Well, if you can think past that, you biased dick, you might also know that Colombia exports a buttload of the worlds coffee (third most in the world) and is really turning around as far as safety goes. I know very little much about the rest of it, so I'll stop there on grandstanding about a culture I know nothing about, but I'll tell you what I do know about: what yuppie scum (like myself) calls 'Third Wave Coffee.'
Presumably, this is the realm of those mustachioed baristas whose self-importance is second only to the self-proclaimed craft bartenders of the world (of which I used to be) and its detractors may say its making something simple far more complicated than it need be. After all, what's wrong with Sanka?
EVERYTHING. WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? ESTELLE COSTANZA IS YOUR TASTE MAKER?
Third Wave Coffee comes to us on the heels of a transitioning economy, where previously people's passions might have been in industry or craftsmanship, a large swath of the population suddenly finds themselves both creating and consuming things that were once a simple part of life in a new, more refined version. I don't want to get into a chicken-and-egg conversation about whether or not third wave coffee was forced upon the public or if there was public demand that created the ubiquity of these types of shops, but it falls perfectly in order if you think about it. Think craft beer versus Miller High Life; the explosion of craft whiskeys versus the bottle of Old Crow collecting dust on your grandfather's bar (which you continually hope no one notices how much is gone and/or diluted); the popularity of Neapolitan style pizza versus the old pizza shops with their aging electric ovens. Its only natural that coffee would follow this; after all, Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee a day. There's got to be demand for a craft version somewhere.
Enter the town of State College, PA. Home to one of the largest public universities in the United States in what is essentially the middle of fucking nowhere (seriously, its just mountains and farmland and I LOVE it around here) its becoming a food oasis. The area gets a lot of food trends coming in from larger cities, whether the area is prepared for them or not. For instance, we have two places with soup dumplings; a Thai ice cream place is opening; a hawker style food court is opening; and numerous Sichuan and other various region specific restaurants are all over the place.
Needless to say, there's also countless coffee shops. Many have remained mainstays in town, but since my return in 2016, I haven't found a better pour-over. (This search has not been exhaustive.) However, coffee can only go so very far for me; I am much more interested in effect than flavor regarding my caffeine containing beverages (hence the black sludge of Cafe Bustelo I wake up and make every morning) so one might ask, why, Alex, we know you don't give a fuck about how coffee tastes (you are wrong), why are you reviewing a coffee shop?
EMPANADAS. Empanadas and deep fried plantains and other various comforting foods. Because I love these things. Comfort extends across all cultures, no matter the ingredient; if its prepared with love, with simplicity, and with tradition, it's most likely comfort food If its comfort food, its probably going to be good.
Now on to the good stuff....
YOU NEED ACID IF ITS FRIED
If you have group therapy at 1 pm. in the middle of town and don't eat lunch with a friend from the group, you're kind of wasting that time, right? Right. So now you get the setting: my friend Roni and I are both in the same group and are both hungry people.
This is her. She works at a hoagie shop that I'll review at some point. She's a good friend.She claims her real name is Demonica.
This spot is right beside a Chipotle, an 'Asian Cafe,' a pretty dope bagel place (which I will ALSO review later), a FANTASTIC Lebanese place, and down the street from several other great places to eat. This place is probably going to always be my first choice among all of these places, however. I'll make it real simple for ya: their empanadas are handmade. Not like those garbage kind that come in frozen packs that places try to pass off as good. Not like those $2 things from questionable food carts in Bushwick. Oh no, these are handmade. They are three for $6, and come with a little bit of lime and a deliciously acidic salsa that perfectly offsets the rich fried flavors.
I got beef, pork and chicken. Each are mixed with a variety of spices and fillings and are absolutely excellent.
They also offer several other excellent small options, such as delicious arepas and lovely pan de quesos. We opted for patacones as another dish because I can't get enough of fried plantains.
The accompanying guac was obviously made in hous and had large lovely parts of avocado which is fine by me, I wish it had a lime wedge as well because it was missing a bit of an acid component. It had plenty of cilantro, though.
I also got an Antioquia pour over which was absolutely delicious and light; Roni got a cold brew of Bourbon (which is not pronounced like the American style of whiskey.) With a dash of cream and sugar, the flavor of the cold brew still stuck out and I wound up finishing it later on because of her good heart.
The space is very inviting, brightly decorated and has a variety of bar stools, chairs, couches and an upstairs in case its packed or if you desire to be removed from the public. I often wish to be when drinking coffee and focusing on a book.
With businesses pouring in and out of State College at what seems a drop of a hat, I really hope Barranquero sticks around and keeps its craft coffee and delicious snacks coming. They also offer a lot of baked goods and your more traditional coffee shop offerings, but I can't help but love empanadas.
CAFFEINE FIEND SAYS: THE COFFEE IS WORTH IT
HUNGRY BUNGLER SAYS: GOOD FOR SNACKS, MAYBE NOT A MEAL
Barranquero Cafe
324 East Calder Way
State College, PA 16803
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