The last time my dining partner and I went to Buckhead Cafe (noon on Aug. 25, according to my trusty day planner), the line of people waiting to be seated stretched out the door and into the rain. We fidgeted in line, dripping umbrella water all over the place, while a maitre d’ of sorts monitored the dining room and let people past the &#8221velvet rope“ as others were trickling out.

When we arrived there at noon Tuesday, my dining partner was all ready to slip $10 to the girl working security detail, but the waiting area was all but empty. The restaurant was bustling, but nowhere near as busy as it was last time: nice because we had our choice of tables, but bad because you place your order at the cash register, and I’m the least decisive person ever. Our cashier was patient with me, though, while I hemmed and hawed and finally decided on the Cheeseburger Cheeseburger with Swiss cheese and french fries. My friend was light years ahead of me – he’d seen the words &#8221blue cheese“ on the giant menu board and immediately knew the Black and Blue Chicken Sandwich was for him.

The menu at Buckhead isn’t limited to burgers and sandwiches – they also have wood-fired pizzas and wraps, salads and paninis, along with extensive breakfast and coffee menus. You can even take home a whole homemade dessert – tempting, I’ll admit.

As we waited for my debit card to clear (I follow the &#8221swipe and pray“ method when dealing with my bank account), my friend noticed a row of Jones sodas on the counter and mentioned he’d heard about a &#8221turkey and dressing“-flavored Jones soda. Another employee came up to join the conversation and we chatted amicably about whether we could be convinced to drink it before the cash register churned out my receipt. (Hallelujah!)

That’s one great thing about the Buckhead Cafe: Everyone is so friendly, from the cashiers to the cooks to the guy who cleared the tables. The whole atmosphere of the place is fantastic – casual but stylish, with colorful decorations and cool-looking lamps. Big windows give it an airy feel; for a really airy feel, you can sit at a table on the patio and watch the Campbell Lane traffic go by. Everything was clean and orderly, and all around us, customers chatted quietly, read books or talked business against a soundtrack of easy-listening tunes.

We filled our drinks – Dr. Pepper for me, sweet tea for him, along with an avalanche of crushed ice from the hyperactive ice machine – and retreated with our buzzer to a high-top table in the back of the restaurant. The cool part about Buckhead is that you can see the workings of the kitchen from the dining room, and we watched the grill and wood-fired oven with fascination. When our buzzer, which we agreed looked exactly like a stun gun, started vibrating and flashing red lights, he took it to the counter and traded it for our plates – his chicken sandwich with kettle-cooked chips and my cheeseburger with hot, crispy fries.

The food, served on wheat buns with tomatoes, lettuce and red onions, was piping hot and cooked to perfection. Nothing was too greasy, everything was neatly arranged on the plate, and the toppings were fresh and crisp.

After lunch, we sat and chatted for a while, with no pressure from anyone to leave. We liked that. We also liked the personable guy who bused and cleaned the tables – if there’s one thing my friend hates, it’s trying to juggle a tray, plates and that little door on the trash can at fast food restaurants.

Good food plus great atmosphere plus friendly service equals an A-plus for the Buckhead Cafe. Bonus points for my debit card – the two of us ate for just over $15.

Buckhead Cafe

760 Campbell Lane (Buckhead Square) • 846-0110

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.-Sat.

Cuisine: American

Price range: $.99 to $8.99

Libation situation: None

Smoking: No

– Our anonymous restaurant reviewer would chug the turkey and dressing soda for $100 – no less. New restaurants will be given an eight-week grace period. To comment, call Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or send an e-mail to malexieff@bgdailynews.com.