Wicked Grounds - CLOSED

12/19/2010

4/5 stars

Of *course* I had to go a bit out of my way to try Wicked Grounds on my visit. Pervy coffee? Hell yeah! The cappuccino was smooth and tasty. I've been shocking myself lately (no, not *that* way, at least not on purpose) with a lower-than-expected tolerance for coffee, so I only tried one coffee drink. The roaster (Ritual) is pretty good; none of the "fancy" roasters in the SF area have ever blown my socks off (yes, looking at you Blue Bottle). There's a roaster right around the corner I didn't know… Wish I could have tried their beans at Wicked Grounds.

I was introduced to a dangerous new interest here (no, not *that* way, those interests aren't new). Dry Soda out of Seattle. Darned good soda. Fresh flavors like lemongrass and a crisp, dry finish. I've liked crisp smacks lately (no, not *that* wa… err, ok, maybe), so I really liked these sodas. They have other options, too. This place is big on options.

The vibe was typical college-ish coffee shop. The kink bits are there and prominent but not in your face. At least not to me. But perhaps I'm not the best judge of this… People were having emotional heart-to-hearts without garnering annoyed looks from either the laptop brigade or the coarser set. Nice.

You won't find people who object to anything on display in Wicked Grounds; the kink and gay pride flags on the windoes see to that. The staff was interesting. Another review mentions a be-mohawked young lass with attitude. Yup, she has attitude, but it sure wasn't directed towards anyone that I saw. Everyone has bad days, and hers likely are doozies. The kink-friendly lawyer's a trip. Lawyers typically make me angry. Bruce Banner angry. But she's cool. That's a mindfuck in itself.

Free wifi, no pressure to get your butt out, although I was there on a slow day. Definitely will return if I can.

Yelp tags: Coffee & Tea Adult Entertainment