Il Capriccio on Vermont

Il Capriccio on Vermont
1757 North Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027

The occasion was dinner for our departing friend Stephanie. My two slack coffee correspondents and I decide to treat her to a nice local Italian spot introduced to us by our friend Anselm. We had been there before and collectively remarked on the lackluster coffee experience, however everyone deserves a second chance. This was their's.
The food was nice, as was our server despite being a little slow on the delivery of every course. At the conclusion of dinner we decided to try a variety of coffees and desserts. I opted for a straight up cup of decaf and shared the homemade tiramisu. Everyone else got cappuccinos, with Stephanie's being decaf. We also shared the apple pie a la mode.
My coffee was hot and I took it black in order to discover the true flavor...there was none to speak of, but I tried. I sampled the capps as well as asked my usual round of questions to get the tables consensus.
Does the coffee have a distinct flavor?
No, not really.
Can you taste the components of the drink?
sort of.
What is the strongest flavor?
The coffee, only cuz the foam has none.
Is the milk sweet? Does it have any flavor?
nope.
What is the consistency of the Foam?
Decent bubbles, but no body or flavor.
Is the drink hot?
Yes.

So after a round of discussions and some explanations of my simple review process to Stephanie (who btw is currently designing the Coffee and Smog Header), I concluded my review for the table's coffees collectively:

- Review -

- Coffee -
*
They have a nice machine and a young lady hanging nearby at all times, which leads me to believe they are somewhat aware of the importance of good coffee. However, the coffee taste like Folgers or some other kind of generic, diner blend. This is not acceptable.
COME ON!!!
Buy some good coffee and grind it fresh. It is not that hard. Even Pazzo Gelato manages to buy the good stuff before they screw it up.

- Foam -
*
This is the part I am most often upset and confused by...In most cases, at most places, this is the ONLY real MANUAL part of the process. EVERYTHING ELSE the machines do for you. This could be the one part of the process were the human being really steps in and applies creativity and that all too important HUMAN TOUCH. However, more often then not, it ends up being the "I will think about my laundry and how little I make" phase of the coffee preparation process. And so you get dish soap bubbles or burnt milk sludge. On this occasion it was dish soap bubbles, which IS better than sludge, thus the 1 star.

- Presentation -
*
Nice Pasquini porcelain and the server got most of the coffee to us still in the cup.

- Overall -
*
NOT GOOD ENOUGH. You guys have a nice spot, in a GREAT fucking location. I mean COME ON!!!
Take the time to send your staff to Coffee Intelligentsia at Sunset Junction (once they open) to learn how to do it right and while you are there, BUY SOME COFFEE. I suggest the Black Cat espresso blend.

I may sounds mad with all the caps and ranting, and that would be because I AM!
This is exactly what I am talking about in this lame ass town.
Great spot. Good food. Could be a local hang for dessert and coffee, but instead you get a photo copy of the real thing.

p.s. maybe you should hire the young lady from Kaldi...