The Perfect Restaurant

Did you ever try to imagine the perfect restaurant? What kind of food would it serve? What kind of ambiance would it provide? What kind of music would they play? And perhaps most importantly, how good would the coffee be? For many of you the notion of the perfect restaurant is nothing more than a fantasy, but luckily for me, this fantasy has become a reality. Cheryl’s, the new neighborhood restaurant focusing on “global soul’ may well be my dream come true.
It first grabbed my attention because of its innovative, funky, and comfortably minimal design. The brick walls are painted white, and covering the right wall are grainy slats of wood that reach and curve toward the back of the restaurant and continue up onto the ceiling creating a warm and rustic atmosphere. The first time I ate lunch at Cheryl’s I was running some errands and figured I would stop in for a quick bite. Even though it was my day off, it had been a stressful one so while ordering the Chelsea (all the sandwiches have names, as in human names) I spontaneously tacked on a glass of Rioja. The sandwich was simply perfect! Just the way I like it, with two fabulously fresh slices of nutty grain bread lightly smeared with fresh tarragon mayo, and stacked with just the right amount of turkey, greens, and delicately sliced cucumbers. Jenny Lewis’s soft and breathy voice echoed in the close to empty dinning room, “I’d rather be lonely, I’d rather be free, I’m as sure as the moon rolls around the sea…” I sipped my Rioja, boldly flecked with fragrant oak and fresh fruit, and took turns eating/sipping, sipping/writing, and writing then gazing out the window at the picture framed street corner on the other side. By the time I finished my perfect sandwich and polished off my glass of the wine I had decided to trashed my to do list and instead relaxed and got some writing done. It was altogether a flawless experience except that, when I went to use the bathroom I was almost stunned to find that there was no mirror.
Call me vain, but there was something unsettling about a bathroom trip without a mirror.

My second visit I wanted to put Cheryl’s to the true Gourmet Peasant test and that would have to involve morning coffee. I went in clean (without morning coffee or even a whiff of breakfast.) Moody and jonseing for my morning brew, I made a b-line for the counter and ordered the quiche Lorraine and a latte. I took my seat and prayed that the coffee would arrive before the coffee monster awoke from its peaceful slumber. I was overjoyed when the coffee arrived swiftly and with the perfect espresso to milk ratio. I took a sip, moaned then took another before noticing that the person next to me was staring. Oh well. I was jacked up on coffee and starving by the time the quiche arrived and devoured everything on the plate before I remembered that I had planned to take a picture.
Oh Well :(

So fare Cheryl’s has proved to fit the bill for my dream restaurant. Even the mirrorless bathroom adventure turned out to be a growing experience. There will be further testing before anything is set in stone of course. There is brunch to try, dinner to eat, and we musn’t forget about these cuties,
I can’t wait to give them a try. I think I may have an opening for dessert tomorrow, shall we say around 8pm?

Check out other reviews for Cheryl's Global Soul