My Home Never Tasted Like This

Whenever a bakery like A Taste of Home puts together a light breakfast and lunch menu with table service, it's time to rejoice.

The reason is that you sit a few yards away from the baker's ovens and all the fresh goods that it brings forth. Your morning habit instantly receives an upgrade. The excellent coffee is strong and comes in oversized mugs, your egg sandwich is made with a warm Kaiser or onion roll, minutes away from creation. More elaborate breakfasts, served all day, offer fruitful varieties of pancakes, waffles and French toast including bananas and cream ($6.99), which can be had on cinnamon raisin bread or challah. Or go for the simpler silver dollar pancakes ($3.49) or potato and egg frittata ($6.50).

Sisters Rose Fuger and Monica Tarantino, along with mother, Nancy, established their large scale bakery/café/sweet shop almost four years ago, moving from a smaller store in the same shopping center, now being opened as a bagel store, and it has become a Bellmore community landmark.

Half a dozen tables catch the warmth of the noon day winter sun as I enjoy a big crock of peppery pasta fagioli ($2.95). A special incredible meatball soup, stocked with light, mini-meatballs and braised beef, is dotted with homemade croutons. Chunky chicken salad ($5.50) piled high on an onion roll is another winner. Even the cole slaw that comes with it tastes homemade. A panini ($8.99), pressed on fresh baked ciabatta, stacked with lightly breaded chicken breast, mozzarella and roasted red peppers, is too large to finish but I can't stop grabbing another bite. A wiser man would take advantage of the soup and half sandwich ($6.50) or half panini ($8.50) combo deals. A grilled vegetable salad ($5.75) is an unexpected success. There's a wonderful grilled taste to the veggies and the chef's light hand with balsamic is appreciated.

But wait. Don't forget, I'm in a bakery. Glass cases wind around the perimeter, full of  cheesy danish, jelly doughnuts, chocolate soufflé cake, a whipped cream and pineapple stuffed pecan ring, black and white cookies and lemon drops. I'm stunned to discover the sweet weakness from my childhood: Charlotte Russe, and finish one off in less than a minute. I'm surrounded by dozens of varieties of gelato and chocolate candies including melt-in-your-mouth homemade nonpareils. I take home a bag of chocolate drizzled popcorn and a seeded rye. "Our rye bread is so good we have customers who tell us they bring it to Brooklyn," swears Monica.

A Taste of Home offers a breakfast and lunch menu from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.