Cafe Offerings
"When
I get a little money, I will buy books , and if any is left,
then
I buy food." -- Erasmus
ESPRESSO
AND CAPPUCCINO
Our
staff can create magic on the Astoria
espresso machine, using the finest espresso beans,
potent in naturally regular high octane or full-bodied in
Swiss water-process decaffeinated. Have a straight Espresso
Italian-style or enjoy the wonderful espresso taste blended
with boiling hot water Café Americano style.
We can whip up a Cappuccino (espresso with frothed
milk) or a Latte (espresso with steamed and frothed
milk) in seconds, straight, with a whiff of cinnamon, nutmeg
or cocoa on top or flavored with a shot of over two dozen
Torani syrup selections.
RICHEST
HOT CHOCOLATE IN THE MIDWEST
Master
Barista Larry Dunphy makes the best hot chocolate east of
the Mississippi (and
long-time Assistant Brenda Spratt and apprentices Antoinette
Brown and Bri Boyer are not so bad themselves), with Torani
Chocolate or White Chocolate syrups and hot steamed milk.
We can also make special-ordered drinks like hot chocolate
with Torani Crème de Menthe, Torani Raspberry, Torani
Caramel, or any of the other Torani selections we have.
Don't
care for chocolate? Try a Flavoured Frothy,
requesting any of our Torani flavored syrups. So, you
can have a Hot Zabbione (Italian Eggnog), a Hot
Irish Crème or a Hot French Vanilla!
A
SHOT OF TORANI
You
can enjoy all these drinks with a
shot of Torani. We have at least
two dozen Torani specialty syrups from San Francisco available
at any given time, from time-honored favorites like Irish
Crème, Raspberry and English Toffee to more newfangled Almond
Roca or Ginger Spice and seasonal Italian Eggnog or Pumpkin
Spice. Sweet, packed with taste, and containing
no
alcohol.
Sugar-free
Torani syrups made with Splenda also available.
Back
to Top
ICED
COFFEE
Isn't
Iced Coffee just coffee with ice? Not at Books on
First. Here, we start with one pound of our House Viennese
Roast coffee and steep it in 9 cups of cold water for 14 hours
(yes, that's longer than overnight!) to yield one quart of
concentrate. Our iced coffee is strong enough to stand up
to any ice cube and any thirst! Try this out in our warmer
months!
FRESH-BREWED
COFFEE ALL THE DAY LONG
Books
on First serves Viennese Roast as our House brew.
The mildest of the dark roasts, rich in flavor without the
burnt aftertaste that some roasts may have. You can enjoy
a cup, larger or smaller, early in the a.m., through the lunch
hour, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or a treat before facing
the homefront after a long day’s work.
Our
House Decaffe is a French-Italian Roast, still flavourful
after being naturally decaffeinated through a Swiss water
process. Everyday, we offer a different flavoured coffee
and a different special roast. Favorites like Streudel,
Hazelnut, Chocolate Mint, and Coconut (we also offer Chocolate
Cherry, Amaretto, Vanilla, Cinnamon, and many more). Fair
Trade Certified Organic specialties from around the world
like Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and as well as a New Orleans
blend with chicory to complement our House coffees roasted
fresh by the Chicago Coffee and Tea
Exchange, and are available in larger (16 oz)
and smaller (12 oz) sized helpings.
Our
House, Special, Flavored, and Decaffe coffees are
available at retail by the pound.
Buy
whole beans, or have us grind it for you. (Flavored Coffee
already has deep, rich flavor roasted & ground into it.)
We
also offer our fresh-brewed coffee with steamed milk.
Ask for our popular Café au Lait in the larger or smaller
size.
TEA
We
have many choices for steaming hot tea, both regular and decaffeinated,
as well as herbal brews like Chamomile and Mint.
"Chai"
is a traditional Himalayan drink of brewed tea, chock-full
of exotic spices and brimming with mystique. We serve "Oregon
Chai" out of Portland and full of good things like honey,
ginger and vanilla. Don't be fooled by chai's transcendental
taste. It is packed to the rim with caffeine. For a pick-me-up
or a calm-me-down, enjoy a Chai Latte with us today.
Summertime...,
and the iced tea is freshly made Black Current flavored.
Back
to Top
ITALIAN
SODA
Torani
is the basis for the refreshing Italian soda: three
shots of Torani over ice and soda water. Like an old-fashioned
"phosphate", choose Strawberry or Cherry or Lime,
or concoct your own signature soda like Cherry Vanilla, Cinnamon
Orange or Crème de Menthe. Ask for it "creamed"
(topped with half & half) for something "better than
liquid sherbet."
TORANI
FLAVORS
We
offer a variety of Torani flavors, such as: Almond (Orgeat),
Amaretto, Apple, Blood Orange, Butter Rum, Butterscotch, Caramel,
Cherry, Chocolate, Chocolate Biscotti, Cinnamon, Coconut,
Cranberry, Crème de Banana, Crème de Menthe, English Toffee,
Ginger Spice, Grape, Hazelnut, Italian Eggnog (Zabbione),
Irish Crème, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Mango,
Melon, Maple, Passion Fruit, Peach, Peppermint, Raspberry,
Strawberry, French Vanilla, Vanilla, Watermelon & White
Chocolate
Sugar
Free Flavors: Caramel, Hazelnut, Raspberry, Strawberry, and
Vanilla
DESSERTS
Enjoy
a cookie or a brownie with that cup of coffee. We feature
coffee cakes from Swedish Bakery and baked goods from Middle
Eastern Bakery, both establishments in Chicago's Andersonville
neighborhood. We also have fine Italian pastries as
well as biscotti from D’Amato’s on Chicago’s
Grand Avenue, and other goodies such as cookies from Trader
Joe's.
Back
to Top
 Back to Books
On First
|
