The coolest thing to find, to me at least, is a combination of the best qualities of all 3; regional specialities, a good price and interesting surroundings, and hopefully, an original twist on the food that makes it unique and memorable.
Some of the best and most unusual places we have in southern oregon are run by refugee chefs from portland or san francisco. Because we are a tourist oriented area, casual is the word of the day, so they tend to be cafes with exceptional food in an easy-going atmosphere, with a creative twist to the food.
So hyde park CI sounds great to me. good food at a bargain price in unique surroundings. there’s a great one in downtown portland, oregon, incidentally, that does the same thing. sort of a beauty college for the stomach.