When I walked into Bar TOMA (named for Chicago favorite Chef Tony Mantuano) this past Sunday afternoon, I was excited to test out the acclaimed espresso and experience the atmosphere of the newest joint to enter Gold Coast dining. Probably most touted for the pizza, Bar TOMA also serves up awesome gelato and an espresso I can unabashedly name "best in town".
It starts with the espresso machine, which is one of four of its kind here in the city. Then enters the training the baristas need in order to use the machine (Steve was sent to Italy to learn direct from illy!), the illy beans and roast, and the experience ~ a marble stand-up espresso bar; and you have the ultimate in espresso drinking.
I learned so much about espresso, and the main take-away is to enjoy it. Head barista Steve (@StevePaluck) walked my friend and I through the four sips of a true espresso. The first, bold and bitter, moves to a more leathery finish with the second sip, until the chocolaty caramel finish becomes more predominant in the third, and the forth sip is even sweet. Try drinking an espresso in four sips and pay attention to the flavors ~ it's fun!
And don't be too worried about your espresso consumption ~ as I learned that it actually has 75% less caffeine than coffee. Yep, you heard me. It's all in the brewing time. An espresso is brewed a puny 27 seconds compared to coffee which is about 6 minutes. This allows the flavor to pull in disproportion to the caffeine ~ thus ending up with the richer and bolder cup of espresso compared with coffee. And ristretto (which is a "short" shot of espresso) is brewed a mere 21 seconds. And it was my favorite! It didn't have the same "bite" coming out of the gate, but rather was much smoother upon first sip.
Too much info for you, or are you as geeked out as I am? I should also add that I sat discussing this with the well-trained barista Steve and my friend who grew up on a dairy farm... so milk also became a big item of discussion, and by the end of this afternoon delight, my drink of choice was transformed from a coffee with skim milk and a dash of sugar to a ristretto black or a cappuccino with whole milk. Let me break it down for you ~ transformational experience.
Go to Bar TOMA in the morning, afternoon, or evening for a cup of jo, and stay longer than I to experience the food. I'll be back soon, the mozzarella bar is already calling my name.
8 comments:
I think I just died and went to heaven. Color me obsessed with espresso. I'm honestly saving for a machine because I can't have one of those "single cup" ones. No, no, no!
Awesome! I'm totally clueless when it comes to espresso, so this is very cool. And, let me know when you plan on hitting up the mozzarella bar ;)
Love this! I can't wait to check it out. Thanks for sharing. :)
OMG I can't believe it has less caffeine than coffee0 really?! Why do I always feel so wired after drinking it? Must be in my head :)
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I love all the espresso love! Isn't it such a fascinating topic? Once you get started you realize how much there is to learn!
I've been wanting to try it out! This place has a lot to live up to since it replaced my beloved Bistro 110.
Oh another fabulous place to add to my list! My next Chicago trip better be on the lengthier side :) xoxo
living in italy, i thought i knew everything about espresso, but this was so informative! they take theirs very seriously, and i think you should come here for some more taste tests!! :)
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