FOOD .
Under the Oak Cafe
804 Oak Lane Ave.
215-924-1410
Cafe/Coffeeshop, North Philadelphia
Nestled in a lovely stone cottage, Under the Oak Caf??s cozy interior holds about 20 if you count its antique love seat and pillow-lined window bench. The pastries alone are amazing: Palm-size cinnamon knots are impossibly soft, sugary but not cloying ? perfectly spiced. House-cured salmon comes with a very good bagel and three giant capers ? stems still attached ? as well as red onion and tomato. A spinach quiche proves that the kitchen knows its way around whipped eggs. Even the turkey stew has a light touch: The broth is rich but nowhere near congealed, and it comes over a buttermilk scone, giving the dish a profile a little like a dressed-up pot pie. Red lentil cakes are saut?ed to a thin crisp but retain a pillowy texture within, and marry excellently with shaved carrots smothered in oil and Moroccan spices. It?s hard to find fault with this member of the Buy Fresh Buy Local alliance. The coffee is from La Colombe; the tea is loose leaf. And most importantly, the folks serving you seem genuinely to love what they do. Open Mon.-Sat., 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Average entree under $10
- Takeout menu
- Outdoor seating
- BYO