The next day I brought my wife to sample its fare. This time I went with the scrumptious daily special, a Cuban ($6) with ham, pulled pork, Swiss and Dijon, and boiled peanuts on the side (they really do grow on you!). I also had a salad ($4) with zesty pineapple honey-mustard dressing that could have been a meal by itself, and we split an order of pleasantly smoky bacon roasted potato salad ($2.50).

My wife had a cup of broccoli cheddar soup ($3) and the Bistro Roasted Beef ($8) sandwich. I'm pretty sure she liked everything, because she soon stopped talking altogether. That is generally a sign that she is in a place I like to call Happy Food Land.

That's a territory into which Cunningham, using quality ingredients and the tools at hand, has become adept at ushering people. For example, he whisks his own sauces and dressings and, using a mini oven, he's able to toast croutons, crisp bacon and roast potatoes.

Next time I review an eatery, I'll have to think about going incognito. However, there's no disguising the fact that Justin Cunningham is a resourceful young chef. You'll want to catch this rising young star on the Fredericksburg food scene, and do it quickly. Something tells me he's going places in a hurry.