July 7-13, 2005

food

Love Bug

by Elisa Ludwig

With just a few deft touches, the Australian-inspired Ants Pants distinguishes itself from the pack of European-, Seattle- and anonymous-corporate-style cafes littering the city with cup cozies. The tiny Graduate Hospital-area coffeehouse greets you with glass cases of cookies, scones, muffins and cakes. A small seating area has a few tables, a narrow bar and walls the color of hollandaise decorated with vintage posters. Now that the weather's warm, the "outback," a bricked-in patio with lime green Ikea chairs, is open for lounging. The cheerful, appetizing atmosphere also boasts hospitable service and free wireless Internet access.

The Pants' hybrid breakfast/lunch menu features a small list of intriguing variations on typical cafe fare like the bacon stack, or white bread toasted with a sunny-side-up egg, Pecorino cheese, tomato and arugula. Dill scrambled eggs are served dry and fluffy with a crumble of creamy feta over a thick slice of honey-wheat toast. Créme brèlée French toast is actually more traditional than it sounds, but it comes with a sweet sour cream sauce and thin-sliced bananas dusted with cinnamon.

On the lunch side, lightly salted sweet potato fries attractively arranged in a deep white bowl are paired with chili preserves and sour cream for dipping. A grilled chicken sandwich is harmoniously layered with sun-dried tomato paste, shaved Pecorino Romano, wilted arugula and filmy caramelized onions and served on a fresh baguette. The chopped salad is a crisp, refreshing mix of scallions, corn, tomatoes and cucumber revved up with lemon and mint dressing. These are tasty items you could easily start to crave.

Like La Colombe and Hausbrandt, Ants Pants purveys an exclusive coffee import. Here it is the Australian-made Belaroma espresso, which can be ordered in southern hemisphere-style configurations like the long black (espresso with hot water) and the flat white (espresso and steamed milk) in addition to the usual cappuccinos, lattes, etc. All are outstanding. There are also fresh juices (green apple, orange and pink grapefruit), granitas and delicious-sounding milk shakes like the one flavored with Nestlé Violet Crumble bars (crispy "honeycomb" covered with milk chocolate).

So remember: "That's the ants' pants." It's Australian for "That's the shit."

Ants Pants 2212 South St., 215-875-8002

• Mon., 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Closed Tue.
• Breakfast/lunch, $2.50-$8.25
• Not wheelchair accessible.
• Smoking is permitted on the patio.
• Cash only.