After a weekend filled with my mother’s cooking or whatever I could uncover in the pantry I craved something different—something not involving peanut butter and jelly or spaghetti (one of my mother’s favorite go to dishes).

Main Street Bakery offers several options for an undecided Monday night dinner ; from  your usual cold and hot sandwiches, soups, salads, and burgers, to more sophisticated entrees such as wild Alaskan salmon and pecan crusted chicken breast.

Always a fan of warm Paninis, I decided on the French Brie Panini which featured spinach, brie, bosc pear, Dijon mustard and prosciutto all on toasted pugliese bread. All sandwiches come with a side of kettle chips or you can substitute chips for fruit, french fries or sweet potato fries. There is,  however, a catch to the substitutions: a $ 2.50 upcharge (pretty steep for some fries or fruit).

Though the sweet potato fries were a little pricey, I could not deny my love for anything sweet potato (mashed, fries, baked etc.) and had to try them.

It was a good choice. Biting into their slightly salted and crunchy outside, the inside part mushed out slightly and the taste of the sweet potato engulfed my mouth.  While I was able to savor the taste of the sweet potato itself, I was able to enjoy the hint of pepper and sea salt, which created an almost roasted taste.

The sandwich was not quite on par with the fries. I’d say yes to the crispy, crunchy pears and melt-in-your-mouth cheese. But no to the prosciutto, which was not really prosciutto at all as it was close to the consistency of beef jerky: tough and chewy. It took more energy to attempt to break into small pieces than it was worth.

While it may not make the best prosciutto, brie and pear Panini in the world, Main Street Bakery exudes a homey feeling. The staff is polite, willing to bring another ketchup bottle when they see you attempting to squeeze the last little drops out of another and offers up a few jokes while you try to decide what to order.

Main Street Bakery also sports orange walls and a large mural of a countryside home, which compounds the grandma’s-old-kitchen ambiance. And the desserts looked delicious.

Main Street bakery has three locations; Plano, Richardson and Grapevine. It is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

-Alaina