Profile

Thé Adoré, a Franco-Japanese tearoom, is a cozy, frenzy-free respite for lunch and pastries or sandwiches to go. The ground floor has just enough room for a display case and a few customers placing to-go orders. The pastries are baked on site each morning, with a restrained level of sweetness. There’s a rather literal interpretation of a pain au chocolat, for instance, with a bready exterior rather than the usual flaky, buttery puff. A dining room with table service, up a narrow staircase, is a country-cottage space, with exposed beams, ladderback wooden chairs, and sprigs of fresh flowers on each table. A large window overlooks the street. Sandwiches, salads, and soups are on offer; often the best part of the sandwiches is the yeasty, chewy bread, sliced fresh for each order. The tearoom’s Japanese creators have vivified the menu with global touches like a Hungarian sandwich of salami, cornichons, and melted Havarti; a croque Mexican with toasted ham, cheese, tomato, and jalapeño; and a tasty West Coast-style smoked turkey with alfalfa sprouts. France and Japan come to the fore on the list of nearly forty teas, with choices like Marco Polo, a richly floral blend from Mariage Frères; the Japanese classic Sencha; and Genmaicha, a green tea flavored with toasted rice. — Jennifer Paull

During peak lunch hours, there’s a $5 per person minimum charge if you sit at a table. Also: Yuki, the café’s owner, maintains a strict policy of no substitutions on sandwiches and no honey, lemon, or milk for tea.

Smoked turkey sandwich, $6.50