Cafe Gutenberg

We discovered Cafe Gutenberg on a Saturday morning when we were exploring the Farmers Market across the street. True to its name, there are shelves of books for purchase, and magazines to browse as illy coffee is sipped (or guzzled). We are huge Peet's fans, so finding a decent coffee spot was high on our need-to-find list. illy's no Peet's, but WAY better than the ubiquitous S.... you know what I'm talking about.

We came here for dessert, and we shared the hazelnut creme brulee ($5; they have different flavored creme brulees every night) and the chocolate turtle tart ($5; on the regular menu). I wasn't so hot about the creme brulee for a couple of reasons: 1) I reaffirmed my purist tendencies for plain ol' vanilla creme brulee, and 2) it was too light, almost fluffy, and seemed eggy rather than creamy. It was almost like a meringuy custard, if that makes any sense.

The flourless chocolate tart was excellent, fortunately. The caramel aspect of a turtle wasn't too pronounced since it was only drizzled as a sauce, giving the chocolate room to shine. The tart base was made up of pecans, and it is insanely good, especially with a good cuppa joe. I had their tiramisu previously and that was v. good too.

I love this place for its uniqueness, for the great service, for its comeback from Tropical Depression Gaston (check out the water level signs on the first floor), for its mission statement. I'll stop before I go all Jerry Mcguire-ish and embarass myself. I resonate with this place and will come back here again and again even if the food sucks. But it doesn't suck.

Food: 8/10
Ambience: 10/10
Will I return and why?: Yes, for reasons described above, for the Gutenberg wine and cheese experience (3 wines of your choice with a cheese platter), for the coffee, for their cultural events,... I could go on.