Do The Polymath

By AARON MESH

Housed in a two-story Craftsman with a big, rocking-chair-dotted front porch, The Nook Cafe (1524 NW 23rd Ave., 224-5537) resembles nothing so much as a bed-and-breakfast that forgot about the beds. (Unless you count the tables at the massage studio that rents upstairs.) It does have breakfast, though—served all day, anchored by a satisfying Southwestern wrap ($8.50). It has many elements, actually: Opened by the owners of the next-door Sushiville, the cafe seems like their attempt at everything except conveyor-belt sushi, and the surprise is how often they succeed. It's a strange, talented place that can ace an open-faced Monterey chicken sandwich ($10) and a St. Germain and lemon-peel cocktail called the Summer District ($8). Also it's a spooky place generally, because it's an old house and it's kind of empty.

WWeek 2015

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