When most people feel there is something missing in their neighborhood - a laundromat, a produce market, a movie theater - they just complain. But for Susan Davis Friedman and her husband, that thing was a gathering place that offered good coffee, good food and the kind of atmosphere that made you want to have more of both. So they opened one. The result is Fraiche, the kind of coffee shop that makes people want to live in the neighborhood.

Fraiche's powder-blue walls and wooden tables create the perfect backdrop for the inventive and inexpensive food. Breakfast specialties include eggs Benedict, frittata special and the absolutely scrumptious almond french toast. At just $6.50, it rivals any $11 french toast served at some breakfast hot spots in the city.

Lunch includes a wide array of sandwiches from pear and brie to roast beef. Both turkey and roast beef are roasted on premises to insure only the best meat makes it onto your plate. Salads, crab cakes and a few other offerings are also up for grabs, all at affordable prices. Regulars here include neighborhood folk and students, all popping in for a fresh cup of Metropolis coffee.

While there's plenty here for healthy sustenance, it's tough to choose anything other than something from the delightfully lovely glass case of baked goods. Muffins, scones (a house specialty) and cupcakes create a rainbow of sugary persuasion as you approach the counter to pay. In fact, Fraiche has gained some notoriety from the sale of whoopie pies, a sort of soft cream-filled cake-cookie, usually only found on the east coast. They are such a rarity in the Midwest that Fraiche found itself on the cover of the New York Times food section after it had just opened.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Christy Bonstell