Socials takes Sidewalk Sandwich's space

~Overall, I would give this new place a C+. The drinks and the atmosphere were great, but the food, at least the food I tasted, needs a little work.

Western omelet with french toast, fruit, and coffee. Socials Cafe & Catering, 119 Themis Street. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

Last summer, while I was enjoying my time spent in California, I was disappointed to hear from one of my friends that Sidewalk Sandwich Company had closed down. It was one of my favorite spots to sit with my friends and enjoy mochas or soup and a sandwich.

A few months ago, I was excited to see that a new place called Socials Café and Catering was going to open in the same spot.

I walked in the door and could tell that a great amount of work was put into redecorating and the new place already had a different feel. The front room is more spacious with wood tables and chairs and the walls are painted coffee bean brown with red trim. Local art is replaced by typical café décor.

The back room is cozy and inviting with big comfy couches and shelves full of books for customers to enjoy, along with a computer for surfing the net, a fish tank in the fireplace and additional tall tables for enjoying your meal.

I opted to sit in the back room where it was quiet. I took a look at the menu and was impressed by the variety of coffee drinks, smoothies and food. Coffees ran from $2.69 for a 20-ounce café latte and $3.59 for 20-ounce specialty drinks. Foods varied in price. Breakfast is served all day and lunch from 10:30 a.m. to close.

It was almost lunch time, but I was in the mood for some breakfast food, so I ordered a fruit cup, breakfast sandwich on a biscuit with bacon, egg and cheese and a strawberry smoothie.

The smoothie tasted like it was made with real strawberries and was refreshing in the muggy summer heat along with the blackberries, pineapple, grapes and strawberries that came in the fresh fruit cup.

I was a little disappointed in the sandwich. There was hardly any egg and the biscuit was a bit soggy. The overall taste was mediocre.

A few days later, I decided to give it another try. This time, I ordered the French dip sandwich and a white chocolate mocha frappe, which is a coffee drink blended with ice. The drink was made with a Ghirardelli chocolate mix and tasted just like the cold coffee concoctions I used to make for myself when I worked at a café; delicious.

The sandwich, again, was a bit disappointing. I was served a generous portion of meat, which I can't complain about and the meat itself didn't taste bad, but dipped in the au jus; all I could taste was salt. After dipping a few times, I decided to stay away from the au jus and try the horseradish sauce instead, which was actually really tasty.

Overall, I would give this new place a C+. The drinks and the atmosphere were great, but the food, at least the food I tasted, needs a little work.