Scholar's Inn Bakehouse food varies

Most of the time, I love exotic food. With finals looming just a few days away, this was not one of those times. I needed some good old fashioned comfort food. With this in mind, I found myself in The Scholar's Inn Bakehouse. \nThe Scholar's Inn Bakehouse is a quaint little sandwich shop and bakery located on the square. The atmosphere of The Bakehouse is extremely laid back. You seat yourself, bus your own tables and order food at the counter. Near the entrance, newspapers sit in a haphazard stack. The walls seem to be lifted right out of an old country store; half the wall is covered in a country scene, the other half covered in a wooden paneling. \nWith all the simplicity of the décor, I imagined the menu would be simple. As well I was wrong. The menu of The Bakehouse is diverse and long, offering a wide array of sandwiches, soups and salads. If you cannot find what you want on the menu, there is the option of creating your own sandwich from a list of ingredients that seemed remarkably long.\nMy companion and I both opted to start our meal with a bowl of french onion soup. Honestly, the soup was disappointing. First off, I think The Bakehouse is somewhat confused over the definition of a bowl. When you order a bowl of soup, you should expect a sizable portion; The Bakehouse's bowl was rather small. I can only imagine how small a cup of soup is. Also, french onion soup is meant to be topped with cheese. The cheese, which happened to be quite tasty, sunk like sludge to the bottom of the bowl. At best, the soup was passable. \nAfter being disappointed with the soup, I was hoping the main course could pull up the meal. My companion opted for pasta with peppers and beef salad while I stuck with the Bordeaux chicken sandwich.\nMy companion's salad was tasty. The peppers were hearty; the beef, though somewhat chewy, tasted good. The pasta was light and quite good. The whole pasta salad was held together by a light vinegar sauce that gave the salad a little extra pep.\nI was disappointed by the Bordeaux chicken sandwich. The sandwich consisted of great seeded bread, a mild cheese, a good tangy barbeque sauce, nice green peppers and chicken. But it had two problems: First off half the sandwich was cold. There was really no reason for this. There was a total of four patrons in the restaurant, the food should not be cold. Secondly, the chicken was disappointing. It was lifeless, dried out and tasteless. I have received more tender chicken from a fast food restaurant or a frozen TV dinner.\nThe lifeless chicken was truly a shame because the rest of the sandwich was marvelous. The bread was excellent, all nice and crusty. The barbeque sauce was lip-smacking good. It had the perfect balance of hotness and sweetness, yet it still had a delectable tangy taste. The peppers were nice and firm. The cheese was a good complement to the rest of the ingredients.\nFor dessert, my companion and I split a piece of cream and crimson cake. The cake was best described as a toned down version of red velvet cake with strawberry layers and a sweet cream cheese frosting. The cake was sinful, nice and moist. It was sweet, but not too sweet; rich in flavors, but not too rich. I was tempted to go back for a second slice.\nOverall, The Scholar's Inn Bakehouse is a decent place to grab lunch. The food is okay, nothing special. The salads all looked good, and the breads were simply beautiful. Avoid anything that sounds too extravagant and opt for something simple. I would give The Bakehouse another chance.