Sandbox

We were beyond thrilled when we heard Mad Hatter's, our favorite overpriced cafe and bakeshop, was coming to the newly built Bostock. We were even more thrilled when said vendor started providing free coffee leading up to the opening. Needless to say, our excitement had reached near fever pitch by the time the long-awaited eatery finally opened its doors. Er, counter. The flowers on the tables were the same, the special Mad Hatter's house blend coffee, identical. Surely they had transferred the entire workings of the space-as-big-as-Cameron to the Bostock pavilion, right? After all, what else could we expect from the state-of-the-art library construction that kept us from doing any work all of last year?

Alas, we were destined to be disappointed. Perhaps we were a bit naive to expect warm salmon salads and grilled chevre sandwiches, a la locale originale but would it be so much to ask to get a darn quesadillah? Apparently the new Perk eatery was destined to be the same as the old Perk, a kitchenless portal for stale product from a nearby vendor that is just out of reach for the famished undergrad.

The menu offerings are slim at best, featuring a few salads, a couple sandwiches, and plenty of carb-loaded baked goods. The food-at least the few menu items they weren't out if-was mediocre, and the normally wide array of vegetarian options was reduced to a single, soggy salad. We did however thoroughly enjoy the "boxed lunch" option, which offered a wrap, choice of beverage, cookie, and fruit salad for the only slightly insanely-expensive-for-lunch price of $9.95. Nonetheless, the heavenly brownie alone made it worth the ticket.

Bottom line? The new Mad Hatter Quick Stop, as we have dubbed it, is a fine place to pick up hot tea and a piece of 1,000-calorie cake for a long night of table-hogging. Much like Mad Hatter's Original Flavor, the atmosphere is perfect-just the right mix of bustle and studiousness. But for tepid food and over-worked service, you might as well just pack your lunch from the Great Hall. At least there you can get a darn quesadillah.