Printer’s Inc. Café – 3/5
And so continues the search for the perfect (off-campus) study spot! As has been the case lately, I found myself procrastinating one Sunday morning at the California Avenue Farmers Market. While it was definitely an hour well-spent (check out the bolani guys and San Franola Granola), it was quickly followed by the guilt of such time management weakness in the face of required reading, a term paper, and grant proposals. Eventually, the instinct to buckle down and read another chapter of Chinatown: San Jose, USA led me straight to the most intellectual-looking, hipster-y cafe on the block.
Food — 3/5
Despite the temptation of beautiful grilled sandwiches, yummy-smelling Mexican dishes, fresh baked goods, and a huge list of coffee drinks, I ordered the Printers Salad: mixed greens with grapes, walnuts, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Pretty good — crispy red grapes, crunchy almond slices (they ran out of walnuts), and enough dressing to add flavor with only minimal wilting of the greens. There was, however, too much goat cheese for me. As delicious as that stuff is, disproportionate amounts of any cheese overwhelm a salad and mitigate the otherwise healthful lightness.
Service — 4/5
It’s very hands-off. You order at the counter, take a number, sit down, and your dish is brought. I’m totally cool with that, especially when the purpose of my visit is to study, but it depends on your preferred level of staff involvement. Also, my server was very sweet when she came to inform me (albeit a bit belatedly) that they were out of walnuts and to ask what I’d like instead.
Price — 3/5
Most dishes run around $8, and they’re pretty big. Sandwiches all come with salad; salads all come with bread and I’m pretty sure most of the entrée-sized dishes can be split, taken home and saved for the next time you don’t feel like hitting up Lag dining. Again.
Location and Setting — 4/5
Clean and pleasant. They have a nice outdoor seating area with a wraparound bench that was pretty comfortable to curl up against and do some heavy reading. Also, free wi-fi. Yay!
Good for… relaxed brunch/lunch, with buds or alone. It’s energetic enough to be fun, but plenty of people are there reading or on their computers.