Polly Levine and her friend Marilena Sacks had long fantasized about owning their own cafe -- nothing unusual about that. But three weeks ago, they finally realized their dreams when they opened Chestnut Lane Cafe.
Tucked into the tiny Camelback Road (4225 E. Camelback) spot that housed Kohnie's until last summer, Chestnut Lane is already doing a booming breakfast and lunch business.
"I think people just want to get back to basics," says Levine. "We are really conscious of using pure, quality ingredients in our food."
Of course there's coffee to fuel your morning. Cookies, pannetone, and old-fashioned vanilla cake are just a few of the fresh sweets baked daily. Lunch items include chicken soup and various vegan soups, egg salad sandwiches, Niman Ranch corned beef sandwiches, and lobster cobb salad with applewood-smoked bacon.
Chestnut Lane Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.