I finally dropped by Fonte Coffee Roaster's flagship store, which opened last month, and was blown away by how upscale it is. I knew it was in the Four Seasons (which is a client, along with Wynn Las Vegas and the St. Regis Hotel in New York), but it's between high-end Fran's Chocolates and the less-so Lusty Lady, so who knew for sure which way it would skew?

Way up, it turns out. Owner Paul Odom hired Herbfarm sommelier Tysan Dutta as the store's general manager and Crush chef Jason Wilson to consult on the menu -- and it shows.

Fonte has a scratch kitchen in back, where it makes food along with syrups and chocolate for its coffee drinks.

This morning, the special was an omelet with "garlic innards," to Odom's delight. "It's not just a boring omelet; it's a killer omelet with a killer cup of coffee."

Landlords are psyched, calling with offers for more spaces that Odom has declined so far. The point is to raise Georgetown-based Fonte's profile in Seattle, not to become a retailer, he said.

At Coffee Fest this weekend, Fonte will have a "monster booth," Odom said, with award-winning lead barista Dismas Smith serving Mexican chocolate and a latte-like drink with Herbes de Provence.