f your parental units are like the norm, what they want most in a café is food. And cost. Forget atmosphere. Dad is consumed by mentally adding up the tab, while Mom frets, Is there something fishy about the coffee? Take them to a clean, inspiring European supermarket that looks like they hired your mom as the interior designer. At Vieille Europe, the parents will love the food and the reasonable prices. The menu emphasizes "Old Europe," as becomes our glorious city. It's tasty, it's fresh. Your folks will think you're finally getting some sense.

Get your fix on sausages, cured meats and cold cuts. Hell, for a few cents more you can buy a cup of gravy and slather it on anything you want. The cholesterol-conscious will not go hungry, though. Salads, pastas, broiled seafood galore, with a couple dozen daily specials. We love the specialty canned goods that you can pick up on the way out the door.

Save room for coffee. For the record, the coffee blends served here are delicious, and the baked goods and small selection of sandwiches are more than serviceable. You can bring in a laptop, stay there all day, but still have a bit of human contact. And there's a smoking section. - A.J.