Where to eat a warming midday meal: At your neighborhood coffee shop, of course.

        Have a cup of coffee, some soup, maybe a scone. Then settle into the best invention of coffee shops since the foam on latte: the comfy couch. (I'm not sure whether Central Perk in Friends started or reflected this trend.) It's the perfect place to “cocoon” and look out on a windy late winter day.

        Since the Pleasant Perk opened in my neighborhood, Pleasant Ridge, about a year ago, it has become a neighborhood focus. When I occasionally have time on my hands, I walk over for a latte and The New York Times and see if anybody I know is around. There's usually a spot on the couch, or in the two upholstered chairs.

        • The Pleasant Perk now is serving lunch. It's a modest menu: you can order a soup or a quiche plate, or hummus and fresh homemade tabbouleh, with lots of parsley, and pita. (Plates are all $4.75.) There are pastries and juice and coffee drinks, of course. Lunch starts at 11 a.m. and is served until the food is gone. 6105 Montgomery Road; 531-4126.

        • I haven't been to the Coffee Bar in Remington, but it sounds delightful. It's about a mile east of downtown Montgomery on Loveland-Madeira Road and shares space with Remington House Antiques. Owner Margie Bove has furnished the coffee shop with antiques: church pews, tavern tables, a railroad ticket booth and the all-important couch. She serves chicken chili, chicken salad, sandwiches, soup every day, pastries and specials. ($1.99-$4.75) 9440 Main Ave., Remington; 984-6533.

        • Caffe Tazza in Mount Auburn has been serving coffee and lunch for about five years, right across the street from Christ Hospital. It's added more tables and reduced the sofa seating, but there still are some lounging opportunities. Owner Tina Ratay serves a different soup every day, always has pasta salad and homemade desserts. The food tends toward vegetarian, though not completely, and costs $4.75-$6.50. Open 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. 2146 Auburn Ave., Mount Auburn. 421-5282.

        • One of the more elaborate neighborhood coffee shops is Coffee Please in Madeira, where they roast their own java beans, have a lot of food for lunch and takeout — and a busy, crowded lunch room. But alas, no couches. Sandwiches (PB&J), salads (good chicken salad), hot specials (Italian vegetable casserole, lasagne,) and soups are $3-$5.50. Open 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. 6930 Miami Ave., Madeira. 271-4700 .

        Contact Polly Campbell by phone: 768-8376; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: pcampbell@enquirer.com.

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