Have we already talked about this place? I know I told someone, so if I’m repeating myself just put it down to old age and an unwillingness to do a simple search.
A “friend of a friend” is a big shot in the Houston Ballet and the story goes that Catalina was started by some former members of the ballet. I don’t know if they were dancers or stagehands or what, but that’s the story and how I came to even know about it.
I know it’s made some local “Best Of…” lists and very rightly so. Now, I’m not a particularly well-traveled man. But I have been to Seattle and San Francisco and New York and Holland. I’ve had some excellent coffee in the last forty years. But Catalina is a whole ‘nuther deal. It’s just incredible.
“My drink” is a breve latte, which is a latte made with half and half instead of whole milk. (Pronounced: “brev-AY la-TAY”.) I was in a Starbuck’s once a long long time ago and when I ordered my-then-usual latte, the barista asked if I wanted “Low Fat” milk. I laughed and said “No, I want double fat milk”. He laughed and said, “Oh, you want a breve latte”, and I don’t think I’ve ever ordered anything in a coffee shop since.
Seriously.
It’s incredibly rich and delicious even at Starbucks, but Catalina elevates it to a divine sacrament.
Seriously.
The only other place that comes close is Caffé Medici in Austin and even that is best experienced at the original location in the Clarksville area on West Lynn.
Go to Catalina and request a breve latte. You might not like it. But if you don’t, you don’t ever have to order it there or anywhere else ever again, because if you don’t care for it at Catalina then trust me, “It’s just not your thing”.
To sum up: Catalina Coffee, Breve Latte - The Best Cup of Coffee I’ve Ever Had.
Seriously.
