With its track lighting, contemporary earth tone furnishings and art-laden walls,
Xando had me scared at first. Walking in, I knew I'd never pass for a customer. Soon enough, I thought, someone would ask to see my Hipster ID, and then I'd be escorted out by two guys with tight Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! T-shirts and hair in their eyes.
Fortunately, I was wrong. The woman behind the counter, perhaps sensing my distress, directed me to the menu and waited patiently as I got over the shock of acceptance. Wanting to feign hipster-ism as much as possible, I thought I'd be a faux-vegetarian, so I ordered the Grilled Mozz, Cheddar & Pepper Jack with Tomato. It came with either chips or baby carrots. Not sure which was the hipper choice, I opted for the baby carrots.
All around were people who probably pegged me as a fraud from the second I entered. A man in black-rimmed glasses sat with his iBook, earbud headphones firmly in place; several college girls discussed "exporting Word docs" and "converting to PDF"; a couple, nestled in a booth, sang along to the indie rock playing in the background. While I waited for my sandwich, I perused the bulletin boards, finding a want ad for a guitarist and flyers for an "indie dance party." Tacked on the wall was the cover of Drawing Magazine, in which a local artist had recently been featured. Most charmingly, Xando had a slot on the wall marked "IDEAS," but I -- unaware, even, of what an indie dance party entailed -- felt anything I contributed would be unworthy.
Xando -- pronounced "X and O" -- is clearly an active participant in the Johns Hopkins community. Ideally located next to Record & Tape Traders in Hopkins Square, the chain eatery has open mic poetry readings and enough innovative coffee beverages to make Starbucks quiver in its enormous, corporate boots. The seating arrangements are comfortable, yet unconventional. Everywhere, there are new shapes and colors, making the place a veritable aesthete's paradise. Despite the clear focus on art, though, Xando and its employees aren't pretentious or elitist -- they're just genuinely interested in creating a friendly beacon for humanities majors everywhere. And, hey, as an English major with no future, I can dig that.
Still, those needing further encouragement may be enticed by the innovative dessert menu. The highlight? Get ready, baby: you and your friends can build your own s'mores. Hell, if you're starving and not particularly thrifty, you can probably build s'mores by yourself. (This is tantamount to sitting around a campfire alone, though, so unless you're a complete pariah, I'd advise against it.) Why the owners decided to trust customers with real flames is beyond me, but remember, kids: only you can prevent s'more-based restaurant fires. Xando provides all the ingredients -- you just sit there and melt away.
Dish: Xando offers a variety of panini-style sandwiches, comparable to those of Panera Bread and its ilk. The coffee menu is almost freakishly extensive, so javaphiles will be sure to get their fixes. Desserts are also a staple here, so anyone looking for any sort of snack should emerge satisfied. My gourmet take on grilled cheese was delicious; occasionally, gobs of melted mozzarella would seep out and dry on the plate, whereupon I would scrape them off and eat them. Oh, yeah, like you wouldn't do the same.
Damage: While it's not as inexpensive as some similar franchises, Xando won't deplete your feeble funds too badly. My sandwich was $6.15. When coupled with a refreshing $1.49 iced tea, the total came to $7.68.
Decision: This place reminds me a lot of myself -- young, trendy and impeccably decorated. How could I say no to that?
Fortunately, I was wrong. The woman behind the counter, perhaps sensing my distress, directed me to the menu and waited patiently as I got over the shock of acceptance. Wanting to feign hipster-ism as much as possible, I thought I'd be a faux-vegetarian, so I ordered the Grilled Mozz, Cheddar & Pepper Jack with Tomato. It came with either chips or baby carrots. Not sure which was the hipper choice, I opted for the baby carrots.
All around were people who probably pegged me as a fraud from the second I entered. A man in black-rimmed glasses sat with his iBook, earbud headphones firmly in place; several college girls discussed "exporting Word docs" and "converting to PDF"; a couple, nestled in a booth, sang along to the indie rock playing in the background. While I waited for my sandwich, I perused the bulletin boards, finding a want ad for a guitarist and flyers for an "indie dance party." Tacked on the wall was the cover of Drawing Magazine, in which a local artist had recently been featured. Most charmingly, Xando had a slot on the wall marked "IDEAS," but I -- unaware, even, of what an indie dance party entailed -- felt anything I contributed would be unworthy.
Xando -- pronounced "X and O" -- is clearly an active participant in the Johns Hopkins community. Ideally located next to Record & Tape Traders in Hopkins Square, the chain eatery has open mic poetry readings and enough innovative coffee beverages to make Starbucks quiver in its enormous, corporate boots. The seating arrangements are comfortable, yet unconventional. Everywhere, there are new shapes and colors, making the place a veritable aesthete's paradise. Despite the clear focus on art, though, Xando and its employees aren't pretentious or elitist -- they're just genuinely interested in creating a friendly beacon for humanities majors everywhere. And, hey, as an English major with no future, I can dig that.
Still, those needing further encouragement may be enticed by the innovative dessert menu. The highlight? Get ready, baby: you and your friends can build your own s'mores. Hell, if you're starving and not particularly thrifty, you can probably build s'mores by yourself. (This is tantamount to sitting around a campfire alone, though, so unless you're a complete pariah, I'd advise against it.) Why the owners decided to trust customers with real flames is beyond me, but remember, kids: only you can prevent s'more-based restaurant fires. Xando provides all the ingredients -- you just sit there and melt away.
Dish: Xando offers a variety of panini-style sandwiches, comparable to those of Panera Bread and its ilk. The coffee menu is almost freakishly extensive, so javaphiles will be sure to get their fixes. Desserts are also a staple here, so anyone looking for any sort of snack should emerge satisfied. My gourmet take on grilled cheese was delicious; occasionally, gobs of melted mozzarella would seep out and dry on the plate, whereupon I would scrape them off and eat them. Oh, yeah, like you wouldn't do the same.
Damage: While it's not as inexpensive as some similar franchises, Xando won't deplete your feeble funds too badly. My sandwich was $6.15. When coupled with a refreshing $1.49 iced tea, the total came to $7.68.
Decision: This place reminds me a lot of myself -- young, trendy and impeccably decorated. How could I say no to that?
