Back in the Grind
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Cheap Dates
November 7, 2008 - 12:00amDo you feel like you are swamped with work? Do you have prelims scheduled every week until finals? Could you use a big cup of coffee and a hug? If you feel yourself slipping into a post-fall break slump, Cheap Dates is here to help, with a few fabulous ideas that are sure to perk you and your sweetheart right back up. What better way to get back into the grind than with a smooth, rich, caffeine-laden cup of coffee? We compiled a list of Ithaca’s best and most budget-friendly cafés, all of which serve a mean cup o’ joe and have no traces of a Frappuccino or venti-anything in sight. Whether you meet for a quick latte in between classes at Manndible or for a more intimate date at Brötchen, we hope these ideas will help you and your sweetheart find the perfect spot to vent and de-stress over a steaming, expertly made cappuccino.
$ — For those of you who can’t make it out of Collegetown, we have two recommendations. Collegetown Bagels is a Cornell institution that’s been around for 25 years. If you don’t go in for the amazing food choices, make sure to stop in for some coffee on your way to the library. CTB uses 100 percent fair trade Cayuga Coffee and offers over 20 varieties for your coffee needs. Not only is a coffee stop at CTB fast and cheap, check out the chalkboard behind the registers and try a specialty coffee drink. With names like Caramel Cozy and Hurricane Patti, how can you pass them up? If you’re looking for a quieter atmosphere, check out Stella’s Café, just a few doors down the block. They also offer organic, fair trade coffee and have tons of choices depending on what you want. Feeling Euro? Try a Café Mocha, described as “smooth, suggestive and chocosexual.” If you’re feeling more adventurous, try the Velvet Hammer, Intertextual White Russian or Caffeinated & Polar Bear. It’s a perfect place to cozy up with that special someone and watch the snow fall in the upcoming months.
$$ — If you and your sweetheart are looking for some European style coffee, head over to Brötchen, a new café and bakery on the Commons that will instantly transport you to a Viennese kaffeehaus. Brötchen (pronounced BRERT-khen ) specializes in homemade chocolates, Viennese coffee and fine European pastries, all at reasonable, affordable prices. Don’t miss the caliente hot chocolate, made with German chocolate, a pinch of cayenne pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg to give it a kick, all topped off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and fresh chocolate shavings.We promise you and your sweetheart won’t want to leave this charming European café.
$$$ — True coffee purists overwhelmingly recommend Gimme! Coffee, which has multiple locations throughout Ithaca and in the Finger Lakes region. Gimme! Coffee’s expertly made coffee, friendly baristas and cool yet unpretentious atmosphere has won this spot a loyal following. Make sure to get a shot of lovin’ flavor added to your drink, a mysterious blend of hazelnut and amaretto syrups that only the baristas at Gimme! know how to make. A visit to Gimme! is sure to relieve any post-fall break stress that you and your sweetheart may be having. If you can make it downtown, check out the original Gimme! on Cayuga Street, but if you can’t make it off campus, good news — Gimme! Coffee is served at Manndible Café.