Far from the local stampede

Housed in a modest wood-frame cottage tucked away on an Aiken side street, Polo Grounds Cafe boasts a front yard that is an English garden burgeoning with well-tended vegetation in colors as intense as a J.M.W. Turner landscape.

Service is no-frills. Step to the counter, place your order and pay, then find a table. Behind the counter is a simple, semi-open kitchen. Although dishes are presented without fanfare, they are artfully composed.