I was recently invited to attend the Dolce Gusto Food Feed Up, to showcase a restaurant that I previously hadn’t heard of, and to introduce us to the Dolce Gusto. The event was held at Almond in the Flatiron. I tapped Beer Boor to join me, as he’s the resident beverage/coffee expert, but due to a miscommunication, he was unable to stay for dinner. However, he will be weighing in at the end, as he was the happy recipient of yet another coffee machine.
No matter, as I wound up sitting with Andrea and Esther, and we benefited from the extra first course that wound up at our side of the table – three giant shrimp cocktail. Okay, I don’t particularly care for shrimp – after working at an establishment where one of the easiest things to eat between serving people was the shrimp dish, and just eating too much shrimp in one summer – but these were huge, tender, sweet, cooked perfectly, and I really enjoyed my portion. I happily gave up the second plate to the other girls, but I was pleased with what I ate.
Hot, crusty bread arrived as well, and it was good.
Next up: meats & cheeses! We all had our favorites, but mine was definitely without a doubt oh my gosh what is this it’s so good… the duck prosciutto. Fatty, meaty, so freaking good… I would love to pile that on some bread and just omg… fantastic.
Our next course, goat cheese ravioli, wasn’t to my tastes. Still very good – loved the smokiness of the tomato and the corn bits, but I’m not a ravioli person and by this time, I’d totally filled up on the meats and cheeses. Whoops!
Our final course, lamb two ways, included a lamb sausage that I didn’t care for but a lamb chop that was perfectly cooked – tender, medium rare, and just deliciously seasoned. Yum!
I was pretty impressed with Almond’s food, and now definitely want to go back to order as I please from the menu. The only negative I could think of was the very odd service; I realize we were a party in the back, and while we were never ignored, our plates were kind of thrown on the table and in no order. There was always a plate per person, but the plates were often just stuck in the middle of the table, which confused us initially. Very odd. But I will definitely be back for a real meal and give a proper review – TT has already checked them out at Madison Square Eats!
But the point of the evening, aside from mingling and eating with fellow food bloggers, was to introduce the Dolce Gusto. The Nestle people kindly sent machines to each of our homes for us to test, enjoy, and play with – and while I’ve had my share of fun playing with mine (already purchasing chococino capsules to replace my morning joe), the true coffee expert here is Beer Boor, so I’ll let him tell you about his experience.
I managed to get a cappuccino at the event before I had to leave Almond. The representative happily walked me through the steps she took to produce the drink, which yielded a drink of about six ounces, all told. In a nutshell, the Dolce Gusto machine we were given takes its proprietary capsules (much like the Nespresso machine you see in the background, except — naturally — a different size capsule) of coffee or chocolate — and, for some packages like Cappuccino, powdered milk — and forces heated water through them to produce the drink, much like an espresso machine. With this machine, the amount of liquid you ultimately receive is controlled manually, so if you forget to switch off the water, you’ll wind up with a large, watery beverage.
At any rate, the rep generated about three ounces of hot milk from the milk capsule, removed that, inserted the coffee capsule, and created another three ounces or so of coffee, producing a cute little cappuccino. How did it taste? Well… it wasn’t unbelievable, but if you’re addicted to coffee drinks, this might work as a quick alternative to standing in line at the local coffee shop.
Of course, I also had to set the machine up at home to see how I got along with it. I haven’t got clear coffee mugs, so a beer glass was pressed into service.
I inserted a Caffe Lungo capsule, made of “100% Arabica Roast & Ground Coffee”, and set to work. The machine is quieter than the Nespresso by a long shot, but delivers a steady stream of hot espresso, which I shut off after about four ounces as directed.
The espresso cascades beautifully in the glass, and once it settled — like the Nespresso, it does drip for a while — I brought it out of the kitchen to give it a fair shake.
The benefit to this machine is its ease of use and ability to make just a cup at a time. Once you get the hang of the sequence, it’s fairly easy to use. And of course, it’s easy to generate just one cup/shot to start your day. My issue is a recurring one: there’s little choice, little freedom to choose your beans, so you’re at the mercy of the Nestle product managers. To that end, this coffee is… well, boring. It’s reasonably roasted, with definite coffee flavor, sure, but it isn’t bright nor focused. It’s coffee as commodity, which is the problem I’ve had with most of the single-serve machines.
On top of that, I’m not a fan of the price one pays for convenience. A pack of sixteen capsules — either 16 capsules of coffee or chocolate, or an 8-8 split with the milk capsules — is expected to retail around $9-$9.50. So a large espresso as above will cost around 60 cents, while a cappuccino will set you back $1.20. For a six-ounce drink. I’m fairly certain I could make several pots of coffee, or espresso, with my own beans for 60 cents.
But the machine will find its adherents, simply because it’s small, it’s easy and quick, and compared to retail coffee outlets, it’s cost-effective. If that’s what you want in the morning, then the Dolce Gusto will do a fine job filling your coffee and coffee-drink needs.
Aimee Self says
Gorgeous shrimp and I love the meat and cheeses.
Hungry says
Almond isn’t a new restaurant right? I’ve head of it before and have been wanting to go for years.
Feisty Foodie says
No, I don’t think it’s new. I just never heard of it, but that doesn’t mean anything since I don’t keep up anymore. I wouldn’t mind going back!
T.C. says
Nice. Meats & Cheeses!
I think I tried the capp recently with no milk shot and it was okay.
I enjoy washing down lunches or heavy meals with hot coffee. No machine or anything at home though. Not as lucky as the Feisty Family crew.
Hope to get on a lamb meatball sub before it’s too late but will see.