Bradley's Corner Cafe

The father-son team of Bradley and Jay Jennings turns out some mighty fine country cookin' at Bradley's Corner Cafe in the burgeoning NOTO Arts District of North Topeka. Locals in-the-know and truckers on-the-go can't keep this diner a secret any longer because we've been there. Bradley bakes 25 different pies daily. For $3.50 a slice ($4 with a scoop of ice cream), you could make a meal of just pie. We did, chowing down two slices -- a sweet-sour strawberry-rhubarb and old-fashioned chunky apple swathed in sugar-sprinkled, golden brown crust. If our itinerary allowed, we would have come back in the morning for a hefty cinnamon roll and plate of eggs with thick-cut bacon. For lunch, choose from 30 hot plates and sandwiches, $6 to $8. Favorites include the meat loaf and turkey-dressing plates ($7.79), biscuits and gravy ($2.79), and beefy cheeseburgers on homemade buns, $5.29. Kids love their special menu as well as the cafe's Wild West murals depicting racing stagecoaches and cattle-wrangling cowboys. Table service was slow, but it's nothing the pie won't make you forgive. Open daily: 6 a.m.-2 p.m.