The devil is in the details

Some unknown person in the 16th century said of coffee, “This Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it. We shall cheat Satan by baptizing it.” Not only does Pilgrim’s Caf take the Satan out of coffee, they put a whole lot of God back in.

Other than the religious theme, Pilgrim’s offers several things that the other coffee shops on College Avenue do not. For starters, they serve sandwiches and other lunch fare throughout the day. They also have a wide range of cookies, biscotti, and even (in their new expansion) many varieties of ice cream.

For my visit, I kept with pretty traditional fare. I had the coffee of the day (Kenyan) and a turkey sandwich. The coffee had strong flavor for a Kenyan, but had been brewed slightly too long.

Despite this, it was certainly more than passable, beating what you would be served at Starbucks hands down. The sandwich was very good (but a little pricey at $5.75). The cold cuts were fresh, as were the vegetables. In addition to the sandwich, you are given a more than generous serving of potato chips.

The service was very friendly and fast. I went for lunch on a weekday, but arrived at about 11:30 a.m., so there wasn’t much of a crowd. The atmosphere is also welcoming, with plenty of space to sit with friends.

It isn’t the most comfortable seating, however. Anyone who has ever had (or chosen) to go to church knows that they make you sit in pews so you don’t get comfortable and fall asleep. Keeping with the religious theme, some of the seats are old pews. It looks nice, but you’re not likely to want to settle in for a long afternoon of reading.

All in all, unless you are a rabid atheist, I would recommend Pilgrim’s Caf for coffee or lunch. They pay attention to most details when it comes to service. The quality of the fare is above average, and if you happen to be cursed with the “Catholic guilt,” you might feel a little bit better after reading the Bible passage of the day on the menu board.