Cafe 101

Elite '08

224

869

Wes M.

San Francisco, CA

Another fun field trip to someone else's office cafeteria.  Why am I so addicted to seeing the inside of every possible building in SF?  I guess that's also why I love open houses so much.

Anyway, the most striking feature is the enormous atrium, which definitely gives me office jealousy--but then, this *is* the design center.  How big is it?  Well, my coworker (who actually grew up in SF--lucky bastard) had his prom here.

So what's the catch?  First, the selection is really small: you've basically got a few sandwiches, a few salads, and a daily special.  I had the 3-salad combo, which was good and more filling than it looks (thanks to the guac salad), but (and this brings us to the second catch) too pricey: between the salad, an ice tea, and a supplementary muffin it came to 12 bucks.

Of course, they're not exactly trying to get public patronage here--from the street, there's no indication at all that there's a cafe.  Which of course, is part of the fun--but there's not much to lure me back for a return visit.

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Elite '08

163

402

Eddie H.

Burlingame, CA

First thing that pops into my head when writing this review?

Greenhouse. Once you walk in, the place is like 4-5 stories with an open seating area in the middle with glass ceilings up above.

Yup, I felt like I was in a greenhouse that day. The weather was perfect outside (not too hot, but just perfect for eating outside). But after sitting 15 minutes in here, the beads of sweat began to formulate on my body. The wait for our service or food didn't help my case either. I felt like Patrick Ewing during overtime (thanks Drew for that image). For anyone that doesn't watch basketball, this man sweats profusely like he is playing hoops in the desert.

The shoestring sweet potato fries were blah. I never had any before and was dying to try them anywhere, but alas, I was let down. The dipping sauce (aoili sauce) was excellent, but even that couldn't give the fries enough kick in the flavor department.

The 3 salad combo is a winner for those indecisive veggies. The chicken sandwich was a little dry for my taste and well the Arnold Palmer could've used a little ummpphh as it just did not do it for me. The garlic fries that came with my sandwich were good but not great.

This might be a better takeout place or even better for breakfast/coffee but as a sit down place for lunch, I'll think I'll have to take a time out and sit on the bench (outside).

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Elite '08

48

158

Chris G.

Los Angeles, CA

Cafe 101 is notorious for serving burnt soy milk. Burnt soy milk has a sour and very lethal aftertaste in case you never tasted or smelled it before. The workers were never trained or too dense to realize that they need to dump the whole soy milk after it burns. I've received attitude from two of them after explaining that it wasn't just the drink that was bad, but the metal container of soy milk that they oversteamed it with. I regret not throwing the drink in their faces in order for them to smell it.

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Elite '08

55

300

Jenny K.

San Francisco, CA

3.5 stars. On the expensive side but good food. You can either sit down and eat or order take out. I love the three salad combo (pick three different salads of your choice).  

I just tried a sit down meal here. I had the prawn salad, which was very fresh and tasted good but was kind of boring. It only had a few slices of avocado and mango, a tiny bit of manchego cheese, mixed greens and six prawns. I regret not ordering my three salad combo.  My lunch companion got the grilled chicken sandwich and loved it. It came with sweet potato fries and aoili sauce. Very good.

The server was extremely friendly and cool. Cafe 101 is a nicer work day lunch spot worth checking out.

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16

52

Cindy D.

New York, NY

Located in the Design Center, a great place to find a mid-day pick me up after exploring all the showrooms.

At certain times it is half off all the baked goodies and sweet drinks. I believe it is between 1-3pm. They always have drink specials too.

I had the brown sugar iced tea. Really good, it was like drinking fresh brown sugar without it being overly sweet. Nice alternative to sugar water in my tea.

*Also if anyone in the area needs an assistant or has a job opening let me know

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Elite '08

526

1133

Berna ..

San Francisco, CA

This cafe is located on the first floor of the Galleria (the Atrium) and has a sit-down section and a to-go counter.  I don't usually come here but I was getting sick of everything else around my office so I headed over to pick up a sandwich.  The counter is a little pricey for what it is, and I was disappointed because the two times that I've bought the wrap sandwiches, they were soggy.  I think it's because they pre-make everything - including the salads - which can be soggy if they put too much dressing on it and let it sit.  They do a great soup of the day - it's always delicious sounding - I haven't tried it too many times, but I haven't been disappointed yet.  The last one they had was a beef soup with a red wine broth - tres gourmet, no?

The seated restaurant section is good - they have a really great crab cake and their fries are tasty.  Their other dishes are pricey - upwards of $10 for the majority of the menu - more than what I'd want to spend on lunch at the Galleria.   It is a nice space, though, and if it's a sunny day, it's also sunny inside :)

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