Spertus Café a tranquil grab-and-go option

If for no other reason than the architecture, people are gaga about Wolfgang Puck's casually sleek, future-forward Spertus Café by Wolfgang Puck, a counter-service eatery in the recently opened, eco-minded Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in the South Loop neighborhood. Pristinely white, window-walled with gleaming metal, it has a glinty, almost ethereal quality about it.

And it's nearly the only kosher option in the area. What's more, its views are of Grant Park. What more could you ask for?

And if you're wondering why Puck decided to get involved, it's because his wife is Jewish and his kids are raised accordingly. Of course, Puck isn't literally wearing the toque. Laura Frankel, better known for her work at Shallots Bistro in Skokie, handles everyday operations.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Spertus' menu is an abbreviated one, but the options are familiarly appealing in the grab-and-go sense. Located on the structure's second floor, visitors must sign in to enter (though they can opt to explore the Judaic-minded space when paying an admission fee).

When dining at the cafe, you line up to select pre-packaged goods (many with the celebrity chef's Asian leanings) before paying at the counter and scoring a stark, white chair at a stark, white table.

We started with the soy-seasoned chicken salad, a simple, palatable and fresh blend with crunchy greens and cabbage, crisp wontons, candied cashews and sprightly citrus-soy vinaigrette. The lightly spiced butternut squash soup was brightly inviting and as creamy as can be.

Other beginnings range from an olive-oil-marinated tuna Nicoise salad with fingerling potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, capers, olives and haricots verts to, perhaps, a ginger-spiced Thai beef salad with peppercress and banana pepper rings in lemongrass vinaigrette. There's a hummus platter, too, as well as a Caesar salad with sun-dried tomatoes and herby croutons, an unusual Cobb with herbed turkey, and smoked salmon brioche.

The rare roast beef sandwich continued the theme -- fine, fresh and made in advance. Slathered with basil aioli and topped with arugula and sun-dried tomatoes on ciabatta bread, it needed a dash of salt but otherwise was passable in every way. We opted to have an Israeli couscous salad on the side.

We actually liked the summery Israeli pita salad sandwich, packed with tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions dressed in lemony vinaigrette, enough to order it again.

Although the roster is fairly limited, other sandwich choices might include a grilled vegetable panini; mustard-infused egg salad; albacore tuna on a baguette; or herb-roasted turkey. Or, you might encounter Thai beef wraps with rice noodles, veggies and cilantro-specked dressing.

While sushi doesn't typically come to mind when most of us think of kosher cuisine (that's true of much of what's offered), there is sushi and nigiri.

Look for samplers that include tuna maki and nigiri, for example. You also might enjoy the Spertus roll, a take on lox and bagels with smoked salmon, wasabi peas and bagel chips.

If you're lucky, the café will serve moist, walnut-studded apple cake with pine nuts; it was the most pleasing part of our meal. We also tried the devil's food cupcake, a moist, rich finale that rarely falls flat. If you head here in the morning, there are always muffins and breakfast breads.

To drink, cans of pop, juice, water, tea and coffee are on hand.

We liked coming here -- not because the food knocked our socks off, but because the environ was so tranquil that it was worlds away from its surroundings.

Spertus Café by Wolfgang Puck

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan Ave.; (312) 322-1700; www.spertus.edu/cafe

Cuisine: Gourmet sandwiches, salads and sushi

Setting: Modern, white and museum-centered

Price range: Soup and salad $3.49 to $6.99; sandwiches $3.99 to $9; dessert $1.50 to $2.50

Hours: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; open Saturday evenings when Spertus programs are scheduled