Location: Arrillaga Alumni Center

Hours:Mon-Fri: 8 a.m.- 7.p.m

Sat & Sun: Closed

The Café: California Bistro and Wine Bar, located in the Arrillaga Alumni Center, describes itself as a “gathering point for alumni, students, faculty and staff — whether for espresso in the morning, a quick bite for lunch, a mid-afternoon snack or a glass of beer or wine in the evening.” I very rarely see a restaurant depict itself so accurately.

The Café doesn’t put on gourmet airs or claim the best food on campus — it serves quick, casual food at reasonable prices, making it a solid choice for anyone. If you’re looking for something more exciting, more exotic and perhaps more risky, however, this is not the place for you.

Although the Café has a small array of breakfast foods, ranging from bagels and fresh fruit to muesli with apples and berries, its lunch menu is by far its strongest selection. My friend and I were impressed with its emphasis on fresh, seasonal and healthy food choices — I honestly could have opted for anything on the menu.

Like Tresidder and Olive’s, The Café hosts a small grab-and-go refrigerated aisle, with a variety of familiar salads (Cobb, Caesar and spinach) and cold sandwiches (“The Catalina,” “The Santa Barbara,” etc, all found at other campus eateries).

The Grilled Combo Plates also looked like a well-portioned option, including a small main course, California rice blend, dinner roll and fountain drink. Finally, the lunch menu includes specials like the Hot Sandwich of the Week and Salad of the Season.

My friend, a vegetarian, opted for the grab-and-go Woodside Egg Sandwich, though she noted that there were plenty of appetizing vegetarian options to consider. She and I decided to split the Napa Valley Spinach Salad, and I went with the Wrap of the Week, Chicken Tikka Masala, and picked up a lemon bar and a brownie at the cash register. We were surprised to see that all of this food came to less than twenty dollars — much less expensive than a comparable amount of food in Palo Alto.

The Café has both inside and outside seating, which is perfect for the somewhat unpredictable weather Stanford has been having recently. My friend and I loved the Napa Valley Salad, with its fresh spinach, apples, goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette dressing, and found the size perfect to split between the two of us. The salad, though, was the highest point of the meal — everything else was fine, but nothing to write home about.

My friend noted that the egg salad was, “ehh ... kind of plain,” and I didn’t recognize how my wrap was supposed to resemble any sort of Indian food. It was bland, unlike any chicken tikka masala I’ve ever eaten, but not necessarily bad. Needless to say, both entrees lacked the zest we had anticipated.

We both enjoyed the brownie, which would have gone wonderfully with a milkshake or cup of coffee (also offered at The Café), but the lemon bar was far too sweet and not lemon-y enough (just like all of Stanford Dining’s lemon bars! Administrators, take note).

Overall, our experience was a pleasant one — The Café has a clean, friendly atmosphere with nice seating and an appetizing selection.

It would be a wonderful place to take a non-adventurous eater, or simply to get away from the rest of Stanford Dining for lunch.

The food is nothing thrilling or even mildly striking, though, and I think I really liked the idea of the eatery more than the eatery itself.

If I were above the legal drinking age, I might be enticed to go back for the wine bar and beer on tap. Since I’m not, I don’t see myself returning to The Café unless it is the most convenient option.