's a good choice, too.
Posted by Jen A. Miller | May 30, 2008 8:00 AM
Posted on May 30, 2008 08:00
I think the place in Sea Isle was Mrs Brizzle's Buns at 4411 Landis. We hit coffee.com last Sunday, not so good capuccino. For us a good cappuccino is made from espresso (from espresso beans) and steamed (frothed) milk in a teacup. Just about everywhere we've tried has frothed milk with regular coffee. We may have to bite the bullet and buy a Jura cappresso machine for the shore. We have one at home and we don't leave home without it (a cup of cappuccino that is)
Posted by bill | May 30, 2008 11:31 AM
Posted on May 30, 2008 11:31
Formica's bakery in AC. Great cafe. This is where all that delicious italian bread comes from.
Posted by Nick | May 30, 2008 2:50 PM
Posted on May 30, 2008 14:50
What's up with the opening sentence to this story?
>
Posted by Nick Eeee | June 2, 2008 9:24 AM
Posted on June 2, 2008 09:24
Nick: Formica's bakery on Arctic Avenue in the Ducktown section of Atlantic City is a great option. Frank has turned the place into a very cool cafe with live music on the weekends.
Here's a link to his blog:
www.formicabrosbakery.com/blog/frank-d-formica
Other Nick: You don't like my first sentence?
Posted by amy | June 5, 2008 9:20 AM
Posted on June 5, 2008 09:20