If you want to experience Joni’s Coffee the way I did, bring your boyfriend along and watch as he gets force fed a spoonful of “ultimate oatmeal” by Joni herself. At once over the top and oddly charming, that one moment pretty much sums up the whole visit.
Claiming repeatedly that she “takes no prisoners”, Joni sat me down and dove into her explanation of how she had the best coffee in the world, no contest. Knowing that Joni used to be a real estate agent might help immensely in imaging this continual selling of things that are, yes, fresh, well prepared and tasty, (my boyfriend had a yummy egg salad sandwich) but not as mind blowingly special as the verbal marketing attempts to make it seem.
I like being able to discover something on my own, so it was difficult to separate my own opinion from the opinion I was being consistently, well, force fed.
Still, the maternal instincts are a clear indication that Joni truly loves her cafe, and it shows nicely. The interior of the cafe was really welcoming and sweet, casually quirky with it’s bold red and yellow accents, and firmly in it’s place as a well-kept little beach pad without being beach-bummy.
20 years ago Joni took the place over from an old hippie man who was roasting coffee right there in the store. The cafe still maintains this practice with a handsome roaster that looks straight out of a Disneyland museum, tucked in the corner of the store, roasting the beans, grinding and brewing them per cup. They use “reverse osmosis water” like Evian, apparently. Sounds neat, but I have to admit I’m not sure if they brew it like that because they know that it makes a better cup of coffee, or whether they just want it to appear as though they know how to brew a better cup of coffee.
I was treated to a Latte in a glass cup (which I don’t usually like but it looked pretty sexy) and a couple of cups of “the freshest coffee in the world”, one French Roast and later a 100% Kona. The first sip of Latte was nice and strong but seemed a tad bitter. The French roast was dark, strong and drinkable which I like, but the Kona didn’t taste as good as I remember it should. Maybe that’s my memory, maybe that’s the Kona, not sure!
That Ultimate oatmeal that Joni fed my beau was out of this world - fluffy and sweet, made using a secret recipe that, if I heard right, doesn’t use water. Laced with strawberry yogurt, walnuts, raisins and bananas that seem to turn into whip cream, it’s a heavenly cloud in a bowl. I’d say go there to get the oatmeal, first and foremost. If you can discover the coffee on your own, all the better.
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Joni’s Coffee
552 Washington Blvd.
Marina del Rey.
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Photos by Jamie
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5 responses so far ↓
1 ronne // Jun 8, 2008 at 12:58 pm
i’m intrigued! maybe it was the story, the oatmeal, or the photo of that dripping delicious-looking foam, but i imagined hearing joni mitchell’s sweet voice singing in the background, and i’m hooked.
2 Coffee Competition: Quest for the Best Bean | LA.CityZine.com - Los Angeles // Jun 11, 2008 at 12:23 am
[...] Joni’s Coffee, Marina del Rey [...]
3 michael // Jun 13, 2008 at 9:12 am
Best coffee in LA bar none!
4 LA.CityZine Coffee Competition: Quest For the Best Bean | LA.CityZine.com - Los Angeles // Jun 23, 2008 at 10:05 am
[...] Joniâs Coffee, Marina del Rey [...]
5 Coffee Competition’s Gift Certificate Winners! | LA.CityZine.com - Los Angeles // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:00 am
[...] Joni’s Cafe: Michael [...]
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