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| - I went to the Juicebox Cafe yesterday with some high expectations. Before I left for India a couple months ago I saw the construction of this new Shadyside cafe and became rather excited about having a cute, little cafe to grab lunch. I read the reviews and kept up with the blog while and India, and as soon as I returned I anxiously awaited to try everything!
Sadly, my expectations fell short. Though the decor is vibrant and quaint, there are not nearly enough tables in the restaurant nor did they lay them out in any sort of reasonable manner. When I looked at the days menu I was disappointed at the lack of vegetarian options, but went for one of my favorite sandwich anyways - pesto, tomato, basil yummy. Since the special was $8 16oz drink and panini, I grabbed a lemonade to accompany my panini. The lemonade was "fresh squeezed", but had a unwelcoming ratio of lemon, water, and sugar, leaving me with a bitter aftertaste rather than a refreshed one.
My mother and I were in a rush - hence why we chose a quick panini cafe - but were slightly annoyed to find that it took 10 minutes for them to bring us our paninis, when we were the first who ordered while one other person was in the restaurant already eating, and after bringing the food for 3 tables that ordered after us...
My panini was tasty and the bread was grilled perfectly and tasted divine. The hummus on the other hand had far too much tahini, and those who've had the incorrect amount understand what kind of taste that leads to. Also, the decision to accompany hummus with corn tortilla chips is a terrible idea. Corn tortilla chips and hummus were not meant to be together. I quickly abandoned the chips for some leftover scraps of bread and was much more pleased with the results. My mother was moderately pleased with her meal, the iced tea was rather tasty and the bowl of fresh fruit that accompanied her sandwhich was a nice addition.
Overall I enjoyed the sandwich, and I love the idea of regionalism and "organic" that the cafe advocates. If politics didn't play so strongly into my food choices I probably wouldn't return.
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