A good caf‚ is a necessary component to any city’s restaurant landscape. Caf‚s offer good food at low prices — with an atmosphere set up for stories and good times. The Daily’s Hunger Danger Squad needed some good food and a little down-time and went combing through Campustown to find it.

Atmosphere:

KB: Caf‚ Beaudelaire has a loud, but dim and comfortable atmosphere. The tables have plastic tablecloths and the restaurant, which doubles as a bar, is decorated with art and strange artifacts from who-knows-where. It all fits very well in a thrown-together sort of way.

KF: The look of Caf‚ Beaudelaire resembles an outdoor patio, complete with a steel ceiling coming to a point in the center of the establishment — as well as tiny tables with cute wooden chairs. This made me feel as though I should be vacationing, which was a welcome break to my hectic week.

Service:

KB: Our waitress was very sweet, and it made me feel a little less angry that they didn’t have the juice I wanted or several other things on the menu. It shows you that good service can make up for small availability.

KF: Service was nice enough. It took a little longer for me to get my lemonade than it should have, but our waitress told me the blender was broken, and making lemonade by hand takes a little bit longer. Who knew?

Quantity/Value:

KB: I had thought that I was ordering the junior sandwich, but I suppose I forgot to say junior. You know it’s a big sandwich when they offer a smaller serving. I absolutely love the fries there; they’re the only ones I’ll eat with mayo. The whole deal was tasty, and the egg and other strange vegetables that don’t normally accompany a sandwich, like peas, fit well with it.

KF: I thought my meal was very nicely priced. My pasta could have cost me up to $10 at any other place, but was priced at just under $5 instead. My side salad, however, could have been a little cheaper. Other establishments offer a small plate of lettuce for less than $2.25, which is what I paid for mine.

Quality/Taste:

KB: The flavors in my sandwich were almost overpowered by the sauce, but I had a taste of every single little thing in it, luckily. It was a huge sandwich that I shouldn’t have finished, but it was so good I couldn’t stop. Sandwiches with foreign flavors often turn out bland since we do live in Iowa, but this one was bursting with taste. I felt like I might have been in a Brazilian caf‚ on a hot day and not in Iowa on a chilly Election Day.

KF: The first thing I tasted was my lemonade. This could be a small detail anywhere else, but the fresh — real — taste of mine made me feel OK about waiting forever to get it. Next was my salad. The balsamic vinaigrette could use some work, as it was a just a tad too bitter. When I finally tried my garlic spaghetti, I was very pleasantly surprised with the aromatic flavors invading my mouth created by the pesto sauce.

Caf‚ Beaudelaire

2504 Lincoln Way

(515)-292-7429

8 a.m. to 2 a.m., Tuesday – Sunday, closed Monday

Kim’s meal:

The Beaudelaire Bauru with chicken and fries, Almond Italian soda with creme, $7

Kate’s meal:

garlic spaghetti, side salad, lemonade, $8.21

Kate’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 forks

Kim’s rating: 4 out of 5 forks