Carlo, what shops do you like for espresso? I like 'Spro, Jay Caragay's shop at the Towson Library, and the cafeteria in the Space Telescope Science Institute building at the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus. I once stopped at a nice little place on Falls Road near Hunt Valley, but it is out of the way of my usual travels. The shop on the ground floor of the Milton S. Eisenhour Library isn't bad.

I loved loved loved Artifact Coffee until it closed to make way for Woodberry Kitchen. Preparing to write this comment, I discover that Artifact has been resurrected! I'll stop there for lunch today. Far as I know, the restaurant is the only restaurant in the area that serves decent espresso and coffee.