"2"^^ . . "This place gets two stars for the baked goods. Everything I've tried has been excellent, and there are a number of not-sickeningly-sweet options.\n\nUltimately, however, I just don't like it.\n\nMy reasons:\n(1) The decor is cold and shoddily done. They do not provide towels or a hand drier for the washroom sink (which, by the way, is not actually in the washroom). Plywood bench mentioned by previous poster is uncomfortable and too high for tables. Tables are wobbly. Whole place has a spit-and-glue appearance that is maybe supposed to be charming but comes off as slipshod.\n\n(2) Maybe I'm completely imagining this, but I've gotten a weird vibe here. The staff is absolutely friendly, but I get the impression that they are vying for a certain clientele (DINK condo-dwellers and the like) and they roll out an over-the-top brand hospitality for those who fit the profile. It seems to me that they're trying (too hard) to be an upscale cafe in a still-rough-around-the-edges neighbourhood. Pretension in this neck of the woods is kind of ridiculous. And lest you think I'm bitter, I pretty much fit the profile and was extended said hospitality--it just felt fake.\n\n(3) The prices are silly. More than $4 for a latte and the same price for a hot chocolate. This I could forgive if the lattes were fantastic, but... \n\n(4) The latte and Americano were both weak and unpleasantly bitter. Absolutely not worth $4.22. (Not rounding prices to the nearest number is another pet peeve of mine.) More expensive than most other indie places in the city. Ones that actually serve quality espresso drinks. Have you been to Sam James? They make a $3.25 latte that kicks this latte's ass into the next millennium.\n\nBoil it down to personal preference, I suppose, but Grinder rubs me the wrong way."^^ . "2"^^ . . . "0"^^ . "2011-02-21T00:00:00"^^ . "1"^^ .