asn’t it thoughtful of the Pusateri’s people to provide for us a cafe within their slick Yorkville catering location in which to graze? And despite holding more pretentious surroundings than expected (but with a higher tolerability level than certain other Yorkville eateries) Pusateri’s is precisely the type of pompous, high-wattage restaurant that is released to tourists every season. With a negligent lunching time clocking in at 79 minutes and a ho-hum location, the cafe has a hard time succeeding with all those little noses in the air.

Even with keeping an open mind, walking into Pusateri’s was a disheartening experience. Walking out, the whole catering/cafe location genuinely surprised me. It is clean, new and shiny but that doesn't always hit a home run with a potential idea, but it did have its qualities (Pusateri’s has been around at other locations since the ‘50s) that had been expected. As a stand alone cafe, Pusateri’s goes down as a near-hit that misses a recommendation by simply being totally uncaring and ostentatious. But if you ignore that, it does have its merits (not warmth) including solid menu choices along the way.

Easy to find, Pusateri’s is stuck in the ground level of a new complex on Bay Street. Inside, sculptured chairs and about a dozen small tables fill a clean, sparsely decorated room. Place your order at the front counter, and then line up with the Rosedale folk to pay.

Regardless of what the uppity staff suggests, the rails of sandwiches are the real stars, all served on a 6-inch French roll that has been lightly toasted. The tomatoes and sourdough croutons in a balsamic vinaigrette is billed one day, and on both visits we paired it with roasted tomato tart (which tended to be too oily). Soups are hit or miss: on one visit, the black bean and sausage was assertively seasoned; on another visit, the chicken noodle soup held firm noodles in a rich broth.

The baked sea bass is always nice as a catered item and it’s offered here one day, and the fish is nicely presented with artichokes in a lobster cappuccino. But a baby spinach and arugula with dried figs, tasted surprisingly bland even with roasted pecans and chevre in a black fig vinaigrette; Eggplant, cashew and wild mushroom duxelle Wellington in puff pastry with baby zucchini and a red pepper was a fantastic choice (this is a long-time Pusateri’s dish).