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Cool Toronto espresso bar inspired by Italian traditions

Toronto has no shortage of espresso bars and coffee shops, but not many of them hope to figuratively transport their customers to Italy. But that's precisely one of the goals of the B Espresso Bar, a nearly year-old business just east of the downtown core that has replicated the look and feel of a true Italian espresso bar.
First-time bar owner Bruno Colozza has taken his mission seriously. He not only traveled to Italy to learn the secrets of preparing the perfect cup of espresso using only the best arabica beans, but countless visits to the country's espresso bars schooled him in fine hospitality arts such as food preparation and presentation and making the most of decorative touches. Colozza's wisest move, however, may have been hiring Anna Simone of the successful Toronto interior design firm Cecconi Simone to help him realize his vision.
Colozza and Simone and her team agreed that to create an authentic Italian espresso bar in Toronto, it was essential to highlight the original architecture of the B Espresso Bar space, which is located in a late 19th century building on Queen Street, between Church and Jarvis. The best Italian bars are often situated within historic spaces and the contrast between old and new builds an ambience. "We worked with the character of the architecture and made it very much a part of the design," Simone says of the 1,200 square foot space that became Colozza's bar. Original elements include timber beams and columns, exposed brick, the wood floor (given a new dark stain) and window casings.
Like a warm beverage on a cold winter day, B Espresso Bar's design has its soothing elements. A modest fountain on the east wall, table tops of river rock with resin and chocolate-coloured oak chairs designed by Simone and Elaine Cecconi give the space a foundation of spiritual comfort, even if the bar is buzzing with the happy chatter of a weekday lunch crowd.
Simone and her team's task was as much about space planning as it was about creating interesting design elements. Alone or with a group, in a hurry or no hurry at all, Colozza wanted a bar to accommodate every type of customer. Solo visitors who want to linger over a cappuccino or latte can sit at tables facing the main bar. Customers enjoying a quick espresso hit can lean at the stand-up bar with its view of Queen Street. Groups have their choice of communal tables or a banquette area.
Classic Italian espresso bar elements such as mosaic tile behind the main bar are evident, but Simone notes that design features can convey only so much - the Italian espresso bar feeling of family and belonging she can sense at B Espresso Bar is due in large part to the warm hospitality of Colozza and his team of professional baristas. Cultural touches like authentic Italian music on the shop's sound system and classic films playing on a video screen further a European atmosphere. It's almost as if one would expect to be walking across a bustling piazza once he or she left the bar.
Simone's design work complements Colozza's dedication to the art and science of espresso preparation which can please the coffee connoisseur. Just as importantly, the B Espresso Bar celebrates the daily Italian ritual of enjoying an energizing beverage among friends within a vibrant milieu. It's a ritual many Torontonians are just beginning to understand and appreciate.

Publication Date: 2004-12-19
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4723