First look: Good To Go Cafe

It may have taken more than a decade, but Anna Harouvis finally got her sign. A long-time player in the downtown catering and dining scene, Anna owns Good To Go Café, a small café located in the IMG Building. Although Anna has been serving lunch to downtown residents for years, it was only about a year ago that she was finally able to put up her sign for "Good To Go Café" on the first floor of the IMG building. Serving up sandwiches, salads and soups, Good To Go offers an eclectic menu that changes from day to day.

Food: Good To Go specializes in fresh, organic sandwiches, soups and salads. In addition to the sandwiches and salads on the menu, the café also features a few special menu items daily such as falafel and hummus wraps or Buffalo turkey with gouda on ciabatta. On my most recent visit, I tried the chicken wrap with mango salsa served with a choice of chips or pretzels ($7.95). I would definitely recommend it. The mango salsa tasted fresh and added just the right amount of sweet without being too overpowering. The chicken salad is a customer favorite—made with walnuts and craisins and served on your choice of bread or a wrap ($7.95). The menu also features some Greek favorites as well including gyros, spinach pies and spanikopita. Also worth a try: the cookies, especially the chocolate pecan caramel cookie. Yummy.

If you work in or near the IMG Building, you may be interested to know that Good To Go also serves breakfast. You can choose from breakfast sandwiches and wraps, bagels, various muffins or the "Eye of the Tiger" protein shake: protein powder, fresh fruit and your choice of almond butter or peanut butter with soy, rice, almond or skim milk.

Drinks: Good To Go has a refrigerator cooler of drink options—the standard fare of bottled waters, fruit juices and pop. And, lucky for all the morning workers in the IMG building, they also serve coffee drinks.

Service: In addition to the creative organic menu, what really sets Good To Go apart from all other downtown lunch options is the service. You can tell that Anna really loves what she does and makes everyone who stops by the café feel like a regular, even if it's your first visit. Anna also does catering and will meet with you to discuss what you're looking for and cater the menu based on your requests.

Atmosphere:  Located in the back corner of the IMG building, this is mainly a quick carry-out lunch spot. Although there are a couple of tables and chairs, most patrons just stop in and grab their food to go. Anna seems to know almost everyone that stops in and the vibe is so friendly and welcoming you get the feeling it would only take a couple of visits to get to "regular" status.

Insider's tip:  Become a fan of Good To Go Café on Facebook to find out about special daily menu options as well as get the "word of the day" to receive 20 percent off your bill. Also, perfect for the busy worker—you can pre-order online and designate a time to pick up your food between 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. But make sure you hit the ATM before your visit as Good to Go only takes cash.

Bottom line: Although there are a lot of places to get food downtown, not all offer quality organic food options along with the personal touch and feel of Good to Go Cafe.