A favorite latte-stop for college students (there are three locations on the UIC campus alone), Cafe Descartes brings its beans and oatmeal to Lincoln Square. Such ingredients are essential for the coffee shop's signature drink: the Oatmeal Latte. The perfect-for-breakfast concoction blends a shot of freshly-roasted espresso (all of Descartes' beans are roasted daily in the cafe's Roger Park facility) with oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, honey, milk and blueberries.

If the oatmeal drink sounds a little lumpy, smooth things out with a cafe au lait or a plain ol' shot of espresso. Typical coffeehouse fare like bagels, muffins and bottled fruit juices stock the cooler, and a case of gelato provides an unexpectedly chill treat. For those who just can't fathom $4 cups of joe, be warned that prices at Descartes are comparable to those at Starbucks. The atmosphere, though, is a whole other story.

The cafe channels rustic warmth with a dash of European bistro: golden-tinged red canvasses the walls, heavy tables of dark wood sit closely together and rich velvet fabric sweeps over an alcove in back. The long, curvilinear bar comes stocked with plenty of stools for espresso-machine side seating. A family-heavy crowd of young parents and stroller-bound babies keep company with cops on a caffeine run and the owner shakes hands with many of his guests. It seems strange that a brand new cafe could feel so much like an old neighborhood hang, but Descartes pulls it off.

Centerstage Reviewer: Jennifer Berg