NEW ORLEANS — CR Coffee Shop will serve affogatos at its Magazine Street location during the Champagne Stroll on Saturday, May 9. The Italian-style dessert of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream is only offered on the rare nights the shop stays open late and has become a draw for regulars who plan their visits around it.
The Champagne Stroll, hosted annually by the Magazine Street Merchants Association, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and stretches the full length of Magazine Street from Henry Clay to Felicity. Participating businesses pour complimentary champagne and offer event-only sales. Attendees must be 21 or older for the bubbly.
"We don't pour affogatos every day. We only do them on the nights we stay open late," said Kevin Pedeaux, founder of CR Coffee Shop. "People have started showing up specifically for it."
Each affogato is pulled over CR's house espresso blend, a Northern-Italian-inspired roast with notes of bittersweet cocoa, dark caramel, and stone fruit.
The Stroll falls on Mother's Day weekend this year. CR Coffee published a Mother's Day Gift Guide earlier this spring with shipping deadlines and Kevin's picks for coffee-drinking moms.
The Magazine Street location, at 3618 Magazine Street, will stay open through 9 p.m. Saturday for the event. CR Coffee's three other shops — St. Roch Market, Old Metairie, and MSY Airport — will keep regular hours.