Touring Downtown WIFI: Cafe Corsa
Ed Fuentes
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Care for some Marxist Dark Roast? That could very well be the name of a coffee served at Cafe Corsa, the Figueroa Corridor coffee house that's been getting good reviews. "It's SoDo, south of Downtown," says Richard Weiche, the political academia and food historian turned barista and coffee house owner. Of course, sharing political views is not a requirement for this house of joe, but it may well be some of the conversation you take in while sipping on an brewed Italian Roast.
For Weiche, it's really the coffee that matters.
Importantly for us––the Downtown haute bourgeois––the joint is wired with WIFI. And even though the hours are limited, that's more than enough time to, say, plan social upheaval.
"None of that," says Weiche. "But we just can talk about it."
PROS: The cafe has an intimate setting with warm brick walls. Located in a well disguised strip mall where the DASH F makes a stop, there is also parking for those who want to drive. The WIFI is shared––call it a collective–– by the business in the mixed-use retail and residential complex. Not enough plugs? Extension cords can be provided, says Weiche.
CONS: Closed Sunday. Opened only until 4:30pm on the weekdays; 4pm on Saturday.
FOOD? WHO CARES! THEY HAVE A CLOVER: They have one of those $11,000 Clover machines that brews one cup at a time, and buy from direct trade coffee vendors.
THE WILD CARD: Watching Weiche greet everyone by name, and you sense that titles don't mean entitlement. The barista-nista agrees. "We are the same in the eye of coffee."
Café Corsa / 2238 S. Figueroa Street / 213-746-2604 / 213-617-7006 / Monday - Friday, 7am - 4:30pm / Saturday 7am - 4pm
David Kennedy on March 05, 2009, at 06:41PM – #1
Rather tasteless name for a drink, don't you think? Not sure why the proprietor would celebrate an ideology which caused such enormous suffering (i.e. the massacre of tens of millions). Is Mr. Weiche clueless or evil? Maybe the Marxist Dark Roast is swill and the meant as a joke for those foolish enough to order it. I like that idea.
How about a Gulag Frappucino? How about a Dauchau Espresso? How about a Pol Pot Ca Phe Sua Da? How about a Che Cortado? Yeah, I guess mass murderering 'revolutionaries' need a break from supervising their firing squads.
Here's some food for thought for hipster-dipster set.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Terror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_book_of_communism
Ed Fuentes on March 05, 2009, at 09:30PM – #2
I named the drink for the post, the proprietor did not. But again, it brings up the similar topic and comments that had me decide that my copy of "The Producers" will stay in my collection.
Eddie on March 06, 2009, at 10:10AM – #3
some one needs to switch to decaf
jaason on March 07, 2009, at 05:53PM – #4
right on David, because we all know that the hands of democracy are clean...
but perhaps it's just a celebration of the writings of Marx, not those who committed atrocities under the guise of communist revolution. same as how we can enjoy the idea of the Overman without reducing it down to some vulgar 3rd reich appropriation of Nietzsche.
enjoy!