Sweet and Savory: Fast and Friendly

Lunch date #35, March 22, 2013

Mom suggested getting away from downtown—as we actually had been doing of late. I suggested this place-Mom had been there before, but didn't remember it well. Sweet and Savory Café and Bakery (5685 Gibralter Drive, www.sweetandsavory.com) is a favorite for a quick lunch where they serve the business crowd as well as friends out for a quick bite of lunch together.

Location: 3 points. In the Hacienda Plaza at Stoneridge and Gibralter. Not an exciting location, but plenty of parking.

Ambiance 3 points. "Looks like they're hanging laundry," Mom commented as she entered. They use some painted white banners inside as décor—it is a bit strange, I admit. Otherwise, it has the usual bakery/café style with lots of tables and also outdoor seating. No frills, nothing to really comment about. Mom wasn't impressed, hence the medium range score!

Menu 4 points: Great selection of salads, sandwiches, soup, pizza and bakery items. I ordered the special of the day: crab/artichoke grilled sandwich with side Cesar salad. Mom went with the turkey/avocado and side French fries.

Service 3points: Another order-at-the-counter-and-they-bring-your-food sort of place. No real service. You must get your own utensils, drinks, etc. We elected to give 3 points due to the very speedy delivery of our sandwiches and the friendly demeanor of the counter help.

Food 3.5 points: Mom was happy to have the option of fries, but unfortunately they weren't all that special…."Probably not Idaho!" she concluded.  Her turkey sandwich was piled so high with turkey that she had to take it apart and reassemble it to eat. She was happy to take home ½ of her sandwich and lots of extra turkey, however. My sandwich was OK. Not a lot of flavor. I think I ordered the wrong thing again! I have had other sandwiches and salads at Sweet and Savory that I enjoyed more than that "daily special".

Value 4 points: Comparable or a bit lower prices than other places we have tried. Mom's sandwich at $6.95 was a good deal, but adding $2.25 for the fries made the total of $9.20—very typical for this sort of café. Mine at $8.75 was a good deal. The portions are large and Mom was happy with her to-go box. The quick service in a pleasant atmosphere rounds out a nice lunch experience.

Overall score for Sweet and Savory 3.4 points. Nice place to grab a bite. Always a good crowd, so they must be doing something right!  I always run into friends there—as we did that day!