Dark wooden tables are well-spaced out and topped with white tablecloths at the Deca Restaurant and Bar, which is on the 12th floor of the Ritz Carlton hotel behind the Water Tower Place. Salads, soups, sandwiches and entrees fill the lunch menu, costing $9-$23. Light dance music pulses gently throughout the large room, which offers a view of the John Hancock building as well as a large, flowing water fountain in the middle of the room.

Rosemary bread arrives at the table promptly, and then it's time to try the crispy chicken breast entree. The chicken comes with "garlic mashed potatoes," which are so whipped that they taste soupy, especially with the accompanying brown gravy.

Other highlighted menu items include butternut squash ravioli; mushroom and onion quiche; beet salad with walnuts; a steak sandwich; a club sandwich with chicken, ham, tomato, Gruyere cheese and egg; and a flatbread with pork belly, apple and goat cheese.

Finally, a pot de creme dessert delights with three mini-pots of vanilla cream, espresso mousse and chocolate mousse.

Average cost: $10-$20

Centerstage Reviewer: Mary Susan Littlepage