I know it’s neither green nor Irish, but on Saint Patrick’s Day I stopped into the bakery at Potenza for a Large Coffee ($1.95). This, after getting my hair cut at Paul Ramadan’s wonderful Nantucket Hair Salon (ask for Paul or Howard when you call, and tell Marco at the front desk I said hello).
Normally, I wouldn’t bother writing about my morning cup of coffee, but it’s nice to remember that Potenza has a fine bakery as well, is smack dab in the middle of downtown at 15th and H Streets, and most importantly, is a block away from both Starbucks and Cosi.
While Potenza, which is run by the same company that owns Zola, hardly needs my support, it’s still a locally owned corporation that’s worth walking the extra block for if you want to support independent restaurants instead of chains (and let’s not forget, coffee is a very high-profit item). And if you want to do it for entirely selfish reasons, their coffee is only $1.95 for a large, is better than the coffees at both Starbucks and Cosi, and the baked goods simply blow away those offered at both of these mega-chains.