Garnett's: The Anti-Ipanema

What's bright and high-ceilinged, offers meat sandwiches of every kind and already has a homey vibe like it's been around for years? That would be the new Garnett's at Meadow and Park, named after owner Kendra Feather's grandmother. They open at 7 a.m. as a coffee shop with scones, muffins and coffee cake, shift to lunch at 11 and stay open until 10 during the week and 11 on Fridays and Saturdays. As I sat at the bar tonight eating way more than I should have, the crowd was part familiar faces and part neighborhood types eager to check out their local spot now that the lights are finally on.

Here's the only problem: the menu offers 21 sandwiches (including peanut butter for vegans) and there are so many delicious-sounding choices, narrowing it down may take you a while. I finally gave up and just chose one, knowing I'd be back to try the other nineteen. Turns out the Croque Monsieur I ordered (Black Forest ham and Gruyere cheese on grilled Italian bread with Mornay sauce) was so amazing looking that a guy who came in after me took one look at it, closed the menu and said, "I'll have that." For my side, I chose the Black-eyed Pea salad, as did the copy-cat on the stool next to me. It was wonderful. A guy at the other end of the bar loved his side of French red potato salad (mayo-less with mustard vinaigrette) so much he ordered another round of it instead of dessert.

And speaking of desserts, they are just as awesome at Garnett's as at Ipanema; Kendra has always served the sweet-tooth crowd very well and, for that, she has my enduring gratitude. I had the chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry, so there was much for me to like on that plate. I came home with a slice of the chocolate pie for tomorrow, after watching a girl eat a piece of it and close her eyes in pleasure after each bite . My next visit will conclude with the Hummingbird cake, a favorite of mine that's hard to find anymore.

It'll be another week or two until they have their ABC license for beer and wine, so until then, you'll have your choice of homemade mint lemonade, iced tea or Boylan's sodas.

On a side note, I began my evening at the Visual Arts Center for the latest installment of the Fresh Ink literary series. Josh Harmon, a finalist in VCU's First Novelist competition, read from his book, "Quinnehtukqut." Harmon's sense of place and the fiction he creates around it made for a very satisfying listen, even for someone like me, who rarely reads anything but non-fiction.

You may have missed Harmon, but you've got plenty of time to check out Garnett's for a very satisfying experience. And so you know, you can admire the jars of pickles that line the bar wall, but they're just for show.