
The BCC has opened a third location, this one at 515 Washington Street in Downtown Crossing. The new place has the same stock as the previous two, gourmet coffees, pastries, panini as well as soups and sides. The location, its entrance still shrouded under a catwalk servicing the demolition of a neighboring building, takes a second glance to notice, but once inside, it’s worth the perspicacity. It’s the chain’s largest and most posh coffee shop to date. It has window seating (kept glare free by the scaffolding outside), a center bar with outlets for those chained to their laptops, a side lounge area with a loveseat and a couch, as well as a super secret rear seating area. This place could serve fifty comfortably.
The drinks almost live up to the décor. The coffee blends rotate with excellent regularity, usually a dark roast, a light roast, and a flavored coffee each day. The espresso beverages are up to snuff, foamy and good, with a minor demerit for what could be an inferior and chalky mocha powder. During warmer months, they serve a concoction called a Nor’easter, sort of a shotgun marriage between ice coffee and slurpee, which proves addictive to those in need of both sugar and caffeine boosts. For those who find coffee unhip or too jitter inducing, there are teas available, both regular and herbal.
The board of fare at BCCC3 is both inviting and decadent. They have the standard array of paninis, gourmet pastries, cookies and whatnot, but the bistro food has a few frills and additions that make it more noteworthy. The quiche is delicate and fluffy without seeming insubstantial. The Ultimate Brownie is certainly well named; a couple of people need to share each one to prevent insulin shock and choco-coma. The tortellini salad is starchy and reliably filling. Combine a few standout bites with an experimental and quirky occasional sandwich special (The John Wayne, the Sal) and it’s a great place for a lunch date or an afternoon of covert street gazing.
For more info: http://www.bostoncommoncoffee.com/