Lunch made better with a crumbly cookie

Deciding on a place to eat in Shreveport can sometimes take some imagination, I find. That is, I don't generally want to only venture to those chain restaurants that are so easy to remember, although I'm not saying I never go. But, today, for lunch, I definitely wanted a little local place to have a nice lunch. Since I was headed toward the Highland neighborhood for church, Lila's Cakes and Chocolates came to mind.

Walking in you can sense the charm -- cute cakes and goodies everywhere, an exposed brick back wall and, underneath the table tops, photos of houses and places throughout the Highland area.

It was my first lunch experience there, although I had tasted their sweet treats before. I can assure you, it won't be my last.

After much deliberation over the sizable menu, I decided to go against my normal inclination to order the veggie panini, which I tend to order ANYWHERE it is on a menu. I ordered what caught my eye instead -- the turkey sandwich with raspberry chipotle.

It was a simple looking turkey sandwich on wheat bread that was very fresh and, I assume from the advertisement to buy fresh loaves of bread, made right in the kitchen at Lila's. It had lettuce and tomato but instead of your regular condiment, mustard or mayonnaise, it had raspberry chipotle. It was not an overpowering flavor but a good one nonetheless. I might have used even a touch more of it, but not much. I did not want a soggy sandwich. It complimented the turkey nicely, which made me think of the turkey/cranberry combination, I guess just from a berry standpoint. It wasn't very hot, I found. I thought there would be a bit more punch to it.

Adam had the day's special -- a ham wrap with mango chipotle. Yes, I guess they like chipotle there and so do we. I know he liked it because he ate it all and even made sure to get every last ounce of that mango-chipotle mixture on his wrap and in his mouth. Adam has a thing for sauces, condiments and soups, so he wasn't going to let this one get away.

The sandwiches, wraps and paninis all come with either chips or a cookie as well as a pickle on the side, an obvious deli touch. I must tell you I went for the cookie immediately. I was in a bakery after all. I had a Greek wedding cookie.

I'd seen them but never had one before and the powdered sugar over the top of a buttery colored cookie was all I needed to be enticed. The cookie crumbled very easily and of course the powdered sugar was free to move in any direction while taking a bite. I watched out for flying white stuff to land on my dark shirt and enjoyed the creaminess in my mouth. I have to say the butter flavor was subtle, and I did hope for more of it. But when you had a larger bite in your mouth, the crumbles came together for more creaminess. It was definitely not dry.

Adam had a chocolate chip cookie, which I sampled. I have to say it wasn't my favorite bite. It had a more salty/savory flavor in the cookie portion in contrast to the sweet chocolate. But it was soft and moist, two keys to a good chocolate chip cookie for me.

Overall a very good lunch. I'm glad they have been able to make a successful business at their location on Olive Street. It is a good place for lunch in Shreveport with a variety of options at an affordable price.