Keep your eyes peeled for the red awning at the corner of Franklin...it's a spot you'll want to make a beeline to on a weekly (daily?) basis if you work within walking distance. This long and narrow spot is a lunch grill extraordinaire. Take your place in the generally long but quick-moving line and study up on the chalkboard's offerings; you'll want to be ready to blurt out your order on demand.

Breakfast sandwiches and fresh-brewed coffee give you reason to stop by in the morning, but it's the sandwiches that keep me coming back. While I favor the grilled chicken (a huge breast) with cheese on wheat and loaded with veggies, there are plenty of equally simple and appealing alternatives: grilled cheese with bacon, grilled portobello, reubens and plain ol' turkey. Top with sprouts and tabouli if you're feeling particularly healthy.

While in-and-out customers are often the norm, feel free to grab one of the tile-topped tables along the wall and take a load off. The cookies are big enough to split but good enough that you'll tend not to. The made-only-on-Friday brownies prove the validity of the phrase TGIF.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Schwartz