Hyde Park Bakery & Cafe

Hyde Park Bakery & Cafe is a favorite haunt I've hesitated to divulge for fear it would lose its cozy, neighborhood feeling. People eat at the cafe of course, but in the tradition of European street cafes, they also hang out, read, think, talk, write, whatever... without feeling like they've worn out their welcome. The cafe serves dinner, but I prefer stopping in for breakfast or lunch, or even in-between meals for a coffee break.

The folks at Hyde Park Bakery & Cafe make everything on the premises, except the bagels. Bread and sweets lovers will find the selection in the bakery case dizzying. Seven kinds of oversized muffins, eight sweet and five savory croissant varieties, and a wide array of tea breads, bundt cakes, scones, and dessert bars vie for attention. Hyde Park's breads are heavy, earthy loaves, and the day-old shelf offers a number of bargains. Beware! One slice of the super-moist, nut-packed carrot cake ($1.85) and you're hooked.

One of the best things about lunch at Hyde Park Bakery & Cafe is that it's easy on your wallet. I recently filled up on a large vegetarian field salad ($4.95 large, $2.95 small). Sounds basic, but the cafe's version is a heaping portion of crisp greens and chunky mushroom slices topped with huge, homemade croutons and crumbled feta. Blackboard specials are generally a good bet too. The grilled chicken breast with cilantro habanero pesto, a side of vegetables (red and green bell pepper, squash, zucchini, red onion, cabbage, green onion) and Spanish rice at $4.95 would have set you back nearly double that elsewhere. The chicken came out slightly undercooked, but was corrected immediately and dessert was offered on the house to make up for the error. The Bakery & Cafe also offers pizzas (slice, 8" or 12"), old-fashioned sandwiches made with Boar's Head meats, homemade soups, and five combination meals all under $5. -- Rebecca Chastenet de Géry