Pony Espresso Opens in Paris; Thousands Flock to Greenville's Sister Cart!

Dateline Paris -- Well, not exactly, but fortunately someone has taken the Pony Espresso concept to the streets of Paris -- more precisely 2 minutes from S's office. The best part is that it's really, really good. They do it right (perfect espresso extraction, milk velvety-steamed to the right temperature, great beans and roast -- exactly what we coffee geeks seek) and appreciate S's twice-daily patronage. The best part is that they let S make his own caffe lattes, which takes him back to those freezing days outside with his Pony Espresso cart in downtown Greenville. The two owners of Alto Cafe, Tom and Aleaume, have basically started out like S did with Pony Espresso, though they seem to be more successful. They have a primo spot inside Galeries Lafayette, one of the biggest department stores in Paris, as well as an outdoor cart (the back of a converted mini-truck--really cool) in front. The French don't really go for it, they say, it's mostly tourists. "Coffee to go" is mostly a foreign, i.e. American, concept. The French are brought up to appreciate drinking a coffee the same way as a glass of wine - slowly, while sitting down. Drinking on the go just doesn't work for them. We can buy that. But still, our American side loves a well-made caffe latte to go. The Ugly American Latte Lovers, i guess. With Starbucks almost at every corner in Paris these days, it's great to finally have a good alternative. ~30~