As we first approached the Asteroid Cafe I was impressed with the sign outside which says "Pasta and Espresso". On entering the tiny cafe I was further impressed by the long, richly stocked row of wine bottles. So what am I doing in here getting an espresso? I thought to myself. I should be having a lovely meal instead! Ah, well, it was 2:30 in the afternoon, I wasn't hungry, and we were driving to the airport in a little while to pick up Mistah Rick, my Bay Area friend. And then we'd probably have a couple pints of beer somewhere, and then perhaps dinner at Peso's Taco Lounge...so at that moment I really did need a cappuccino instead of a pasta dinner.

The Hem -- er, I mean, Asteroid Cafe was opened in late 1997 by Jason Finn (drummer of the late Presidents of the United States), Walkabouts bassist Michael Wells, and LA musician Marlin Hathaway, who currently runs the place. It's a pleasant cafe with forest green-topped tables, cool jazz playing, and rather pleasing and comforting modern art on the walls. (According to the posted bio of artist Eben Eldridge, his favorite ice cream is Chocolate Malted Crunch, although I hesitate to imagine what exactly that does for his credibility. Eldridge is also a musician, which must be the common theme here.) The walls are painted silverish, the woodwork navy blue, and the ceiling is a dull mauve, resulting in what I would call a "subdued" color scheme. Yes, comforting and subdued are the operative words here.

My double short cappuccino, prepared by an impressively amiable barista, arrived in a nice round generic cream-colored coffee cup. The Asteroid Cafe uses Caffé Vita beans, which is always a good sign. The shots were strong but a bit on the sour side; too many asteroids in the foam belt, perhaps? The milk foam had a "rocky head", a new beer term I just recently discovered. It does describe the foam perfectly: thick, bumpy, rolling like small boulders skating down a shallow slope until they pause at the edge, deciding whether or not they should tumble onto the highway below, bringing about possible death and destruction in their wake. But in this case there were no cars driving across the green-topped table, so the foam chose to stay perched on the coffee cup's rim.

Aside from espresso the Asteroid Cafe also serves pasta, panini, and breakfast items. I'd like to stop back soon and try a Sorrentina Panini with a glass of Villa Puccini, or perhaps some Farfalle con Salmone Affumicato accompanied by a nice Montepulciano, or maybe just start my Sunday with a Tostato Frittata and a double macchiato. The inviting menu definitely inspires poetry, as does the overhead light fixture seemingly inspired by Seattle Center's three atomic neon lights from the 1962 World's Fair.

I didn't observe any major planets orbiting nearby, but the Asteroid is directly across the street from the Green Lantern Tavern, which is a perfect manifestation of the American term "tavern", a true anomaly in a town full of brewpubs and wine bars. And the Green Lantern Tavern is also green -- in fact, as we sat drinking our cappuccinos I watched an old-timer in a green jacket enter the place just as "Satin Doll" was playing on the stereo. As I thought about green satin, I happened to notice both Max and I were wearing green jackets! Was this some sort of strange coincidence, or was it proof we were tumbling through space on a green asteroid instead of Planet Earth? (And why would an asteroid be necessarily green?)