Bon Vivant Market Cafe

This bustling, gregarious addition to the Atwater scene serves up some interesting breakfast fare, including a stellar chicken and waffles dish. With a wafting scent like Amish funnel cake at a county fair (with the requisite dusting of confectioners sugar) and maple syrup studded with bacon, the waffle itself has a soft, dense interior like an old-timey cake doughnut—though nowhere near as sweet—redolent of cardamom and clove. There's such a crisp outer layer it almost seems fried (it's not). The crunchy chicken breast is barely battered, but what's there is craggy with nutty rolled oats and just a hint of heat at the end. The smokiness of the bacon in the maple syrup plays well against the spiced waffle and gives the savory chicken even greater depth. And even the coffee is good.