The Frontier Cafe | Barbecue offshoot even shows vegetarians the love

"Are you in line?" asked a woman behind me. Tall, blond and trim, wearing a short, fitted pink jacket, she didn't look like the sort who regularly lunched on barbecue and cornbread. "I'm still making up my mind," I said, moving aside. "Get the pulled pork," she advised. "It's great!"

She was right. Smoked chicken was excellent, too. Both are among the sandwich options at The Frontier Cafe. I'd bet big money the beef brisket is also admirable, since this sleek corner storefront near Pioneer Square is a fast-casual spinoff of Belltown's bastion of barbecue, The Frontier Room.

Open weekdays only from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the cafe serves breakfast items up to closing. So if you've raced out the door without your Wheaties, beware the allure of bagel sandwiches ($3.25-$5.25) stuffed with egg frittata and various meat and/or cheese add-ons that can be hot in minutes, and devoured at your desk. Even more tempting: house-made pastries and lattes made with Vivace espresso.

Lunch ($5.50-$10.95) isn't limited to sandwiches. Gumbo, ribs and Texas chili are on the menu, too, as well as several salads and sides. Vegetarians needn't shy away: Red beans and rice, seriously good mac 'n' cheese and a portobello-mushroom sandwich with goat cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomato and arugula are all sans meat.

A big steer looks down from a high ledge, oblivious to the rush of office workers, many on a grab-and-go mission, others content to perch at one of two high counters that run the width of the sleek corner space. The staff operates on the premise that everyone is in a hurry and fills orders with dispatch — experience that will come in handy when the light-rail station just across the street begins operating in 2009.

Check please

Pulled pork sandwich: A soft bun embraces impressively supple, moist, shredded meat. If the zingy, tomato-y barbecue sauce is too sparingly applied for you, grab a squeeze bottle of extra sauce from a caddy on the counter, which also holds hot sauce, for those who must have more sizzle. The paper-lined metal basket includes a cup of coleslaw, which delivers its own piquant kick.

Gumbo: Plenty of okra thickens this smoky soup, dense with rice, chicken and hot andouille. It's a fine and filling antidote to a wet winter day, but it's missing the deep, dark, rich flavor the best gumbos achieve. The large size comes with warm cornbread muffins studded with red bell pepper, which could have been lighter and maybe a touch sweeter.

Arugula and goat cheese salad: We shared this elegant assemblage of tender, peppery greens tossed lightly with vinaigrette, lavished with dollops of soft goat cheese and finished with an extravagance of sweetened pecans.

Pecan bar: It's a cookie version of pecan pie built on a delicate 4-inch square of shortbread crust that shatters with each divinely nutty bite.

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com