Dallas is trending big-time on new coffee spots, and now comes another. Method: Caffeination & Fare will open at the corner of Ross Avenue and Hall Street, next to Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen, in early 2014.
Method features a visionary owner and a novel espresso machine that makes the trendy La Marzocco taste like yesterday's news. Owner Louie Corwin is 25 and a former barista at Pearl Cup, with loads of enthusiasm and ideas for taking coffee to the next step of attention, obsession, perfection.
Corwin gained experience working with Jonathan Meadows (Cultivar Coffee) and oversaw the coffee program at Origin Natural Food. He left Origin in May 2013 to fulfill his longtime goal of opening his own shop. He found the perfect spot next to Joyce & Gigi's, which landlord Richard Allen had earmarked for a coffee shop.
"At 22, when I was working at Pearl Cup, I knew that this was what I wanted to do," he says. "I see coffee shops as the new social grounds for our generation. Whether you're working from home or via satellite, it's that new realm of third space."
For Corwin, it's also a way to be part of the city. "I've lived in Dallas all my life; I have a full-sleeve tattoo of Texas," he says. "So many people say they want to move to Austin or California. My thought is, if you want cool stuff, why don't you do something about it?"
As for the burgeoning coffee scene, he says there's plenty of room to grow, especially with the various coffee-geek bells and whistles he's bringing to the table. His preparation methods will include Chemex, the shiny new Espro brand French press, and an espresso machine by a Seattle outfit called Slayer.
"It's a custom-made machine that takes a whole new approach on how to pull shots," Corwin says. "Right now, there's only one in Texas, down in San Antonio."
Beans will come from roaster Novel Coffee, and he'll bring in beans from guest roasters once a month. There'll also be a small menu of snacks and pastries.
Parking is limited, so Method will coordinate its hours with Joyce & Gigi's by closing at 5 pm, when J&G's opens. His space is about 1,750 square feet, but it boasts a huge patio that will be decidedly dog-friendly. Corwin is also a competitive cyclist on one of the local teams, so he's including a big area for bike parking.
All those details aside, Corwin says that the most important thing is that he'll actually be there every morning.
"If you look at the success of Mr. Mesero – Mico is there," Corwin says. "Look at Louie's on Henderson. he was there day in and day out. That's what it takes to survive, especially with coffee."
Lattes will be on the menu at Method in East Dallas.
