Merridee’s Breadbasket

Merridee’s is a casual bakery cafe where people come early in the day to buy breads and pastries to take home or to sit down for breakfast or lunch. Place an order at the counter and they’ll call your name when it is ready, by which time, hopefully, you will have found a seat. The repertoire includes hot breakfasts and a vast array of oven-fresh rolls (almond swirl, cinnamon twist, sticky bun, muffins, biscuits, scones, etc.) as well as lunch of sandwiches, salads, and crescents (“No, not croissants!” says the menu), which are homemade bread doughs wrapped around turkey and honey mustard, spinach and feta cheese, or roast beef and Swiss. Box lunches, packed and ready to go, are a handy alternative for people who need to eat elsewhere.

Pimento cheese, a mid-south passion, is the essential sandwich. It is not dramatically different from ordinary cheese spread, but subtle difference is just the point. Pimiento cheese is all about nuance: the ineffable zip of chopped pimientos and sweet relish and their red and green sparkle in the gentle-flavored cheese. While hearty and satisfying, it has a refined character that sings of ladies’ lunch rooms, afternoon tea, and Dixie finesse.

For dessert: cake, pie, fudge brownies, and sugar tea cakes. There is a nice variety of espresso coffee drinks.