In November 2001, with the country still reeling from the tragic and terrifying events of the previous months, Larry David allowed us to laugh again with a visit to a coffee house during the second season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” With his usual lack of elan, Larry orders a “vanilla bullshit thing” from the barista and then exhibits mock delight with the combination of coffee and milk. He ends up treating all the customers to drinks and snacks. It would be interesting to see how Larry David would react to a visit to Cartel Coffee Lab, a coffee place for people who actually like coffee on its own terms, without having to dilute the beverage every single time with milk, sugar, or flavored syrups -- vanilla or otherwise.
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| exterior |
Cartel got its start in Tempe in a funky shop decorated with bicycle wheels. Within two years, it has become a crowded college hangout. With its expansion to a second location in Downtown Phoenix, just blocks from the Central / Washington (eastbound) and First Avenue / Jefferson (westbound) light rail stations, Cartel has gone in a slightly different direction. The dedication to coffee remains paramount, but the atmosphere is different. While Cartel Tempe often has the tunes cranked up, Cartel Phoenix is more sedate. Likewise, the Phoenix location sees a lot more office workers and even military personnel from the neighboring recruitment office while Tempe is home, not surprisingly, to more students.
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| pumpkin spice cake |
The biggest difference between the two cartels, however, is that Cartel Phoenix has a kitchen and has used that space to become a small, focused restaurant serving breakfast and lunch to Downtowners from the surrounding blocks. It’s a business strategy that seems to reflect an adjustment to the lingering absence of dependable crowds after dark south of Van Buren. Instead of chasing a limited number of coffee drinkers and laptop warriors who are more likely to congregate in the evening in hipper ‘hoods to the north, Cartel seems to be pursuing additional business from its existing daytime customers. Like the coffee in the morning? Then why not come back for a sandwich at midday?
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| cappuccino |
For anyone looking for a light breakfast or lunch, maybe with some really good coffee on the side, it’s a strategy that seems to be working. Cartel isn’t an easy place to find, but once discovered, it’s a hard place to forget. Look for it on the block of First Street between Washington and Adams. It’s a dull stretch of Downtown distinguished only by the presence of Hanny’s across the street. What Hanny’s is to the night and alcohol, Cartel is to the day and caffeine. Each pursues excellence within its defined niche. Cartel’s decor is deliberately minimalistic with simple wood, tile, and metal furnishings. There is a lounge-like area near the windows, tables behind, and a counter toward the back.
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| blueberry sour cream muffin |
Daily coffee selections are noted on a board near where orders are taken. The descriptions are often hard to read, so it’s often better just to ask the staff which coffees Cartel is serving. On any given day, options might range from a full-bodied Brazilian coffee to a lighter Costa Rican one with notes of almond. These are always good but really shine when prepared to order in the Clover machine, a transplant from Tempe. The coffees have enough refinement to win over customers who may not think they like coffee, but Cartel also offers basic espresso drinks. In a concession to popular tastes, there’s even a limited selection of syrups for those customers who really, really want their own "vanilla bullshit thing."
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| breakfast tart |
With Cartel’s new emphasis on breakfast and lunch, the food takes an approach similar to the coffee: simple, unfussy presentations; good ingredients; and an emphasis on quality over quantity. A breakfast tart is topped with creme fraiche, roasted red pepper, spinach, and an egg in a balance of flavors that is inventive enough to be appealing without being too bold for early morning eating. The same peppers appear in a simple but satisfying turkey sandwich on nine-grain bread. The use of pesto as a spread gives this sandwich a distinctive touch that makes it not just another deli creation. For dessert, the peanut butter chocolate chip scone is delightfully indulgent, while the rugelach with fig and walnut is a lighter touch.
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| turkey sandwich |
Although Cartel is all about coffee, it should be commended for handling tea well. The selection isn’t extensive, but those teas on hand are brewed with loose leaves by a barista using a timer to maintain a strict steeping time. The iced tea comes in both standard black and tangy prickly pear varieties. As for the service, it’s not bursting with feigned enthusiasm like Larry David during his coffee house visit, but it’s not full of awkward moments like most episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiam.” At this point, the only thing Cartel Phoenix lacks in comparison to Cartel Tempe is evening and weekend hours. It remains to be seen if that can change with enough support from Downtown coffee fans.
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| rugelach with fig and walnut |
1 N 1st St., Phoenix AZ 85004
http://www.cartelcoffeelab.com/
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