Garden of Eden

Takeout elegance at a French café

On the Cheap by Valerie J. Cimino

The Garden of Eden, a serene little hideaway and long-time fixture on the trendy-come-lately part of Tremont Street, has recently expanded its hours and its menu. Now, in addition to its excellent selection of cheeses, pâtés, breads, and pastries, the seven-table café also sells a wide range of prepared dinners. Generously sized meals-to-go are $8 and include tangy chicken piccata with porcini risotto and broccoli with lemon butter; pork loin with mango stuffing and saffron couscous; and sesame beef with broccoli and sweet peppers.

À la carte items include pastas (ziti with pesto; farfalle with chicken, artichokes, and sweet peppers); chicken salad; panzanella; an unusual and refreshing cucumber, feta, and peach salad; green beans with lavender vinaigrette; and potato and bean salad. Prices are $2.95 to $3.95 for a small container, which comfortably serves one person, and $3.95 to $7 for a large, which is twice the size.

Items are available all day, rotating from day to day (and sometimes from afternoon to evening). The Garden of Eden also makes delicious sandwiches -- one, served on a baguette, mixes mesclun, red onion, sliced apples, blue cheese, and a mustard vinaigrette. Another features a smoked wiener tucked into a baguette with Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard. An indulgent way to finish off the feast is with La Pêche ($4.25), a softball-size brioche filled with custard and sliced peaches, rolled in sugar. Yum.

The Garden of Eden Café, located at 577 Tremont Street, in Boston, is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (617) 247-8377.

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