Life is sweet at this bakery

THE PLACE

The Sweet Life Bakery & Cafe

THE JUDGE

Lolita Harper, Daily Pilot Costa Mesa reporter

THE MEAL

Turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich on a croissant with potato salad,

two miniature oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and a Diet Coke. (Yeah,

yeah, I eat a lot.)

SPEED

The Sweet Life has a consistent line running out the door, but it

doesn’t pose a problem for the rushing lunch crowd. The line moves

relatively fast. With all the delicious options to choose from, you

will most likely want a little time to make up your mind. Once you’ve

decided on your final selection, a friendly face will be ready to

take your order.

SERVICE

This quaint cafe is designed for maximum efficiency and comfort,

all at the same time. Found in the middle of Fashion Island, nearby

executives can escape the dim of fluorescent lights and bask in the

sunlight on the walk to the shopping center. The cafe caters to those

on the run -- offering quick but not rushed to-go lunches -- so

busybodies can take a taste of the sweet life back to the office.

Those who have some time to kill can relax and enjoy their lunch at

an inside table or outdoors near one of the many fountains.

THE VERDICT

Delicious. Filling but not heavy, with fresh ingredients and

high-quality sandwich meat. The perfectly flaky croissant -- an

example of the superior baking skills at this bakery/eatery -- makes

the difference between your average sandwich and a gourmet meal. To

top it all off, my meal came with the most mouth-watering cookies I

have ever had. Had a well-balanced, delicious lunch not been high on

my list of priorities for the day, I would have been perfectly

content with just the cookies!

The only downside: The allure of world-class shopping venues just

a few feet away -- with dozens of shoes, skirts and tops just asking

to be purchased -- made it nearly impossible to force myself back to

work. (But that is no reflection on the food, simply an example of my

shopaholic tendencies.)

Come to think of it, good food and good shopping all in one place

-- this really is the sweet life!

The turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich was $4.30 and, for a $1 more,

they’ll throw in a little potato salad and two small cookies.

The Sweet Life Bakery & Cafe is at Fashion Island in Newport

Beach, just across the fountain courtyard from Neiman Marcus. (949)

640-8211.