06/09/09 09:01

I had lunch yesterday in a restaurant many Fort Lauderdalians don't know exists.

The 11th Street Annex is tucked away on - you guessed it - 11th Street - a few doors west of Andrews, across the street from Trinity Lutheran Church. It occupies a little cottage hidden in foliage.

Inside, two small rooms have been turned into one small room scattered with tables and chairs and, at lunchtime, lawyers, city officials, office workers, and other people in the know.

Jonny Altobell and Penny Sanfilippo make about three dishes each day. Yesterday the specials were: a chicken and Greek salad wrap; a ham, cheese and pineapple panini; and mom's macaroni and cheese. I got the wrap and it was remarkable: not just the generous filling but the wrap itself, which had more in common - in texture and taste - with a fresh tortilla than with the usual papery enclosure. It was accompanied by a side of unexpectedly delicious macaroni salad (definitely not my mom's) which seemed to be studded with feta crumbs. It's the kind of place that almost makes me wish I had a job with a lunch break.