PlanetEye

Located in a historic yellow clapboard blacksmith house, tucked in sideways and set back from busy Brattle Street near Harvard Square, the Hi-Rise Bread Company is a darn cute little bakery.

The baked goods are of the homespun type- molasses cookies, small soft chocolate sandwich cookies filled with vanilla crème, and a justifiably locally famous vanilla bean loaf cake.

The sandwiches are amazing.  The in- house baked breads are piled high with creative combinations of ingredients. The turkey with grilled portobello mushrooms, asparagus spears and tarragon mayonnaise is exceptional. The soups are very good too. The cool cucumber soup has a yogurt base and is the perfect antidote to a hot summer day. The carrot soup is velvety smooth with a just-right orange hue. 

Order at the counter, pay,  and walk up the narrow staircase to the second floor- where there are two dining "rooms" .  Then wait for the staff to yell out your name and find you. 

Hi-Rise is as quirky as the quiet intellectual types that frequent it. It is open only for  breakfast and lunch , it is closed on Sundays, takes cash only, seating is limited, and sometimes they run out of popular menu items. But Hi-Rise is one of the best bakeries in the Boston area - and even with its minor flaws you will want to live next door anyway.