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| - St Clair has needed a place like this for a long time, it's amazing to me that it's taken so long. Aside from an annoying number of laptops owned by people who spend $4 on coffee to take up a table for an hour or two, otherwise it is low key and the staff have a good vibe with a focus on well made coffee.
My only complaint; there are at least two places on the same strip offering some seriously top notch baked goods that they make themselves, some of the best of their kind in the city in each case. Admittedly their focus is the baked goods, the coffee not so much, but these places still manage to almost satisfy entirely on both fronts.
Krave on the other hand seems to be offering baked goods from the same bakery that half a dozen places I have been to do. These places offer boring (and barely edible) muffins, unappealing scones, and very average croissants, all for extortionate prices (mind you, the price is not necessarily the fault of the proprietors). Correct me if I am wrong but go to Dark Horse, Walllace, or the Common, and you seem to get the exact same baked product, no? It isn't BAD necessarily (I am being generous here, some IS very bad), but it is expensive and definitely underwhelming.
I GET IT, Krave sells Coffee (and for the price of a coffee rents table space to people who can't/won't do their work at home), as do all the others I lump into the same category. Not everyone can make their own product, yet I wish these places could appreciate they are cheapening their own brand by going this route. I guess my high water mark is Capitol, who although primarily a coffee place at least try by baking something fresh and tasty in-house.
In Hillcrest this juxtaposition is highlighted by a couple of outstandingly good outliers on the foodie front. As someone who lives nearby I find myself confused every time I go out; do I go for a good coffee, or do I go out for a snack? I wish that I could get both in the same cafe.
So, for now I offer 3 stars for what they do offer, here's hoping Krave finds a tastier groove and offers something worth another star (or two). I wish them the best and will continue to support the business in the meantime, though admittedly on a rotation basis.
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