Cafe Sol

488 Main St., Niantic

(860) 739-2933

cafesolniantic.com

You’ve got to love an eatery that serves great vegetarian dishes alongside outstanding carnivore-centric items like a Cuban sandwich. With a spectrum that wide, most palates will find something to enjoy at Café Sol in Niantic, now all settled at its new location a few doors down from its former spot on Main Street.

As for my favorites, they fall somewhere in between the veggie-no veggie poles. For example, the Spicey Cho breakfast sandwich ($9.25; extra “e” intended) brings together scrambled eggs, delicious chorizo, and savory gouda cheese. The spicy mustard adds a subtle kick that amplifies the entire ensemble.

We also loved the BBQ Chicken Caesar salad ($16), the size of which justifies the cost. Loads of romaine lettuce and six slices of grilled chicken strips brushed with fabulous house Bourbon barbecue sauce make for a hearty meal that is packed with flavor and fun accents like roasted corn and black beans.

Regarding that Cuban sandwich: It’s among the best I’ve tasted in my culinary travels. We loved everything about it, from the pickles, tasty roll, and mustard to the pulled pork-ham-Swiss cheese construction.

We have much more ground to cover on the menu, and that is a task we’ll gladly take up as the newest members of Café Sol’s sizeable fanbase.

— Marisa Nadolny

Noodle Revolution

87 Oak St., Westerly

(401) 596-9559

noodlerev.com

It’s all good at Noodle Revolution, whether you opt for the Pad Thai, the drunken noodles, or seafood rice in pineapple. The place is small, and every dish is made to order. If you sit at the four-seat counter, you can get a bit of a glimpse of the kitchen.

The Thai Basil Beef over Rice, $18, is billed as their version of a famous street dish with a secret sauce and minced flank steak. You can add a fried egg for $2 more.

Or maybe you’ll have a hankering for the Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Riace, $24, with the option of adding lobster or shrimp. There are other offerings such as Hong Kong Beef Chow, Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Fried Rice, or a Shrimp Wonton Noodle Bowl, which can be served as a soup or dry.

The food is the real deal at Noodle Revolution, with options for proteins, noodles, spiciness, and vegetables. The service is always friendly and the portions, ample. For a starter, make sure to get the dumplings. They also have Revolution Tacos, three for $18, and you pick spiced pork or chicken. For $3 more, they’ll make them with shrimp.

– Ann Baldelli

New London Eats

2 Bank St.

New London

(860) 446-6198, newlondoneats.com

Not sure if any new brochures from New London Main Street for the upcoming tourist season will call it “Desolation Corner,” but the should-be-prime intersection of Bank Street at Parade Plaza ain’t exactly bustling with commerce.

Wait! I DO see something there in a tiny storefront. It’s called New London Eats!

Yes, indeed: a clean, brightly lit food oasis, New London Eats offers a simple menu of take-out comfort food favorites based around giant baked potatoes, hot dogs, mac and cheese, nachos, chili, chicken and pulled pork. It’s as though the folks who design ballpark concessions created a delicious food stop without having to pay $700 for a ticket to watch your fave team lose.

Further brilliance? YOU – the customer – can pick from an array of combinations of those principal ingredients, so that you might get a tater heaped with pulled pork and/or mac and cheese (with butter, chives and sour cream, if desired). Or a plump dog with chili and mac and cheese. Or … you get the idea.

It’s all house-made, too, by caring people who know what they’re doing. Price are reasonable (typically $8.95-$11.95) and the New London Eats purveyors/servers are as nice as can be.

– Rick Koster