Variety is the spice of life at Nancy’s

DINING OUT

Variety is the name of the game at Nancy’s Place, a cafe three

blocks up from the pier on Main Street. If you can’t find a sandwich

($5.50) or muffin ($4.95 to $5.50) you like, just tell owner Nancy

Fisher, and she’ll find one you will like.

Here also is one of the best lunch bargains in town -- a special

sandwich, soup, soft drink and mini-muffin, all homemade ($5.50).

Nancy’s opens at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 7 a.m.

Saturday and Sunday, so it could also be called the home of the

“portable” breakfast sandwich. Of the five choices ($2.35 to $5.49),

it’s hard to beat the California tradition ($2.65), a fresh, toasted

bagel or roll with sausage patty, crisp bacon or deli ham, fluffy

scrambled eggs and American cheese. Bagels, baked fresh daily by cook

Jerry Valez, will give you a happy start even if you got up on the

wrong side of the bed.

Nancy’s husband, Dennis, has an extensive restaurant background --

he owned one in Arizona and has managed several. It’s his friends’

recipes that are followed for the soups.

With a sandwich, they make a great lunch. There are five choices

here. The streccitelli alla Romana I selected is a robust chicken

broth thick with spinach, laced with egg drop and flavored with

Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

Another was the corn chowder, creamy and filled with more than

corn. This chowder has potato cubes and carrots, onion and bits of

red and green peppers to add color. One soup suggested for

vegetarians is the fresh asparagus, which has no cream or roux

(thickener), just a puree of garden vegetables dominated by

asparagus. Because everything is served in plastic or foam bowls, the

soups tend to be warm rather than hot and cool off quickly.

Sandwiches are the deli type. Mine was turkey, made special by the

freshness of the ruffled romaine and thin tomato slice. The

mini-muffin sample added a nice touch to the plate.

Nancy calls the regular-size muffins “killer muffins.” They are a

little larger than the usual and very light. There is a great variety

of flavors: cinnamon swirl, cheesecake, deep dish apple -- the most

popular -- chocolate chocolate chip and poppy seed lemon. The muffins

are baked fresh daily by “the muffin girl,” Sandy Summer. All breads

and muffins that are not sold by closing time are donated to local

churches, homeless shelters and the probation department.

Nancy’s Place is a perfect fit for Main Street. You can pick up a

muffin, as many regulars who live in apartments nearby do, and be on

your way, or stay and relax at the sidewalk tables to watch the

baby-strolling moms, tourists or joggers go by.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or send e-mail to

[email protected].