Rustika Cafe & Bakery on the SW Freeway

Eat here for a homemade lunch in a casual setting. I eat here often because it is a reliably good lunch spot with a big menu in a central location (Greenway Plaza area). They serve delicious salads, assorted Mexican dishes, omelets (try the "Ike special" with everything tossed in or the "BP special" with a mole spill), soups, and sandwiches. I ordered my favorite today: the chicken salad salad (not a typo). It is a very generous scoop of fresh, homemade white meat chicken salad, made with just the right amount of crunchy celery and mayo, atop a huge bed of house salad. Tossed into the mixed greens are mandarin orange sections, sliced tomatoes, and toasted slivered almonds. Their house dressing is tangy, a bit sweet, with a slight kick. Accompanying the salad is a lightly toasted, thick slice of their delicious homemade wheat bread. Rustika is a bakery, so they know how to bake bread. They also make incredible cookies, pastries, and cakes. If you order the #2 lunch combo, which is a cup of soup, half sandwich, and salad, you get a free cookie. Rustika's food and style is comforting, with mismatched silverware and plates, real glass drinking glasses, and an occasional table cloth and high-backed chair. Almost like being in someone's home, which makes it a special place.