Novel

The Scene
High ceilings, elaborate window dressings and gorgeous courtyard views create a comfortably upscale experience inside the BPL's McKim building. Area workers, bookworm-y students and hungry tourists enjoy a never-ending lunch buffet. Friendly waitresses dutifully execute the classy afternoon tea service, ensuring patrons never have to top off their cups. The neighboring Map Room Cafe offers light bites for on-the-go types who can't spare the hour-plus to appreciate Novel's leisurely pace.

The Food
Sebastian's, a local catering firm, supplies Novel and the cafe with a wide range of super-fresh lunch fare. The buffet, which features a generous assortment of salads, sandwiches and entrees, is frequently replenished and changes daily. Buffet patrons get their money's worth, devouring trays of applewood-smoked BLTs and roasted salmon with papaya salsa. In the late afternoon, the buffet is replaced by large pots of top-quality tea and plates of scones with Devonshire cream and lemon curd.