Phil Stefani owns several restaurants in Chicago and its suburbs that are perfect for family gatherings or romantic dates, but the Tuscany Cafe in the Donnelly Building is a terrific pit stop for workaholics on weekdays. You have to go through the building’s gorgeous neo-deco lobby to get the Tuscany, and the bamboo, mural-sized paintings and huge window-filled walls will de-stress within moments. The entrance to the cafe is a bit hidden (follow the sign that says “Fitness Center”), but once you’re inside, it’s the definition of easy.

Service is cafeteria-style, where you travel along a bar, pushing a tray, and call out to line cooks what you’d like from each station (pasta, soup and salad and sandwiches). But the quality of the food isn’t what you’d expect from a cafeteria; you can choose from homemade mezzalune in light tomato cognac cream sauce, chicken monte carlo in a white wine butter sauce, or mixed grilled vegetables with hummus in a spinach tortilla. The cooks prepare everything in front of your eyes, fresh and snappily, with a few flicks of their wrists. If you don’t want to take advantage of the superb food selection, you can just grab a coffee and cookie (or a glass of wine from the bar) and sit in front of the windows overlooking West Wacker, watching everyone else rush on by while you allow yourself to wind down. Catering is available.

Average cost: $21-$30

Centerstage Reviewer: Abigail Derecho