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• 40 West Cafe

40 West Cafe's coffee cake. (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Salad plate with Mediterranean and Chicken salad $5.50 from 40 West Cafe. (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Black Forest smoked-turkey panini at 40 West Cafe. (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

The Omni Severin hotel in Downtown Indianapolis holds three distinctive dining spots -- all in the lobby.

In addition to the trendy Hot Tuna restaurant and Olives martini bar, the tiny 40 West Café provides tasty lunch and breakfast treats equal in quality to its bigger brothers, but at a fraction of the cost.

Co-worker Ben and I walked a brisk few blocks to see what this eatery has to offer.

The mood

Never have I entered an establishment with only 20 bucks in my pocket and had a doorman or an option for valet parking. But the stupendous staff of the Omni made even us low-budgeters feel welcome.

The L-shaped cafe has tabletop seating down one side, window seating and the deli on the other. We scrutinized the chalkboard menu hanging over the counter, as holiday music played loudly in the background.

The food

Artfully displayed in the glass showcase were colorful salads, muffins, pastries and ice cream. Sandwich fixings are housed in the back, as are the daily soups. Cream of broccoli and gumbo were on the menu during our visit.

In addition to ordering in, you can opt to buy salads by the pound, or get your muffin and Starbucks coffee to go.

If you're in a creative mood, you might choose to build your own sandwich. 40 West offers its patrons six cheeses, including Gruyere and Vermont white cheddar, seven kinds of bread and eight types of meat, such as corned beef and buffalo chicken, to fulfill your lunchtime fantasy.

A Black Forest smoked-turkey panini was Ben's flavor of the day ($6.20). It was served with a pickle and his choice of jalapeno chips. The grilled bread was stuffed beyond capacity with turkey, a few lettuce leaves and the highlight: multiple slices of the Vermont cheddar.

I chose a salad plate with Mediterranean pasta salad and chicken salad. I received half a serving of each for $5.50.

The mild Mediterranean salad consisted of bow-tie pasta, black olives, red onion and a sprinkling of red peppers and cheese. The better of the two, chicken salad, had no shortage of meat mixed with creamy dressing, raisins and nuts. Very filling, but we did have room to squeak in a piece of crumbly delicious coffee cake ($2).

The drinks

Liquids of the Coke variety: one regular, one diet ($1.52 each).

The damage: $18.04

40 West's combo of modern surroundings and quaint atmosphere was a treat for an afternoon out. It's not hard to stay in budget at 40 West, and the friendly staff makes it that much easier to swallow.