Bluestem Bistro

Sweet smells waft from the open French doors of Bluestem Bistro in the heart of Aggieville, Manhattan's party district adjacent to Kansas State University. The cheery bakery and coffee shop bakes scones, muffins, cookies, fudge, cakes and breakfast pastries, though cheesecakes are the specialty of the house. We tried a worth-every-calorie giant espresso-iced chocolate cupcake ($3) and a frothy latte. Light lunch selections run an average of $7. Choose from fresh sandwiches, pastas, quiches and salads served at the lunch hour (so is beer). Kansas purveyor Grandma Hoerner's fruit butters, jellies, herb sauces and hot fudge line an open shelf by the sunny front windows. Mostly students seem to hang here, pounding on their laptops, sipping coffee and texting (Bluestem has free Wi-Fi and study room seating). There's a glassed-in "quiet room" for serious study and coffee intake. In season, the outdoor patio deck is a fresh-air alternative to the busier sitting room of couches and tabletops. Sundays, you can stop in for joe and live jazz.