Immediately as I walked in I found a table and began to glance at the menu. While the restaurant was a bit cramped for the number of tables, I never saw more than one empty table during my visit. At the same time, the restaurant was clean, elegant, and relaxing, even in a tight space. After all, it’s not everyday you find a working fireplace inside a deli.

The menu has several offerings, but all are easy to understand. All sandwiches are the same price, $7.95, and come with a choice of a side. And the sides aren’t just limited to chips or fries. Instead, you can choose roasted red potatoes, potato salad, coleslaw, kettle chips or a gourmet deli salad.

My dining partner and I went up to the counter to order. After all, this is still a deli. And it is still completely hectic at lunch time.

Rudy went ahead and ordered the Black & Tan Dip, while I opted for a Turkey Jack Rabbit. Both of us chose potato salads, and waited back at our seats.

The Black & Tan Dip featured pork loin and roast beef simmered in a pork and beef au jus on a French Roll. While certainly not out of the ordinary, it seemed like a classic french dip sandwich that was presented quite well. The roll was fresh and firm enough to dip in the beef au jus sauce, but still didn’t match the pleasantness or excitement of Bistro Bella Vita, and its beef au jus sauce. My Turkey Jack Rabbit, on the other hand, featured roasted turkey, colby jack cheese and chipotle mayo, served on a San Francisco Sourdough bread. It featured just enough kick in the mayo to add a little extra flavor, in what might have been a not-so-special sandwich otherwise.

I would’ve liked to see the sandwiches a bit larger, but they were a decent size for your typical lunch.

Paired with the potato salad, the sandwiches were that much better. The potato salad wasn’t your sloppy salad that you can buy in tubs at Meijer. Instead, it featured large chunks of potatoes, fresh veggies, cheese and a light ranch dressing — all of which made for a great complementary dish.

In addition to serving breakfast and lunch, Ramona’s also offers catering services, which are paired with beverages from Martha’s Vineyard. Catering menus feature everything from a burger bar and sandwiches, to beef tenderloin and orange ginger glazed salmon.

All in all, I would recommend the deli experience at Ramona’s Table in a heartbeat. It’s a fairly quick meal with good flavors, and it’s very affordable. While I personally would’ve liked to be a bit more filled up after lunch, the sandwiches are certainly a reasonable enough size. And with its cramped setting, it would’ve been nicer if we would have been able to spread out a bit more (as a sidenote, Ramona’s does offer outside seating, when it’s not 30 degrees outside).

While it hasn’t topped Cherry Street Deli in my book, Ramona’s Table offers some really good deli options, and certainly holds its own.

One look into Restaurant Bloom, a casual restaurant in the heart of downtown, and you’ll notice a new trend that’s growing throughout the city.

Clean, modern, and full of culture.

The restaurant focuses on creating “an experience of sights, aromas, tastes, and textures” for guests. During a Sunday brunch, I was able to experience this first-hand.

We walked in shortly after 12:30 for brunch, and were seated by a window that was filled with sunlight. Across from us was a painting, and behind was a backdrop of brown and green paints. The modern atmosphere was certainly engaging for conversation, but also allowed for some relaxation.

After a lengthy wait at our table, we ordered our drinks and food. My dining partner, Chris, asked for coffee with cream, as well as buttermilk pancakes, which were covered with peaches and maple syrup. I opted for orange juice and some french toast with spice poached raisins.

My orange juice came almost immediately after ordering. Chris’ coffee, well, it just never came.

As for our food? Well, let me say something right off the bat. I’m used to big breakfasts. While visiting my family, we regularly make belgian waffles, usually covered in fruit. I like big meals, that fill me up until it’s time for dinner, especially if it’s labeled as a brunch.

Despite its great tastes, Restaurant Bloom failed to meet this standard.

Both of our food was presented in front of us on rather large plates. But nearly half of the plates were empty. There were no sides that came along with our meals; the sides they did offer were a few dollars more, and didn’t seem that appetizing. Chris’ pancakes were fluffy and had a great flavor, while my french toast had a great, fluffy bread that was perfect for the meal. The raisins added a spice of flavor, and the maple syrup topped it off. Overall, the food was very good. There just wasn’t enough of it.

And the service was nothing to brag about. In addition to the long wait, and forgetting about Chris’ coffee, we were never checked on by our waitress. Another waiter asked how we were doing, and it almost made me wish that we had him as our waiter. He seemed to be very friendly to the table next to us, and I wish we had gotten a similar experience.

Overall, I’m willing to give Restaurant Bloom some credit. It has some great-tasting food. While it’s not very filling, it tastes very, very good. But the service wasn’t up to par, and I think that led to our experience not being as satisfactory. Because of its environment and food, though, I’d definitely give this a second chance, and maybe try it out for lunch or dinner.