Cafehop.com — Café hopping in New York City

A fellow Bushwicker recommended Dora’s Coffee Shop and Creperie just across the borough border in Ridgewood, Queens, and since Bushwick has a notable deficit of…let’s say European food, I was determined to make the two-mile journey down Myrtle Avenue and check the place out. Ridgewood is only a different neighborhood politically — it’s just a continuation of Bushwick to the northeast, the main difference being half of it didn’t burn down in the 70s. It also has a significant Polish population, as opposed to Bushwick’s Puerto Rican majority. How this spawned a crepe café, I’m not sure, but no matter, Polish-staffed Dora’s serves up crepes so hot they will melt the end of your plastic fork.

The crepes are cheap, and they make them right there at the counter in front of you. I was there with my whole Miami crew — Yury, Liz, and Luis walked the two miles with me, complaining all the way of the humidity and distance. Everyone but Luis had iced coffee, which we all for some reason found overly sweet even though it was only sweetened by what we each added. I had a cup of regular hot coffee after my ham- mozzarella-mushroom crepe, and it was soldily good joe.

The atmosphere was less than pleasant, not because of what was in there, but because of what wasn’t — it felt too sparse. Maybe it could do with one more row of café tables to make it a bit cozier. Some art on the walls would help, too.

I give it an overall thumbs up, even though the sugar and butter crepe we shared for dessert didn’t have sugar inside and the sugar on top was powdered as opposed to granulated… not a complete disaster. If it weren’t so far, we’d certainly go back often. Since it closes bafflingly early, it’s only a lunchtime place.

Dora’s Coffee Shop and Creperie, 60-50 Myrtle Avenue, Queens

Open until 8pm, 7pm on Sunday

Mario and I were walking down 13th Street looking for a place he vaguely remembered, but as usual, were sidetracked by something else along the way. We had found Thé Adoré, a tea house with a simple glass storefront, easy to miss from the street. At first glance, it looks a bit like a kitchen for a business that might be on the other side of the building, but as the menu was posted on the window, it made me stop. When I poked my head in, I realized it’s a tea house — excuse me, a salon de thé — and the all-Japanese staff is toiling away making tea, coffee, and French pastries.

We went inside and were directed up the stairs to a dining room that I am going to describe as unexpectedly rustic. We sat in the back of the room, and from my seat, I could see out the huge plate glass window that served up a snapshot view of trees and the buildings across the street.

I’ll tell you the truth — I am suspicious of Japanese places playing French. The East Village is full of bakeries that make creepy little pastries, and there’s always someting not quite… right. This was a lot more passable than those places. The apricot tart we got was okay — too eggy for my tastes, though Mario said it was fine.

It was hot out, but I figured that if we were in a tea house, I should have some. I got mint tea, and it was good, not much to screw up there, but I didn’t know how to use the straining contraption they gave me so I spilled a little.

The verdict: I’d come back, if someone else were paying. It’s a bit pricey, and the quality is good but not fantastic.

Thé Adore, 17 E 13 Street, Manhattan

Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm | Sat: 9am-5pm

On a super cozy corner of the West Village sits Doma, a small but popular café. My first visit here was with my friend Tony, about a year ago. I have come back several times since for good coffee, good company, and good atmosphere. They have all kinds of pastries: you could be “good” and just have an almond croissant, or you could be evil and have a rich, dense lemon bar. I usually get a cookie, a regular coffee and grab one of the tables — quickly, they fill up fast.

The last time I was here was with Mario, and it was hot enough out that we needed a pit stop. It was cool inside and not too crowded — we got espressos and I got a peanut butter cookie. You pay for your items at the counter and carefully walk them to a table, if you can get one; we got one. It’s sort of libraryish in there, so I’m never sure if any amount of talking is too much talking… but thinking back, it seems like we were the only ones talking at all. Everyone else was toying with a laptop or reading. The atmosphere is kind of like a rustic old elementary school classroom, but one you don’t have terrible flashbacks in; I don’t feel schooled.

The coffee here is always good, but this was the first time I had the espresso, and while it was pulled long, it was still very flavorful and not terribly bitter. The cookie was like hard-packed mud in texture — so much peanut butter was in the dough that it flaked apart in chunks. Really sweet and spot-hitting. When we had had enough feeling like the only people talking, we left. I think I might have even said, “Okay, I think we’ve annoyed these people long enough.”

Doma, 17 Perry Street, Manhattan

daily 7:30am-12am