My wife and I would like to report on a pleasant outing we had (recently). The new Cafe 27 opened up on Clark Street and we had the opportunity to be one of the first customers. One never quite knows what to expect, and it is true we are generally easily pleased but Cafe 27 opened a totally new world of culinary delight.

It is easy to get locked in a pattern and forget what food experiences are out there even though through the years we have managed to test a few great ones and I don't mean expensive, but places where we walked out and found ourselves saying, "Wow, that was a different world." A place were no matter how hard we may try at home there is no way we can match that performance.

Cafe 27 is one of those places. Most interestingly, they are featuring foods grown by local farmers. The offering is fresh produce, I mean really fresh, right out of the soil fresh. It appears they are making every effort to support the farmers of Portage County and making every overture to keep it organic.

I would say there seems to be a French twist to the fare but with a Wisconsin kiss. I don't think the French can come up with these goods. We also liked the feel of the setting, a pleasant formality of sorts but also a warm down home touch -- just plain special.

As a final thought, or remembrance if you will, the apple filled pastry we enjoyed for dessert was all by itself an experience. Real butter, I suspect, and ice cream graced the apples. What can I say.

What a great addition to downtown.

David and Ann Wright

Amherst