California Chicken Cafe   

Beef eaters need not even enter this popular, packed cafe where a quick, health-conscious lunch is often accompanied by numerous close encounters with other low-cal-loving strangers. Chickens are plucked off the rotisserie en masse and served as whole, half or quarters, while others get stuffed into pita-bread wraps or are sliced atop salads. No matter how you take your bird (the low-cal vegetable salad with chicken is quite tasty, as is the combo wrap with chicken, avocado, sprouts, jack cheese and Italian dressing), prepare yourself for several shoulder brushes on the way to the salad bar or soda fill-up station. And once you sit, you realize that tables are built so closely together that you can eavesdrop on scintillating neighborly conversations that often go into a little too much detail. C'est la vie it's the price you pay for the unbelievable hot potatoes sauteed with onion and garlic seasonings. Another tip: Ordering in advance is always a smart idea if you're rushed because word is definitely out about this inexpensive pick-up joint, where waiting in line for more than five minutes just to order is common.