Where do you like your coffee? We each have our go-to spot, our "home away from home." Sometimes it's convenience, sometimes it's the atmosphere, sometimes it's the coffee. And sometimes if you're lucky, it's all three.
I count myself quite fortunate that I have not just one but two such places within reasonable walking distance of my home. One of those, Enigma Coffee in Tarzana, had one of the worst possible things a small business can experience happen just a month ago today when a car smashed through the cafe. It was the end of the day so the shop was mostly empty except for the barista and one or two customers. Just eight people received minor injuries, including the driver, and miraculously no one had to be taken to the hospital. The cafe and the building's elevator however didn't fare so well.
Enigma will be in the rebuilding phase for a while, much of which has to wait until the building's elevator shaft, elevator and supporting walls are first repaired. They somehow managed to get up and running, minus the indoor seating space, within two days. But traffic is slow -- they don't exactly look open, even though they are -- so I thought I'd put a shout out for my "home away from home."
When I'm heading out for the day or finishing up early, Enigma Coffee in Tarzana is often the first or last stop of the day for me. Apart from home, it's where I like to have my coffee. As for how, well, I break my steadfast rules there. I speak and write (on LinkedIn) about "coffee flavored coffee" -- a quick nod to Denis Leary. I'm not a fan of flavored coffees and I don't like my coffee sweetened. I feel if you have to sweeten coffee, it's bad -- or at least inferior -- coffee. And I'm not inclined to buy sweet, cold coffee drinks. Iced coffee is just fine with a little milk. It doesn't need any help. But I make an exception on this last point at Enigma, and that's for The Sam. It's my guilty pleasure -- a salted vanilla oat milk latte that blends their magnificent roast espresso with oat milk and their own salted vanilla syrup. It's heaven over ice. And hey, they got my memo about the oat milk. (For the record, it's also available as a hot latte -- but that's where I go for a regular latte so I can enjoy their wonderful coffee roasts.) If you arrive early in the day while they still have them, pair it with one of the magnificent lemon bars in the sadly far-too-small baked goods case -- my daughter's favorite. She's also taken a recent liking to the coffee cake donuts.
The next time you're in the West San Fernando Valley, visit Enigma's Tarzana location and show them some love while they go through their repairs and reconstruction. And if you see me there, pull up a seat (outside, for now) and say hello. read more