Michael's Gelato & Cafe

Location: 440 University Ave., Palo Alto

Reviewed: January 12, 2008

Espresso: I was quite surprised at seeing a coffee roaster sitting on the floor in a gelato shop, and when the owner told me they roasted "every day", I figured I had to try it. He's trying to do things right (grinding, tamping, ceramic cup), and to his credit, he did make me a second shot after I rejected the first pour as being too long. The shorter shot was still around 1.5oz (and this for a single); it had a pale-to-medium thin crema (probably because the shot was too hot, which was probably caused by a lack of sufficient cooling flush for an idle grouphead). It tasted of an interesting mixture of slightly bitter and slightly sweet.

Atmosphere: It's a small shop with a half-balcony above the front portion of the storefront. Long and narrow with several tables here and there.

Verdict: One of the better shots for places that do not specifically specialize in coffee.