Global Cafe - A "World" Away From a Great Cafe

Global Cafe

820 Massachusetts Street

Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone number: (785) 838-4600

Website: globalcafelawrence.com

Prices: $$$$

I have to agree with my fellow Elite and friend Scott T in his less than stellar impression of Global Cafe. We also sat for nearly 10 minutes while the two servers walked to and fro, ignoring us to clean tables rather than greet us and give us menus.

Once the server arrived, turns out she is one of the owners, we got a lukewarm greeting, menus, and an inquiry about what we wanted to drink. I said: "I'll have a coffee please", but she said, "let me get you a drink menu". I just ordered a coffee! Once the drink menu arrived, the $2.50 price tag for a cup of drip coffee seemed excessive, so I opted for ice water.

My wife ordered a short stack of pancakes, two large pancakes for $3.75 and an extra $1.50 for a tiny pitcher of "real maple syrup". I guess you get Aunt Jemima syrup and a high fructose corn syrup buzz if you opt out of the "real" thing. Anyway, the pancakes were pancakes, nothing special.

I had the Carnivore Omelet ($8.75) and a half order of biscuits and gravy, which were not on the menu, but advertised on a sign out front (with no price). The carnivore omelet came with ham, bacon, sausage, caramelized onions and sharp cheddar cheese, but very little of each and what was there was cooked into the omelet rather than folded on the inside. It came with "two sides" (toast, breakfast potatoes, cottage cheese, or sliced tomato), but the only enticing side was the potatoes, so I asked for a double order. I would hate to see a single side order of potatoes because the "double" side was extremely sparse and void of much taste. The biscuit and gravy came with green chili, an odd topping for biscuits and gravy (apparently a "New Mexico specialty"), so I asked for it on the side. The biscuit was small, the gravy thick, but rather tasteless (no sausage or bacon in sight), and the green chili thin (not thick as true green chili should be) and watery, but very spicy.

When the check arrived, it was not itemized, coming to a total of $19.08, so I assume that the single biscuit topped with mediocre country gravy and watery green chili ran around $4 ($19 - $3.75 - $1.50 - $8.75 - tax = about $4). At $23, including tip, I was not impressed considering that my wife had two pancakes, I had a mediocre breakfast, and neither of us ordered a drink other than ice water.

I have had much better breakfasts in town, so I doubt we will be returning here anytime soon. The interior is nothing special, the ceiling covered in flags of the world (hence the name I guess), and the service not very attentive, but semi-friendly. Therefore, ...

CombatCritic Gives Global Cafe 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





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Title: Lawrence, KS: A "World" Away From a Great Cafe

Key Words: Global Cafe, global, cafe, breakfast, lunch, Lawrence, Kansas, Massachusetts, street, KU, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

Formosa Is Foremost A Sweet Tooth's Delight

Formosa Bakery

2201 West 25th Street, Suite L

Lawrence, KS 66047

Phone number: (785) 856-6900
Website

Prices: $$$$

At the South end of the strip mall BEHIND Office Depot and Planet Fitness on Iowa (enter from 25th Street), you will find Formosa Bakery, right next to the massage parlor if you are into that kind of thing. The sign in the window is small, so keep your eyes peeled.

I think the owner's name is Chen, not sure about the spelling (sorry if I got either or both wrong), and as the Teutonic Titwillow would say: "What a nice guy!". He is a KU grad that went home to Taiwan, studied baking/pastry making, and returned to open Formosa three years ago. Some of the reviews say the pastries are French, but he denies any training in French pastry making. He told me that he borrowed techniques from the Japanese, who borrowed from the French, and so on and so on.

Anywho, the pastry and bread selection are minimal, but adequate, and fresh. He has puddings (Puppy Love - $1.59 to $1.99 for others), the Snow White (small, white cake with cream filling - $1.59), Yellow Volcano (custard tart - $1.79), Tiger Roll (yellow cake roll with cream - $2.25 for 4), Cheese Bites (little round sweet cheese morsels in pastry - $2.25 for 5), as well as Cheesecake and Black Forest Cake ($3.79/slice - $27.99 for the whole shebang), Blueberry Mousse Cake and Tiramisu ($3.99/$29.99), and more, depending on what day it is.

I got a Snow White, Yellow Volcano, and five Cheese Bites as well as a his bread with sausage and green onion ($1.50). He let me sample a Tiger Roll which was very good and "not too sweet" as promised. The bread with sausage and green onion was OK, but the bread was sweet instead of savory and not something I would buy again. If all of the breads are sweet like the one I bought, I will take a pass on bread in the future. Bread should not be sweet, especially when it is topped with sausage and green onion ... sweet rolls should be sweet, all the time.

The place is simple and clean, the service excellent and friendly, and the pastries delicious, although the cakes are a tad pricey at $3.79 to $3.99 a slice (and they are not all that big). I will return to sample the cheesecake, tiramisu, and blueberry mousse cake and will let you know in a future update if they are worth the price.

On a final note, when I showed Chen my Yelp profile, he saw my photo with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and became emotional, asking about how I met His Holiness. Because of his emotional reaction, I asked and he confirmed that he is a Buddhist, and I have never met a Buddhist that was not an excellent, compassionate person. I believe that is definitely the case here and I hope my new friend is very successful, so visit Formosa Bakery ... you will be glad you did!

CombatCritic Gives Formosa Bakery An Initial And Very Respectable 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Formosa Bakery on Yelp

Title: Lawrence, KS: Formosa Is Foremost A Sweet Tooth's Delight

Key Words: Formosa Bakery, Formosa, bakery, Lawrence, Kansas, cake, pastries, bread, 25th, street, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits & Grins"

Up High, Down Low ... Pie Five Is A No-Go

Pie Five

2500 Iowa Street

Lawrence, KS 66046

Phone number: (785) 551-7170

Website: piefivepizza.com

Prices: $$$$

On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in my office in Saudi Arabia at 5pm when my assistant told me to turn on the TV. As I did, the second plane hit the twin towers and I knew our lives would never be the same.

Fifteen years later to the day, I decided we had to try Pie Five because I had never heard of it and it looked interesting. In this case, my life would in-fact be the same. Great idea, so-so execution. Skimpy with the "all you want" ingredients and small (10") pizzas for $7.50, about the size of my outstretched hand and we all know what Donald Trump says about the size of a guy's hands.

For an extra $3, I got a salad which was decent, but also skimpy on the carrots, onions and tomatoes, and a fountain drink. You can get dessert or cheesy breadsticks ($1 extra) instead of salad if you like for a $3-$4 upcharge.

A cheap meal, do not expect to be too impressed by the quality or quantity. As my Italian grandma would say, it was "mezzo-mezzo" (so-so). Lawrence's KU students will probably love the place because they can eat for cheap and quantity, rather than quality, is more important when money is in short supply.

CombatCritic Gives Pie Four 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Pie Five on Yelp

Title: Lawrence, KS: Up High, Down Low ... Pie Five Is A No-Go

Key Words: Pie Five, pie, five, pizza, pizzeria, KU, university, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: BOHICA = "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"