Coffee is good, but good coffee is great!

This Friday night was date night with my husband and we found ourselves in a little-known coffee house in Fullerton. Down a small alley on a not-well-traveled side street off Harbor Blvd. is Max Blooms Cafe Noir, a newly opened treasure. Entering into the store is like going back in time.

Part museum, part coffee house, the love of 1940's era is everywhere: from the vintage photos of Fullerton, the antique typewriter as well as the antique piano that is still played in the establishment today, the joint oozes atmosphere. You expect Mickey Spillane to step out of the shadows any minute. Mixed about with the authentic film-noir era movie posters, you will find an eclectic collection of movies for sale. It's a sort of rental system, buy the movie for $15, and they buy it back from you for $12. A bank of theatre seats faces a television and a shelf of books ranging from "Husband-Tested Recipes," an old paperback cookbook from the era, and a ton of books on old films and directors. It's the kind of place you can spend some time exploring. There's even a map to point out pieces in the collection.

Everywhere you look is a testimony of the labor of love that is Max Bloom's. And the coffee? Oh, the coffee!

Like nothing you have tasted. Roasted personally by owner Stephen Sprague, it is smooth, and toasty without a hint of bitterness. I am still dreaming of the amazing mocha latte I had. It was perfect. Smooth, creamy, with a touch of chocolate, and in a mug, no less! My husband had the regular coffee, and it was just as good. And where can you get a cup of joe for $ .89? Coffee is a passion for Stephen, and it shows.

Coffee is serious business. He explained to me how to make the perfect cappuccino, and why they don't travel well. (the perfect capp is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk and 1/3 foam...so you can't make it to go). He can make you a latte, though. And it will be the best you have ever had.

And, with bakery treats and a refrigerator stocked with old-fashioned sodas, they have something for everyone. But don't forget your wallet, because Max Bloom's only takes cash.

If you are tired of big-chain coffee, maybe you need to stop in and see Max Bloom.

Max Bloom's Cafe Noir

220 N. Malden Ave

Fullerton, CA 92832

(714) 871-2600

CASH ONLY

become a fan on facebook
currently doesn't have much a web presence, but as soon as they do, I will update.

T, who loves coffee

Related articles by Zemanta

• Behind the Scenes with Mad Men (strobist.blogspot.com)
• The Strangest Movie Posters You'll Ever See (cinematical.com)
• TwitCritics Scours Twitter to Bring You Movie Reviews [Movies] (lifehacker.com)
• Coffee Talk: Café au Lait, Cappuccino, Latté, Machiatto What's the Difference? (thekitchn.com)
• How Much Coffee Do You Typically Drink in a Day? (fitsugar.com)

A Snapshot of my Bizarre Marriage

Tonight, Jon and I went out to a quick dinner and caught a movie together. We don't get out much. This exchange followed in the car on the way home:

(after discussing serious political wonkiness and Christianity influenced by pagan traditions)

Jon: (who has a habit of injecting "monkey butt into conversations. No, I don't know why, you would need to ask him...)
"Monkey butt!"

Me: "Yes, monkey butt, we were talking about pagans, though."

Jon: "Yeah, huh?""
"Classic pagans weren't really around monkeys much, ..."

Tina:"Probably would depend upon where they lived.... so what did they have instead? Llamas?"

Jon: "Llama butt? Doesn't really work."

Me: No, it doesn't, does it. How about flying llamas? Llamas...with wings?"

Jon: no, no. Flying monkeys, see, it just works better."

Me: Yeah, don't make me get my flying llamas, it's kinda lame... not very scary."

Jon: What are they gonna do spit on you?"

And this is why we don't drink.

T, who likes llamas, but alpacas are better

Technorati: randomness, humor, llamas

When They Say Rated R, Believe Them

Went to see Wanted with J tonight. Summer, movie, we figured what the heck? It had Angelina Jolie, how bad could it be? Besides, I had my bucket o' popcorn with butter junk and dark chocolate covered raisins, I was set.

The music had a great soundtrack, hard-driving, thumping rock with the likes of Guns N Roses, fit beautifully. What is the actual movie like? Think: The Matrix meets Fight Club meets Ferris Bueller, with some Ratatouille if you see it, you will understand mixed in. It is a polished, over-the-top, gratuitious blood fest, based upon the comic book of the same name. If you like your movies with little character development, and a lot of action, this is your movie. In short, it is a Summer Blockbuster.

Go expecting a thrill ride and not a lot of substance. Angelina isn't given much to do, but she pouts prettily and is a tough bitch.You want her, you know you do She does what she can with the role, the obligatory damaged-kid, damaged adult role. James Macavoy, the "flavor of the moment" was decent as the Put-Upon Schmuck who Finds Himself. He reminded me of Shia LeBoef's character Louis on Even Stevens....or, for those old schoolers, the brat-pack edition of Andrew McCarthy.

Definitely a movie for the big screen. I saw stunts I had never seen before. The effects were good, the blood was overdone. The director clearly enjoyed the violence, it was almost gleeful. And the F-Bomb was dropped about 900,000 times. I swear, everyone in the movie from the kids' boss to his girlfriend to the guy who serves him coffee drops it. At some point, you wonder, what is the point? If you overuse a word, it loses it's effectiveness. They might as well have been saying, "library."

There are some almost laughable nods and parallels to pop culture: Darth Vader, Inigo Montoya "You keel my fadder, prepare to die! Still, it was a good way to spend an evening, and if you are a frequent movie-goer, like your movies with little realism and a whole lotta guns, guts spilling and car chases, this is your movie. Obviously, this is NOT a movie for kids. I will never forget the idiots who brought kids to The Matrix. little kids. I wanted to b-slap the momma, seriously. So, remember when I said NSFK.

3 1/2 stars

T, who loved the Matrix but is just meh on this one

Technorati: Wanted, movie_review, movies