Discovering Fratello was an unexpected surprise… a bit like discovering a $10 bill in your jeans pocket while doing laundry. On the weekend, while Niña was off screaming, running and playing laser tag with a dozen of her friends, I asked Yelp’s Monocle to help me find a coffee shop in my immediate vicinity — one that wasn’t a Starbucks, Second Cup, or Tim Hortons.
In its rather messy jiggly way, Monocle pointed me to Blackfoot and Heritage; Fratello is in the belly of the very loud, chaotic beast that is known as the Calgary Farmer’s Market (open weekends only).
The woman on the left in the photo above is using a pour-over-bar. Instead of brewing coffee in a pot that doesn’t allow you control over where the water flows, each coffee is made individually. People were positively transfixed as the barrista poured each coffee. My own latte was creamy, smooth, and had a nice after-taste. Apparently, the secret is in the Slayer Espresso Machine.
The Farmer’s Market itself isn’t a particularly peaceful place to sit and enjoy a brew. It’s predominantly populated with screaming children, frazzled parents, the weekend shopping crowd, and a general feeling of chaos. It this isn’t your particular brand of vodka, try the standalone shop in Calgary’s SE.
