1: It was the early 2000s. Will Guidara, the General Manager of Eleven Madison Park (EMP), “was lucky enough to was lucky enough to live around the corner from Ninth Street Espresso, one of the first serious espresso bars in New York City,” Will writes in his terrific book Unreasonable Hospitality.

The store’s owner, Ken Nye, “was notoriously exacting,” Will notes. He would adjust the coarseness of … continue reading