Byways Cafe   

Reminiscent of an old-fashioned soda fountain, Byways Cafe looks like something you would have found decades ago in a Woolworth's. There are vinyl booths and 1950s-style tables, a long counter with spinning stools and food served on old chinaware. But it's billed as a travel cafe, and in many ways that's accurate, too. Byways is smack-dab in the middle of the city, close to Union Station, Greyhound, the 405 and a youth hostel. The travel theme plays out in an eclectic assortment of memorabilia, including collectable suitcases and Viewmasters, which you can use to check out a variety of tourist destinations while you wait for your meal. Tableside display cases hold old postcards, snow globes, cups and vacation photos, a plate collection lines the back wall and old state pennants hang from the ceiling. Start the day with a cup of Torrefazione Italia coffee and a delicious scone, or the Basic Breakfast: two eggs, home fries and toast. There are also short or full stacks of buttermilk, blueberry or blue corn pancakes and seven different three-egg omelets (the Space Needle Scrambler is terrific). Amaretto French toast is the house specialty: four slices of an amaretto-infused baguette served with honey-pecan butter. The Mount Rushmore Hash is another tasty adventure: a medley of potatoes, hand-cut corned beef, onions and chunky bell peppers topped with cheddar cheese and an egg. At lunch choose from several soups (clam chowder is on Fridays), five salads, three burgers with fries and nearly a dozen sandwiches. Try the Amazon veggie sandwich, a blend of cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and oregano on whole-wheat stacked with crisp spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes and onion slices. Leave room for an authentic chocolate milkshake or one of the killer Brown Cow floats, made with coke and ice cream. -- Jo Ostgarden