My first time at a Corner Bakery, I'd seen them around but never ate at one, and I will definitely go back.

I went with my girlfriend, she got a sandwich and I got a salad with a couple of rolls. We both got $3 drinks, and it still came in at $20, good deal for what we got.

I got the Chopped Salad which came in a huge bowl, pretty big! As far as the ingredients, it was pretty typical with bacon, avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, strips of chicken in a "sweet and spicy" vinagrette. I was surprised at the "spicy" part - not too spicy but not what you usually get on a chopped salad. I got two rolls, they charge you for them, since they are also a bakery.

My g.f. got a turkey Frisco sandwich with thinly sliced turkey, spinach, chopped artichokes, marinated red onions, provolone cheese - unusual. It comes on cheese bread but she swapped it out for wheat/whole grain. Her bread was good - soft in the middle but still with a good crust. They make their own potato chips, they're on the thick side, almost like kettle chips, lots of salt.

Afterwards, we got two desserts: a mini-cherry pie that had plenty of cherries and an excellent crust - not too sweet. Also got a raspberry square, with raspberry jam and a tasty crumb mixture on top. Nice and buttery. Excellent pastries!

The only thing we didn't like much were the frozen lemonade drinks - sort of like slurpees. They come in flavors, I got the mango, she got the pomegranate, both were too sweet and didn't have a good lemon hit.

My girlfriend used to go to Corner Bakery when they first came to Dallas. They were owned by Brinker but not anymore. That's a good thing...

I stopped by Russo's on the way home from work last week. It's in the new development at the southwest corner of Campbell and 75. This is the center with the second branch of Twisted Root, which seems to have quite a following. There's also a Panera here which does a pretty good lunch.

Russo's has an odd layout. You walk into the middle of the place, it's wide open so you can't tell where to go, and there's no hostess greeting people when they walk in. If you're lucky, you'll catch the eye of one of the teenage girls who work here, however, they're awfully distracted. You occasionally have to ask for things a couple of times before they remember to bring it.

The menu has pasta, sandwiches, salads, calzones, and pizzas -- they push the coal-burning oven. Bags of coal are stacked up by the entrance.

I started with a Greek salad, which was a strange version. The dressing had Balsamic vinegar. Basically this was a Romaine salad with Balsamic vinegar and feta cheese -- not bad, just not what you expect when you order a Greek salad.

We split a vegetarian pizza with spinach, artichoke hearts, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. It wasn't loaded with toppings but that was OK - it was just enough to give the flavor without overwhelming the pizza. Crust was thin in the center, and puffy and crusty on the edges. The menu says the small is good for 1-2 people and costs $14.95 -- more expensive than the chains but I suppose you get what you pay for.

Desserts are in a glass case at the cashier and include some good-looking cakes and cannoli that's filled to order.