Cheeky's

After being empty for more than a year after the former Peppertree bookstore closed, a new breakfast – lunch place, Cheeky’s, has opened in the space.

I’d been watching it being built out and had noticed that it had opened several weeks ago, but hadn’t gotten the opportunity to check it out. Yesterday we went for lunch, as it happened on the day after the Desert Sun ran a review of the place, and I don’t know if everyone had read the review or just happened to pick it for lunch on the Friday before Labor Day, but it was packed.

It is not a big place. (There is one large table for six or eight, and about six or eight other tables for two that they move together for four.) They do have plans to open more tables outside, but as of yet hadn’t done so.

Open for about 12 weeks, the menu is changed each week. After waiting about 15 minutes while we chatted with some of the staff behind the counter, we were seated at a table in the front window on Palm Canyon. Since we didn’t have breakfast, I can’t say what that would be like, but the luncheon items we had, as well as the others we observed, were delicious. Steve started out with a glass of “Watermelon Aqua Fresca” and I had a Thomas Kemper Root Beer on tap. Steve began his lunch with a bowl of cold corn chowder that looked and smelled really fresh. He then had a Spanish Tuna sandwich with eggs and capers, and I had the BLT with basil french fries. Both sandwiches were served on luscious sour dour bread that had been toasted.

Even though we didn’t have any dessert, many of the baked goods looked good; among them “birthday cake,” cinnamon rolls, cookies, and a fresh ice cream sandwich. Currently they close at 2 pm, but one of the co-owners told us they will be open until 4 pm in the season. That is good because I definitely would love to go back for an afternoon snack.