The name is catchy. The food is catchier. It’s no wonder everyone’s abuzz over The Wild Artichoke, which sprouted onto the scene only a few weeks ago along a western stretch of Normal Heights that feels neither here nor there.

Nestled in a mini strip plaza, the unobtrusive façade isn’t likely to cause motorists to hit their brakes when passing by. Instead, word-of-mouth testimonials will become the obvious means of success once visitors plunge their teeth into the eatery’s flavor-bursting sandwiches, superior quiche and homespun desserts.

High-quality lunch and breakfast fare compensate for the disappointing lack of artichoke dishes we expected to find here. The namesake ingredient shows up in only a few items, such as Artichoke Pasta, an occasional quiche du jour and the too-good-to-be-true Signature Sandwich.

My lunch companion and I exchanged equal swaps with everything we ordered, and had a tough time disagreeing over what we liked best. In the soup category, the Ham and Bean was luscious and wonderfully hearty, but the ever-available Potato-Corn chowder was awesome. Its sweet flavor and snappy textures placated a niggling cold I had, perhaps much better than any bowl of chicken soup could have done. A salad of fresh greens, some of which sported those nutritious red veins running through, left a cheery aftertaste from the truffle oil vinaigrette. For such a small, modest-looking eatery with only four tables inside, the food had already exceeded our expectations.

At the urging of the owner, Julia Brown, who’s framed art garnishes the burnt-orange walls, we chose her two hottest selling sandwiches – the Southwest Grilled Chicken and the Signature, both served on notably fresh ciabatta bread.

The chicken sandwich offers a spicy bite from the pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayonnaise. The bread is also filled with green chilies, tomatoes and avocado – a darn good combination that other cafés don’t match. The broiled Signature Sandwich, however, goes down in my history books for being the most savory, especially considering that it’s vegetarian. A meaty grilled portabella mushroom sets the foundation. And alas, artichokes come into play, along with sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese. Visitors mustn’t leave here without trying it.

Other sandwich choices include a Classic Deli, Philly and Club, as well as a Rueben on marble rye that we managed to squeeze into our piggish lunch. The restaurant also offers freshly made quiche, which on this particular day was constructed with ham and caramelized onions. I normally find quiche to be boring. Here, it’s served with a nice golden skin and sings with flavor and old-style richness.

Only when food is of this high caliber do I long for ceramic plate ware, no matter how casual the eatery. The plastic dishes and sandwich baskets used here undermine Brown’s knack for recipe compilation, which is finely supported by Chef Arthur Estrada, who arrived from the kitchen of the Manchester Crown Hyatt. A friendly, talented duo, they keep a leg in the catering business while greeting customers with the kind of chumminess you expect from a neighborhood restaurant.

The baking activity that occurs into the wee hours of the night results in some mighty excellent desserts: raspberry cream cheese brownies, lemon meringue pie and warm raisin-apple bread pudding doused with cream – homey confections made with a gourmet hand.

Breakfast offerings run along traditional lines, although what appears like common, everyday meals described on the paper menus will surprise you with their spry flavors and above-board freshness. The Wild Artichoke is off to a prickly good start.