One Dish Wonder: Spinach lasagna at Mother's Cafe & Garden

Spinach lasagna ($9.95), cup of tomato-artichoke bisque ($2.50), hibiscus-mint tea ($1.50)

In the rebuilt garden at Mother's (the restaurant was closed after a fire in March 2007 and reopened later that year), clusters of people sit in friendly company among potted plants and trees. The tables are spaced so nobody's chair backs into anybody else's, making eavesdropping difficult. It's a lunchtime utopia, and Mother's spinach lasagna is its local manifestation of ambrosia. Promoted online as the top recommendation for first-time customers, this dish tells people that Mother's is about fresh ingredients and robust flavors. Eggless spinach pasta is layered with creamy ricotta cheese, spinach, black olives and pecans for a nice crunch. The ample baking dish of lasagna is topped with Jack and Parmesan cheeses and sizzles in a hearty marinara sauce. It's filling, and it can be elevated even further by one of the daily soups, in this case a tomato-artichoke bisque. The bisque is thick and creamy, served hot enough to be eaten throughout the meal or as an immediate appetizer. Adding diversity to the tomato-based lunch, hibiscus-mint tea freshens the palate with bright tartness. This meal — like all of Mother's menu — is vegetarian, but even an omnivore will be delighted.

(4215 Duval St. 451-3994, www.motherscafeaustin.com.)

— Amira Jensen