High-scoring, oversized Scrabble letters spelling \Lazy Jane's Caf??"" on the outside of the restaurant building at 1358 Williamson St. not only pique the interest of passers-by, they also signal to potential customers that what they will find inside is; like the popular word game, both smart and fun.
The caf?? inside confronts you with a barrage of knickknacks, colors and quirky decor. Customers wait in line to order, for example, next to shelves containing billiard balls and rubber ducks with devil horns.
An eclectic mix of items??-ceramic Christmas trees, Betty Boop figurines and an antique stove that serves as a table for water glasses-inhabits both floors of the restaurant. Each table has a condiment tray featuring the map of a state. The caf??'s second floor boasts a children's costume area.
The fascinating atmosphere makes Lazy Jane's feel like the welcoming house of an artsy Bohemian grandmother. At a caf?? like this, one would expect the food to play second fiddle to the ambience. Yet the food is as memorable and enjoyable as the environment.
Salads, sandwiches and pastries come in generous portions of heavy, stick-to-the-ribs ""comfort"" food, with a unique Lazy Jane's style thrown in. Many menu items carry unusual names, such as the ""Eurotrash Melt.""
The menu is flush with vegetarian dishes. A grilled cheese and avocado sandwich for example, is both a popular and filling choice for lunch, and the caf?? is well-known for its scones. And when an order is ready, the customer's name is shouted to the balconies.
""Most of the things on our menu are really simple,"" Janie Capito, the owner of Lazy Jane's, said. ""We just use really good ingredients and put a lot of love into it.""
Capito credits the employees of the caf?? for contributing to its fun character. For example, Jerry Fleming, one of the ""kings of the kitchen,"" named a scrambled eggs and vegetable breakfast option ""The Jennifer Love Hewitt."" Some of the employees are artists whose work hangs in the caf??.
Many of the items throughout the caf?? come from Capito's collections. The Scrabble-letter signs were also her ideas.
""That just came from my head,"" she said of the signs. ""I'm not really like 'a Scrabble player,' but if anyone is interested in having Scrabble tournaments here we'd love to do that.""
Capito describes her caf?? as a nurturing, welcoming place.
""I think people come here to get nurtured, both in terms of food and environment ... I think people can feel at home,"" she said.
""Every week, I have people thank me for doing Lazy Jane's, and that's so satisfying,"" Capito adds ""It's all ages, from little old ladies to retired Maple Bluffers to East Side single mothers to business employees and government employees ... this is just, like, for everyone.""
Lazy Jane's Caf?? is open (with a sign in the window consisting of four large Scrabble letters spelling ""open"") from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
