I will try and be brief, but the caffeine pulsing through my veins is beckoning a shake, a jump, and a long winded recounting of my morning at Ascension Coffee, this new and beautiful coffee laboratory/bar in the Design District. I was greeted happily by the shop’s coffee sommelier, Mike Mettendorf, and the passion and joy exuding from this hospitable gentleman is contagious. He loves what he does, and he says that Ascension Coffee caters predominantly to the luxurious coffee drinkers, while still leaving no short straw for any convenience drinker.
On my first visit, I stopped in for a to-go coffee and was in and out of there in less than 10 minutes. However, you’ll enjoy this aesthetically immaculate café best if you linger inside this one-of-a-kind caffeinated pleasure palace. Saddle up to the slow bar and enjoy a personally catered pour, or cozy up on one of the seats laid out in the open and inviting space. It’s brightly lit and warm in every corner. Ascension is the only place in Dallas that offers a profoundly exacting siphon brew – calculated, weighed, and unbelievably smooth and rich. Not to mention, it’s wildly enjoyable to watch. Its food is also chef-driven and made fresh daily. The croissants are light and crispy, doughy delights. And I am newly in love with the Kyoto brew, made beyond my understanding from a tower of glass beakers that sit just behind the counter.
Mr. Mettendorf was also kind enough to share some of his favorite drinks with us so that you might enjoy them through my lens. He prepared the petite and remarkably intense Tahitian vanilla gelato affogato, as well as the pleasantly manicured cappuccino. It’s difficult to describe the tastes and smoothness that transcended my taste buds and energetic excitement that followed each sip, but I hope the ineffable nature of these divine cups encourage your visit. Finally, the cortado, which is half espresso and half steamed milk with very little foam, danced and dipped into my netherworlds with a simple gesture of giving and love.
Ascension Coffee brings a new idea of the depth and artisanal potential of coffee in Dallas, and everything about this wide and welcoming café will impress and delight all brands of coffee lovers. Allow Mr. Mettendorf and his aptly capable staff impress the pants right off your body. Ascension, I think I love you.
