It's an art gallery, it's a restaurant. When Keith Pierce originally leased the building on Nine Mile, he used it as a studio. In a former life, it was an office and garage. Pierce, who lived in Europe for five years and studied cooking in Italy and France, says he always knew he would open a restaurant. The office space became a gallery, and when he began to renovate the garage, Angel’s Café emerged.

Originally it was called Angel's Garage Café, "but no one got it," Pierce laughs. Now that Ferndale has spiffed up that portion of Nine Mile with wide brick sidewalks and lots of park benches and potted flowers (and a plethora of new restaurants), Angel's has a prime location.

Selected hot dishes have been added to the café's original soup and sandwich menu (although it is still limited to five sandwich selections).

Specials on both nights we visited were ravioli with a choice of exotic fillings (portabello mushrooms, snow crab, three-cheese), as well as a choice of sauces. Another special was three-berry soup, a cold sweet soup served in a beautiful teacup. It hit the spot on a hot day.

We also tried the Cosmic Universe soup, which is a homemade chicken noodle, with pasta shaped as stars, rings and half moons.

Sandwiches include one called Fresh Affair, which is packed with freshly sliced vegetables and your choice of cheese or tofu. An insert in the menu invites vegans to speak up, as some of the dishes can be altered to accommodate their needs.

Several entrées come with a stir-fry of red and green peppers, onions, yellow summer squash and zucchini. The vegetables are so fresh and firm that you can be assured they were cooked to order.

In fact, Pierce says he cooks everything to order, which explains why the service may be slow. Even so, you won't feel neglected as the waitstaff is friendly and solicitous.

The cheese ravioli that one member of our party ordered was light and tasty, with a rich tomato sauce. On another evening I ordered an appetizer of crispy four-cheese ravioli which had been sautéed in herbs. You dip it into a marinara sauce.

The Spanish chicken is spiced Tex-Mex style with lime juice and lots of chili powder, served with stir-fried veggies and couscous. I would have preferred less chili powder and more lime.

Pierce says he has tried to create the intimate feeling of European cafés. The music is quiet, the seating comfortable and you're surrounded by original artwork. With just 55 seats in two rooms, it is uncrowded and unhurried.

"I want people to linger," says Pierce.

There are lots of neat coffee drinks, including some that sound more like dessert, such as chocolate mandarin, an espresso with steamed milk, chocolate, orange flavor, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. Now there's something to linger over.