Stonyfield Cafe off to a good start in Falmouth

Stonyfield Cafe is the new name for what was once O'Naturals. Like a politician, the restaurant is hoping that name recognition will convince more folks to vote for its menu when looking for a place to dine out.

Located in a shopping center on Route 1, Stonyfield Cafe is bright and airy, a pleasant enough spot to pop in for some soup or a sandwich. It was busy, but not packed, both times I visited, so there were plenty of tables available.

The menu is mostly the same, with some important differences. The cafe is now serving tart frozen yogurt with tons of different topping choices and has also been touting its new smoothies.

On my first visit, at dinner time, I ordered a Chicken TMB sandwich and a balsamic blue side salad, one of my favorite items from the old O'Naturals. The sandwich ($7.69) is made with the restaurant's popular flatbread, stuffed with chopped chicken breast that's been tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette, and topped with tomato, fresh mozarella and basil.

Standing there watching the cafe employee assemble my sandwich, I was struck by the huge array of colorful, fresh-looking ingredients spread out before me and being used to make sandwiches such as the Wrangler (organic roast beef, Swiss and rosemary onions) and the Alaskan (wild Alaskan salmon, root vegetables and brie). Every restaurant has its problems, this one included, but the cafe's selection of fresh, healthful food is the reason people seek it out.

I wish I had asked for the name of the woman behind the counter because she was a gem, and her boss should know it. She was friendly, polite and patient, answering all of my questions as best she could.

It wasn't her fault that when I ordered one of the touted smoothies, the machine wasn't working. Apparently, it won't be up and running for another couple of weeks. But when it does come online, you'll be able to order a smoothie made with Stonyfield Farm Organic Fat Free French Vanilla Yogurt, Stonyfield Farm Organic Fat Free Milk and fresh fruit, including locally-sourced berries.

OK, no smoothie. So I ordered a tart frozen yogurt instead. The yogurt is made with Stonyfield Farm Organic Fat Free Plain Yogurt, with organic sugar and a touch of lemon juice that made it just tart enough without making my mouth pucker. This was much more refreshing than those old sugary frozen yogurts that didn't taste much different than ice cream.

The best thing? There's loads of toppings to choose from, and you get three. How do you choose from a list that includes things like fresh blackberries, mint, flaked dark chocolate and honey? You can even go the savory route with basil, balsamic sauce or spicy peanut sauce.

I chose fresh blueberries, organic chocolate chips and Maine maple syrup. Sounds yummy, right?

They were out of blueberries.

I quickly switched my order to strawberries, chocolate chips and walnuts. It was delicious, but I was a little disappointed I couldn't get exactly what I wanted off the menu.

When I paid, the cashier told me I owed $19.99 for the sandwich, side salad and yogurt. That seemed a bit steep to me, but better ingredients are going to cost more, so I chalked it up to the same sticker shock I occasionally experienced at the O'Naturals in Portland.

When I later looked at my receipt, I realized I had been charged for a dinner-sized salad ($6.99) instead of the smaller side salad for around $4.

I found the cafe to be a great place for a casual brunch. Nothing too fancy, just staples like buttermilk pancakes (stack of three for $6) and egg sandwiches made with much better ingredients than what you find at fast-food joints. The brunch prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food.

The "egg sammies" ($4 to $7) are made with eggs and your choice of cheese served on grilled flatbread, with additions like sausage and bacon. The "specialty sammies" include ingredients such as feta, spinach and tomato, or sausage, mozarella and rosemary onions. According to the menu, they're all supposed to come with a side of home fries. Guess what? No home fries in sight with my order.

The service here was, generally, great. But the couple of mishaps I experienced (two of which -- the lack of smoothies and blueberries -- were no fault of the servers) were frustrating and reminded me of the issues I had with the Portland O'Naturals before it closed. No one likes being overcharged, and there's no excuse for not serving something that's listed on the menu.

But the food is good, so I'll probably go back, especially for some yogurt or the delicious "All-Natural Brunch."

The Features staff of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram anonymously samples meals for about $7.

Stonyfield Cafe