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| - I really wanted to like this place better.
Searching for a cute place to kill an hour with my daughter on a mild Saturday afternoon in February, we found Cafe Carpediem after having tried several in the area only to find them already full.
Cafe Carpediem had plenty of space, and I can see why. This cafe has all the elements of a great neighborhood cafe, but somehow just misses the mark.
Their decor has all the hallmarks of a cosy cafe; whitewashed slat-board walls decorated with interesting objets, the pews as seating, tables made of floorboards, giant clock on the wall, chalkboard menu board; but somehow it's not coming together and comes off as "shabby" without the "chic".
The staff was friendly, but not particularly warm and the food and drinks where passable but by no means great. The latte was on the slightly bitter side (although drinkable), the hot chocolate was far too sweet and felt like it might have been made with hot water instead of warm milk. The croissant was a bit sad: heavy, dense, and a bit doughy and the tiramisu square I had was unremarkable.
Perhaps I caught the place on an off day, or the winter "blahs" have slowly crept there way indoors here and they have let he place go. The majority of the other reviews rave about the place, and, as mentioned above, they have all the elements necessity for a great little place but just miss the mark.
I'm sure that with just a little love this place could be as good as the reviews say it is with only minor adjustments to the decor and quality of food.
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