I just came back from a long overdue visit to Seattle.  Who cares? you, denizens of Jersey City, ask.  Well, not many people but I have only a few things to report:

1) Spoils - came back with some excellent Caffe Vita coffee and 1/2 a sopresatta from Salumi, the original (well it moved a couple times I guess) Batali restaurant.  The sopresatta is firm, dry and flavorful.  A little goes a long way and I recently tossed in a diced slice to a bowl of pasta to add a meaty, slightly sour and spicy treat for the tastebuds.

2) Coffee update - I have it from a little bird (my Moms) that the homegrown Seattle favorite Caffe Vita, which roasts its own dark rich chocolatey beans (see above) and brews up some of the most ethereal thick foamy lattes with a delicate pour, is planning to open a Lower East Side outpost.  Vita already has six locations in Seattle, one in Olympia and an eighth in Portland, Oregon.  The new Lower East Side location is set to open October 1st but may open later, depending on the license process.

I have been ordering whole bean, or ground when I’m lazy, from Vita since 2005 with a shipping cost of $10 per pound.  When the wallet was slim, I would hold out for a little bird (my Moms) to smuggle coffee in her luggage at the low cost of $0 to me.  Freedom, Coffee Drinkers, is upon us!  Rejoice!  Caffeinate!