The most difficult thing about dining at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe may be finding the place, tucked away among the ever-growing array of shops and restaurants just north of Stonebriar Centre. Once you locate the cheery storefront, the hard part is done. Now all that's left is to decide among the wraps, salads and sandwiches ... and to see if you have willpower enough to pass up the eatery's selection of desserts and fruit smoothies when your meal is over. Camille's is part of a fast-casual franchise founded in 1996 by David and Camille Rutkauskas in Tulsa, Okla. Today there are dozens of locations spread across the country. Texas currently boasts nine branches, including one in Southlake. The setting is bright and airy, with walls and booths done up in eye-catching shades of yellow, lime and violet. Deep green Perrier bottles have been fashioned into light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. The back of the restaurant is dominated by the service counter, where diners place their orders. A separate coffee bar and smoothie fountain is located to the right. Our food was delivered to the table quickly by friendly staffers. Wraps make up almost half of the menu and include cold versions, served with chips and salsa, and grilled offerings, served with a small field green salad. Many are available low-carb style; there's also a trio of health-conscious "natu-wraps" stuffed with chicken or turkey, jasmine rice and a variety of vegetables. The Paris Bistro Grilled Hot Wrap ($6.95) was better in theory than in practice. Thin deli slices of ham, brie, apple slices, fresh spinach, tomatoes and red onions were rolled up in a honeywheat tortilla and heated on a panini press. An abundance of honey-mustard dressing overpowered the flavors of the cheese and veggies and made for an extremely messy, drippy meal. The wrap was also constructed so that some bites were all ham and some were all apple; it was all but impossible to sample the proper commingling of meat, cheese and fruit. Sandwiches come on a choice of white, wheat or rye breads. Our Cafe Chicken Salad sandwich ($5.50) featured plenty of dilled chicken salad on slices of soft marble rye. Garnished with crisp lettuce, tomato and sprouts, the sandwich was fresh to a fault, but we couldn't help but wish that the moist chicken salad had a bit more flavor of its own. A side of crunchy tri-color tortilla chips was accompanied by a cup of smoky hot sauce that added a welcome zip. Tuscan tomato soup ($2.75 cup, $3.75 bowl) was creamy and soothing, flecked with plenty of basil. A small dessert case spotlights a selection of pies, cakes and cookies. A slice of carrot cake ($3.25) was big enough to share, with moist layers of carrot-flecked spice cake separated by thick sheets of sweet cream-cheese frosting. Though it was labeled a "turtle brownie" ($1.95), our specimen was noticeably lacking any caramel, but it didn't hamper our enjoyment of the rich, fudgy slab of chocolate. In addition to fresh fruit smoothies, there's a full range of made-to-order coffee and espresso drinks. Breakfast wraps are served all day and include such tempting options as the three-cheese scrambler and a vegetarian combo ($4.95 each). Box lunches and party trays are available for off-premises catering, and the restaurant offers free delivery on catering orders ($50 minimum, 24-hour notice required) for those who prefer to let Camille's come to them.
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