Under the Oak Cafe in East Oak Lane
I've been meaning to try this for months and finally got there today. It's an unbelievably charming cafe on Oak Lane, just off Cheltenham Avenue below 5th Street. Small space (seating for about 20) with some outdoor tables in nice weather. Decorated beautifully, with lots of thoughtful little details and lovely watercolors on the walls. French music playing on the stereo, very relaxing. They seem to have wifi from the people I saw working on their computers.
The food was really good. I had read that their specialty was red lentil cakes, which I did see on the menu, but I was in a quiche mood so had the ham, cheddar and spinach quiche. It came with a side of greens dressed in a delicious vinaigrette. My daughter had a tarragon chicken salad sandwich on toasted croissant with thin slices of granny smith apple. I tasted this too since she didn't finish it (she's 4). Really fresh-tasting and quite light. I also had coffee, which was great (La Colombe), and we shared a piece of chocolate cake with real buttercream icing. The pastries looked amazing - I wished I could try them all!
The bill for lunch was a little high for what we had, I thought - $27 for everything I mentioned above as well as a cup of freshly-squeezed orange juice for my daughter. The food and drink was exemplary of its kind, though, and the relaxing atmosphere definitely made it worth the expense. I may not choose to have lunch there on a regular basis simply due to personal financial constraints, but I will most certainly be back for more coffee and something sweet. They had several types of pie as well as cinnamon rolls and scones that looked delectable.
It's a little off the beaten path, but WELL worth checking out! Don't worry that you can't find the website right now - the nice fellow who waited on us said it's under construction, but they are very much open.
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I'm so glad you posted about this lovely little place. It is always so pleasant, and the owners are really great (I am pretty sure the art work is by one of them). I go every so often and everything is always fresh and well-prepared. The soups are delicious (especially the butternut and pear when they have it), the quiches are always good--I love the crab quiche--as are the bagels and desserts. Once the weather gets nice, they have a lovely little courtyard, which is great, since it is tiny and often full.
