Desserts are as massive as a Tom Wolfe novel. No wonder this cheery, sunny cafe is a perennial bestseller. This basement cafe has the best qualities of a surrogate home and an extended family. The plush Victorian sofas and slightly baroque dining chairs are occupied by parents and children, students with yellow highlighters, newspaper readers and occasional budding artists with pads and colored pens. For breakfast, there are croissants, muffins, bagels and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Pastas show up as salads, either tossed with tuna or Asian-style with peanuts and minced carrots.
You bus your own tables, and no credit cards are accepted. Just like home.