accessatlanta.com

"Aren't you glad they're in Sandy Springs?"

I looked up from my book, and Meryl Streep's first cousin was looking at me intently, bright eyes awaiting an answer from behind stylish specs. (At least, the woman with an elegant silver coiffure looked like she could be related to the actress.)

Phil Skinner/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
Wild Coho Grilled Salmon is one of Flavor Cafe Bakery's delectable dishes.
Phil Skinner/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
Butternut Squash Ravioli jazzes up the menu at Flavor Cafe Bakery in Sandy Springs.
Phil Skinner/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
Peter Teimori is chef and owner of Flavor Cafe Bakery, whose dishes include roasted eggplant, butternut squash ravioli and macadamia-crusted tuna.
MOST POPULAR STORIES Mickey Rourke Arrested in Fla. on DUI Weekend Roundup Lopez Tells Miami Crowd She's Expecting Surfing for Late-Night Alternatives Interactive | Weekend Planner
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR

We were dining at Flavor Cafe Bakery, a restaurant that's obviously been embraced by its community. Dinner is a cloth-napkin affair, where hostesses seat guests and servers come to the table. Breakfast and lunch is more casual. Diners order at the counter and fill their own cups at the soft-drink station, but there's no microphone summoning the hungry to fetch their food — servers shuttle them out. What remains constant throughout the day and evening is the friendly service and fresh ingredients that give this new neighborhood favorite its name. And with the moderate prices on its menu, Flavor is the kind of spot even budget-minded diners can frequent with ease.

THE MENU

When fall comes, I want a nice bowl of soup. Although hot afternoons and (ahem) white shoes were still present in the metro area the week after Labor Day, I stopped into Flavor for a bowl of mushroom bisque. What a yummy way to prepare for the cooler weather that's on the way: big, meaty chunks of mushroom with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. The bisque had a nice texture, not too rich, and was served with a crusty hunk of baguette. A crab-salad sandwich, served with chips on freshly baked bread, was a little too creamy for my taste.

Returning for dinner, I nibbled first on the excellent basil tomato cheese torta. I love dishes that feature a few simple, fresh ingredients singing together in perfect harmony, and this dish — featuring fresh tomatoes and mascarpone cheese atop crunchy French bread with basil pesto — is a great example. Grilled salmon atop a mound of skin-on mashed potatoes and mango relish was fine, although I'd hit this plate with a dash of kosher salt to draw out the flavors. The accompanying asparagus is perfect, though: crisp and a little smokey. The Asian sesame ginger salad, fresh and a little sweet, is a great farewell to summer.

Flavor's wine and beer list is short but inexpensive. You wouldn't expect a friend down the block throwing a cocktail party to stock a hundred labels, and neither does Flavor. Almost all the wines — a chardonnary, sauvignon blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and white zinfandel — are available by the glass, from $5 to $6.50. For fans of the brew, Sam Adams ($3.50), Amstel Light or Heineken (both $4) are available.

For dessert, my server suggested a chocolate mousse with raspberry glaze, a fine ending. Split it or take half home, though, because it's awfully rich.

SEE Y'ALL NEXT TIME

Dishes to try next time abound: roasted eggplant, butternut squash ravioli, macadamia-crusted tuna. And that's just for dinner. Breakfast, which I haven't tried, includes on-the-go fare such as bagels and croissants, or sit-down starters of French toast and omelets. (Scrambled tofu? Not interested.)

Flavor is a happy place staffed by effervescent servers. Norah Jones and her ilk croon in the background. Even daylight dining is elegant on tables the color of new pennies. I dined there twice alone, to get a sense of the varying menus and change in atmosphere from day to evening. But this is a place to come with friends.