Dining out: Cafe Nordstrom

Since I started reviewing restaurants for the Deseret Morning News, several "ladies who lunch" have suggested I try Cafe Nordstrom, a little eatery tucked into the downtown and Fashion Place Nordstrom department stores.

Well, I like lunch places, and my kids always call me a lady. So a cousin of mine and I, with our kids in tow, tried Cafe Nordstrom at Fashion Place on a recent weekday.

The place definitely skews feminine. In the more than an hour we were there, the only male in the place was our server. In fact, the atmosphere — tile floors, plants, mirrored walls, wooden tables, banquettes — can be described as much in terms of clientele as decor: Silver-haired ladies sipping soup, chic Nordstrom saleswomen forking up salads, yoga-suited moms and their daughters sharing dessert.

But don't despair, fellas. Cafe Nordstrom's menu has plenty for you, too. In fact, the food is enticing enough that the place could be a new secret stop for guys waiting for their wives to finish shopping.

Kids also are more than welcome at Cafe Nordstrom. As ours looked over their own round menus, our server hurried out with activity place mats and a four-pack of crayons for each. Being creatures of habit, the kids quickly decided on chicken fingers and mac and cheese, but we took a little longer to decide.

I was tempted by the Santa Fe chicken panini, a chicken breast with roasted peppers, avocado, onion, Monterey Jack cheese and chipotle aioli on focaccia bread. Instead, I decided on the roasted chicken linguini. This is a plate of flavorful sliced chicken breast with bright-green sauteed spinach, mushrooms and fresh diced tomato over noodles. It's dressed in a light, garlicky oil and is flavorful and filling. Cafe Nordstrom has the size of a good lunch serving down cold: You always get enough to eat, but you're not overwhelmed by a plate that looks like it should be a communal serving for the whole table.

My cousin had the Danish bleu cheese and pear salad, an inspired concoction that makes an excellent lunch. Its base is purple romaine lettuce and other mixed greens that are so fresh and perky they're practically still growing on the plate. They're topped with sweet chunks of pear, caramelized walnuts, thin-sliced red bell pepper, generous sprinkles of bleu cheese and a light dressing of champagne vinaigrette. Each ingredient is carefully chosen and prepared, and the flavors blend amazingly well.

For dessert, the kids scarfed down sugary Valentine cookies, and we ordered carrot cake, which at Cafe Nordstrom is almost a cross between spice cake and fruitcake. It's crumbly and full of fruit, carrots and nuts, with a tooth-achingly sweet and rich cream cheese frosting.