Mark K.
Yelp
I haven't been here for about 10 years. I had a middling experience last time, and just had no reason to come back, even though I drive by it literally four times a day. But today I needed a little snack, and I was, of course, nearby, and I thought hey, it's time to give them another chance. Maybe they've changed, maybe my tastes have changed.
There was a pretty good size line, which is usually a good sign, but this place is always kind of busy, and I was not sure why before and I am still not sure why. The dessert case is filled with beautiful baked goods. The macarons look great. There are other cakes and pastries, etc. I almost got an order of just those. But I got an egg salad sandwich because I like those. And a coffee because I needed that. And a few macarons to see if they were better than I remembered.
They are not. People in line were calling them macaroons, and I think that is because they are not really macarons. At least, not really good macarons. Don't get me wrong, they are an okay, pleasant little cookie. But they are not good macarons. The cookies themselves don't have quite the resistance that they should. And the filling is frosting, not the cooked fillings they use in France and at good macaron places here. Now, I'm not a chef, maybe I'm reading that wrong. But they are definitely not great macarons.
The coffee was pretty darn good. I got the pistachio latte, since hey, they call themselves by that name. It seemed a little expensive to me even with current day prices. And the egg salad sandwich was very good. But very tiny. And very expensive. Good bread, good egg salad, fresh veggies. A nice flavor combination. But barely more than a few bites.
Service was very friendly and efficient. They kept the line moving. After I ordered, I waited about 10 minutes for my food, which seemed a little long, but hey, it's fancy coffee and food. I had hoped to eat upstairs since they seem to have a very nice upstairs dining area, none downstairs, where I think they had had tables 10 years ago. But when I went to actually go up there, there was an imprint on the steps that said it was offices only. Maybe, I don't know, a bigger sign? A rope across the entry so you know you can't go up there? Some inside dining would be nice. They have a little bit of room if they would rearrange things. They do have an outdoor dining area, but you are in Ohio, and eating in the spring sprinkles, with the birds and the bird poop. On metal tables on uneven surfaces. Not a great experience. I ate there for a minute and then finished in the car. Oh, and no trash can outside. Classy.
Sorry. This place is overhyped and overpriced. Is it awful? No. No no no. It's just OK, and yet, for some reason people flock here to pay a lot of money for, what? Imitation macarons? That the clientele don't even know what to call? Teenie sandwiches and overpriced coffee? I should've trusted my judgment. I will not be back. There are far better coffee places in town, far better macarons, and bakeries in general. And hey, way way way better sandwich places.