Downtown Update

[Dr Awesomesauce]

If I ever decide it would be a good idea to put foil on my windows shoot me...right in the face.

So how do you roast your own coffee? Is it as simple as it sounds? Do tell.

[Skully2001]

Realcity: not just a Hamilton thing, I'm afraid. I grew up in Toronto and there were loads of windows with tinfoil on 'em...

[realcity]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Plus it blocks out the sun. But why just one window? I dunno, must be a broken window.

That's their bedroom

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

...So how do you roast your own coffee? Is it as simple as it sounds? Do tell.

Your question is not easy to answer. Roasting coffee, like many things we enjoy, can appear to be quite simple. But to do it properly and get the results you want takes time to learn and requires patience.

Coffee is the 2nd most traded commodity on earth, after crude oil. Coffee is such a part of our everyday world that we rarely focus on it. It's just "coffee". Maybe mom used a percolator, or we get one to go at Tim's, and so on. We don't think about it too much.

But when one digs deeper, it's a whole new deal. One learns about the varieties of beans, their particulars of flavour, the profiles of roasting, which beans need how much time, etc. Dried green beans are transformed to a fresh product, which is pretty neat.

So, generally speaking, it's fun and satisfying to "roast your own". I learned the ins-and-outs of my roaster, how much time the roasting needs, and so on. My morning coffee will be fresh and delicious, and less expensive per-cup than from Tim's or Starbucks.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^It sounds quite interesting. So, do you get the beans completely unprocessed? What state are they in exactly and where do you buy them?

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

^It sounds quite interesting. So, do you get the beans completely unprocessed? What state are they in exactly and where do you buy them?

pEte, the bean "cherries" are picked, processed via a dry or wet method, and dried. In the dried, "green" state, the beans are ready for roasting. Green beans are typically shipped to the wholesaler in 60 kilo sisal sacks.

Locally, Detour and Speakeasy sell green beans. I'm not sure about Red Hill. In Toronto, The Greenbeanery is a good supplier. Whenever possible I team up with other people and buy from a wholesaler.

Hope this helps.

[Northern Stroll]

Originally Posted by Skully2001

Realcity: not just a Hamilton thing, I'm afraid. I grew up in Toronto and there were loads of windows with tinfoil on 'em...

I agree with Skully... I am a Toronto transplant and it was widely used when I was still living there.

7 years a Hamiltonian!

[palace1]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

Could it be that it's already happening? Are trendy shops and cafes going to start popping up on Barton? Some people have been waiting 25 years for this day and it appears that we may be on the verge. Fingers crossed.

Just saw this about an hour after reading the posting above:

"The Year of the Snake? Or the Year of the Jet?
The Year of the Snake begins tonight according to many Asian cultures. This is a year for change and unpredictable things. So the timing was perfect for the Jet Cafe to buy a new building in the up and coming area of Barton Street."

http://thejetcafe.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-year-of-snake-or-year-of-jet.html

[Frankenrogers]

That is cool about Jet Cafe. I hope that something there takes off. Barton has loads of potential. Just take a street view walk and check out the buildings at 746 Barton.

[matt602]

Never thought I'd see Barton street called "up and coming". I really hope it's true.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by Frankenrogers

That is cool about Jet Cafe. I hope that something there takes off. Barton has loads of potential. Just take a street view walk and check out the buildings at 746 Barton.

I hope this location works for Jet Cafe. I assumed they were establishing a new cafe on Barton. I was wrong. According to their FB, the new space is for small weddings, family functions, and live music.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Yeah, I love hearing about Barton being 'up and coming.' I'm not sure we're ready to say that yet but I like it just the same. Speaking of Jet Cafe, I'm still waiting for the International Village to take off. It has shown signs of life over the past decade but it still seems stuck in a perpetual rut. I guess the Connaught sitting empty doesn't help.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

...Speaking of Jet Cafe, I'm still waiting for the International Village to take off. It has shown signs of life over the past decade but it still seems stuck in a perpetual rut. I guess the Connaught sitting empty doesn't help.

If neighbourhoods want to see revitalization on a human scale, then investors need to show up and see the reason to be there. A newly minted Connaught could be a game-changer, if they can actually sell 900 condos. People will be living in the core and looking for nightlife.

Barton and Wentworth? That revitalization could work if the middle-class starts buying up houses in the area.

There's a new place called Prosecco that's opened on King St, not far from the Connaught. On the one hand, good on the owners for opening on a street crying out for new vitality. On the other, Proscecco is, despite it's modern decor, very old-school. "Italian-like-momma-used-to-cook". But what do I know. If retro cooking and vibe works, the place will succeed. Over time it could become a local, rather than a destination.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by movingtohamilton

There's a new place called Prosecco that's opened on King St, not far from the Connaught. On the one hand, good on the owners for opening on a street crying out for new vitality. On the other, Proscecco is, despite it's modern decor, very old-school.

AFAIK, Prosecco's decor is inherited from Brownies Downtown Fine Food and Spirit (and, upstairs, Brownies After Dark), which operated there from 2006-2011.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

AFAIK, Prosecco's decor is inherited from Brownies Downtown Fine Food and Spirit (and, upstairs, Brownies After Dark), which operated there from 2007-2011.

We peeked in and were invited in for a tour. Looks like an extensive renovation. The basement is being transformed into a wine cellar and tasting room. The main level has a bar at the front with table seating taking up the remainder. Upstairs is for private dining and meetings.

Very nice modern look throughout.

The owners operate Romano's Ristorante.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by movingtohamilton

If neighbourhoods want to see revitalization on a human scale, then investors need to show up and see the reason to be there. A newly minted Connaught could be a game-changer, if they can actually sell 900 condos. People will be living in the core and looking for nightlife.

Phase One of that project (the Connaught itself, at 135 units) will represent almost as much new residential as came online downtown in 2008 -- the year that saw the debut of Terraces on King (123 units), Gore Building (16 units) and Victoria Hall/McKay Building. The psychological uplift will doubtless put it over the top.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Re. Brownies.

A really good restaurant. Sad to see them close their doors but it would seem the International Village was too tough for them to crack.

Hopefully this new place can make a go of it.

[SteelTown]

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/talk/story/2013/02/20/hamilton-peapod.html

[Pearlstreet]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/talk/story/2013/02/20/hamilton-peapod.html

What a great story. A place I never knew existed... Cool spot.

[Pearlstreet]

A noticable number of fires in the area around Victoria Ave, all will likely take forever to clean up again... The multi-unit buildings at the north side of King St at King and Victoria which burnt down in December are still sitting there untouched with trash everywhere... I wonder what the hold up is. I would love to see something new there.