LUXXE AND LUXOR ...!

Luxe means “luxury; elegance; sumptuousness” and that’s exactly what you get at Caffé Luxxe. Located at 925 Montana, Café Luxe is just two blocks from Our Favorite Starbucks but anyone who’s been there will tell you it’s a world away. I made the scene there this afternoon, intent on seeing whether the Luxxe lives up to its reputation … and I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered the Cappuccino ($3.75) along with a Macaron ($2.00 ). The cappuccino was a work of art, the perfect balance of foam and coffee swirled into a design so tasteful it would make the Monks of Capuchin weep. The Macaron was just as good. The Luxxe is known for its Authentic French Macarons, which are baked daily by a local master pastry chef and come in a variety of flavors ranging from Vanilla to Passion Fruit. I ordered Sweet Almond and can’t imagine a better choice. It was so light it melted on my tongue and the almond filling was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. The service was friendly and efficient … and, of course, Manager Nathaniel had no problems with the fact that I took photos inside using my cell phone. My only complaint about Caffé Luxxe was that it was so crowded it took a while to find a seat. People arrive in throngs before 3:00 p.m. and run a tab.

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Meanwhile, moving from Luxxe to Luxor, the crowd at 7th and Montana breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday on news that Neighbor Steven and his wife made it out of Egypt safe and sound. As fate would have it, they were in Luxor when the revolution began. After spending a few tense days in “lock down” mode in their hotel, they were airlifted out of Egypt just as all Hell broke loose. Thank God they got home safely. As for the revolution in Egypt, it seems historic on so many levels. Some experts call it a “victory for the people.” Others worry about what happens next. One thing that amazed me in watching the story unfold was the extent to which Hosni Mubarak’s regime tried to silence its own people, to control the flow of information. They actually “shut off Internet access” to try to prevent folks from sharing their photos and video with the outside world. It didn’t work. One thing’s clear: Whether you’re a despicable dictator or just a well-intentioned but misguided Barista, if you try to control what the average Joe does on the Internet, you’re shit out of Luxor …