Cafe Mozart

"The essence of espresso is speed," explained Morris Yarrow, proprietor of the new Cafe Mozart, as he brought out two cups. "The process is the reverse of tea making, where you let the tea infuse slowly into the water." At the Plympton Street cafe, abstract paintings have replaced the chalk drawings of the old Capriccio, while uniform black tables and unpainted chairs contribute a slight austerity to Yarrow's coffee house.

Yarrow graduated from Dartmouth in 1955 and has interrupted studying philosophy to try the cafe trade. After working in coffee houses in New York, he decided to try one in Cambridge. "This community should be able to support several coffee houses. I want to dispel the coffee house mystique; a coffee house is merely a place for good coffee and conversation. While the coffee house itself is not indigenous to America, there is good reason for its emergence here as a synthesis of good culture, painting and coffee."

In contrast to the strolling guitar players who frequented the Capriccio, Bach fugues and fifteenth century canciones provide background music at the Mozart. "I much prefer to listen to Schweitzer play Bach than have someone strumming in here. Besides I don't like the guitar much--except for Segovia. I also try to discourage the exhibitionist tendency so often found in today's coffee houses, and I think it is very well discouraged here."

One of Yarrow's prize possessions is a venerable Russian samovar in which he brews tea, right at the table. An intricate candelabra with one candle stands in the corner. "This is my favorite piece--Florentine, about 400 years old. These chairs against the wall are old Italian. This section of the room anyway has a European atmosphere. There is a coffee house in Dubrovnik, which is carved right out of the medieval city wall. Though I couldn't try to duplicate it, it served somewhat as an inspiration for the spirit I wanted. But I don't want to imitate a European coffee house. The Mozart is a Cambridge cafe. I want it unique. I am not in competition with others and I don't think a valid comparison can be made between the Mozart and the old Capriccio."

The Cafe, Yarrow considers as much a type of personal expression as a cafe tailored to catch customers. "Running a coffee house can often have its thrilling moments. Last week someone brought in a recorder and I played the violin. This is the sort of thing that makes it really worthwhile." The coffee house atmosphere is one of civilization, Yarrow finds. The Cafe Mozart would seem to be his attempt to prove that the moment of truth can be found in good company and over a cup of fine coffee.