44 N. Central Ave.
314-721-8801
http://www.pommerestaurants.com/cafe/

Looking for a step up from St. Louis Bread Co. or Crazy Bowls and Wraps that won’t break your budget? Pomme Café & Wine Bar is the place for you. A neighbor of its more elegant—and more expensive— parent establishment Pomme Restaurant, Pomme Café & Wine Bar offers a simple but delicious menu of salads, small plates, sandwiches and entrees that are sure to please any palate.

The café is friendly and unintimidating, quaint and cheerful. Its French-themed menu offers items you might find at a small café along the Champs Élysées, like fresh fruit with brie, wine and crusty bread. Even its ambience is reminiscent of a small European gem. I must admit, I always love a sprightly accordion tune playing in the background of my dining experience.

Though one might be wary of the limited length of Pomme’s menu, with such high quality options as filet mignon, smoked salmon, tuna steak and, of course, cheese—from goat to Gruyère—you’ll still have trouble choosing a dish.

More importantly, Pomme Café cooks up these classics with an original flair and bold flavors. Pomme takes an old standard like salmon and pairs it with bacon and mustard for the “Salmon BLT”—an outstanding sandwich, which I wholeheartedly endorse. The “Tuna Steak Sandwich” similarly surprises the taste buds and features a horseradish aioli. Crunchy toasted bread paired with the perfectly seared soft texture of tuna steak makes for a winning combo.

For vegetarians who tire of grilled-cheese sandwiches and salads, the “Portabella Mushroom Sandwich” will live up to your highest herbivore dreams. Goat cheese, tomato, chimichurri sauce and lettuce slaw (why settle for romaine when you can have slaw?) set this sandwich apart from others while filling you up as they complement a massive portabella mushroom.

All sandwiches come with green beans and new potatoes, which—in contrast to a bag of chips or french fries—will remind you that you’re eating in a real restaurant.

If you’d rather order an entrée, the “Chicken Paillard” is moist, perfectly cooked and topped with an unexpected but delicious sauce of caramelized apples—very appropriate for autumn.

Pomme Café & Wine Bar is not just for dinner dates. It also offers full breakfast, lunch, drink, dessert and—no joke—“late night snack” menus. With entrees maxing out at $16 and most dishes ringing in at less than $10, I’d love to move in right next door.