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 home » media » 944 Magazine - Issue 5.4 | April 2006
downtown dripGourmet, organic and hip meet at Drip Coffee Lounge
Drip Coffee Lounge is a study in playful contradictions - its literal name belies its versatility, and the sleek logo offsets its chicly dilapidated facade. It's a coffee shop, but so much more, and one look at Drip's menu makes that evident. Eschewing that same blueberry scone in the usual coffeehouse glass case, Drip offers gourmet sandwiches, electric breakfast offerings and a refreshingly simple array of drinks, all which exclusively use organic dairy and produce. Owner Gina Belle Madrid highly recommends breakfast items such as French toast and the Egg Scrambled Sandwich. Innovation is not limited to the dishes featured on the menu, however. Precious little touches such as Drip's philosophy (“Made with love: please recycle, thank you, thank you very much”) ad quirky names (breakfast sides are referred to as “small yummies”) give Drip a comfortable feel, even in the stark modern interior. Madrid describes her coffee lounge as “blending of talents,” because it's a caffeinated hub for local efforts. Drip partner Bine Saccento also designed the interior and Chef Jeff Klein is a veteran silversmith of 12 years who displays his chain-link necklaces and bracelets. What's more, Drip hosts regular open-mic nights for local musicians and singer/songwriters. Madrid eventually wants to give the entire lounge a boutique feel where offerings will include books, art and even handcrafted furniture. (Perhaps host to the worlds first truly comfortable barstool, Drip distributes the chairs and will eventually make them available to customers.) Drip Coffee Lounge's interior feels very cool and slick, but there's definitely and organic element seen throughout. It even evolves -”We're going to stay fluid,” says Madrid. “We're always going to change it up.”
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