A Provencale cafe tucked into Rittenhouse Square

With only breakfast and lunch hours and an entrance snugly fit between two larger buildings, La Cigale is easy to overlook.

But if you walk right by it, you're missing a taste of a different kind of France.

The cafe itself is bright in decor - the walls are painted a sunny yellow, and all of the tall tables, accompanied by stools, are adorned with small green-and-yellow pots. Hanging on the walls are various posters with French writing.

The fare at La Cigale (which, for the French-challenged, means "cicada") is light: If you're looking for escargot, you should go elsewhere. Instead, the menu consists of things like salads, soups, sandwiches and omelettes.

In the front of the store is a display case, adorned with a ceramic cicada, filled with pre-made specialty salads including a salad Nicoise (with tuna, radishes and eggs), Tropesienne (with mozzarella, tomatoes and mescaline) and a salad Provencale (with roasted red peppers and artichokes). The salads are large enough for one, and each costs between $5.85 and $6.85.

Also in the case are a variety of panini and specialty sandwiches, each for about $6 that, upon ordering, are taken out and toasted. The different sandwiches all have various combinations of vegetables or meats, such as the "Lavandou," with prosciutto and mozzarella, the "Tuscany," with roast beef, eggplant and red peppers, and the "Ramatuelle," grilled chicken with roasted red peppers on a delicious rosemary focaccia.

La Cigale also offers a selection of soup. Each day, two different soups of the day are served in various sizes ranging from $2.50 to $3.95. For a slightly higher price, you can instead order from the gourmet soup selection.

If instant gratification is not a factor and you are willing to wait slightly longer, the cafe offers crepes, both in entree and dessert varieties, and three-egg omelettes stuffed with meat and vegetables. The "Montparnasse" crepe, for $5.25, is filled with chocolate ice cream covered with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

And, of course, a cafe isn't complete without a selection of coffee. Various hot beverages are available, including lattes and a delicious chocolat chaud.

Open in the mornings and afternoons, La Cigale is perfect for those looking for something light to eat for the earlier meals of the day. If you have a taste for something Provencale, or are just looking for something French that won't feel like a brick in your stomach later, walk slowly down 18th Street - you'll be glad you didn't miss it.

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