"Sit anywhere that makes you happy." With a greeting like that, you know you're bound for some sweet, Southern-style hospitality. Webb's Cafe, located in the former Mamasan's space at 309 University Avenue, opened May 31 with a focus on homemade cafe favorites. "This is the food we eat at home, and it just made sense to bring that into our café," says co-owner Ellie Webb.

Ellie Webb and her husband, Jim, always wanted to run a business, and when the day-to-day grind in information technology grew tiresome, they decided that it was time for a change. Jim had previous experience as a chef working for restaurant management group Perk Development, and Ellie missed the day-to-day contact with customers. With her business savvy and Jim's culinary background, opening a restaurant just made sense. They also get help from Jim's father, Jack Webb, who is in charge of grits, gravies, and a whole lot more in the kitchen. You can tell it's a family affair at Webb's, and they aim to make you feel at home.

A recent mid-week visit resulted in several pleasant surprises. The coffee brand, Community, is shipped from Ellie's home state of Louisiana, and is good enough to warrant several refills. There's a large selection of omelets, my favorite being the cheddar hash brown. The inclusion of the fried potatoes inside the omelet, and the ability to still get home fries on the side was like carb heaven. You can never have enough good potatoes, and these home fries were solid, moist, generously seasoned.

In another dish, the grits got the seal of approval; not too thick, not too runny, with room in the bowl to add the requisite pat or two of butter. Two picture-perfect sunny-side up eggs accompanied the corn-based porridge, complete with a thick slice of ham. What was refreshingly missing from both plates was the typical breakfast grease. Ellie laughed when this was mentioned, saying that Jim is a "little obsessed" with the food being just right. That type of obsession could lead to many happy returns.

Breakfast isn't the only meal served at Webb's. For lunch, Ellie recommends the California sandwich melt, stuffed with turkey, apples, and cheddar, or the roasted prime beef hot plate. Don't have time to eat in for lunch? Ellie says to "brown bag it" and pick up lunch on your way to work. The choices are astounding for a small cafe, and you could go months without duplicating a meal. The long-term goal is to be open for dinner as well. To that end, Webb's Cafe is now open until 8 p.m. on Fridays, serving up the entire menu, including the traditional fish fry.

Webb's is open Tuesday-Sunday 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Fridays until 8 p.m. For more information call 232-5990.

Flour City Brewfest

The 13th Annual Flour City Brewfest is coming up Friday, August 15, ready to introduce (or reacquaint you) to custom brews. Rohrbach's owner John Urlaub started the festival with the intention to expose people to a flavorful craft beer. Thirteen years later, that mission remains. According to Urlaub, custom-crafted beers still only make up about 5 percent of the market, so festivals are a good way for small, family-run breweries to get an opportunity to connect beer connoisseurs to their creations. Along with Rohrbach's beers, other brewers to look forward to include Lake Placid, Long Trail, and Southern Tier.

Demonstrations were started last year to expand patrons' beer-pairing knowledge. Historically wine and food pairings are common; however, pairings of beer and food are becoming increasingly popular as well. Chef Mary Jo Staertow from Rohrbach's says she loves the diverse selection of beer flavors, and says that it allows for all kinds of experimentation. She refers to beer as the ultimate palate cleanser, with its "scrubbing bubbles" that allow you to compare and contrast flavors fluidly. For instance, a crisp ale could accompany a spicy chili and a creamy cheesecake in the same sitting.

The focus on this year's demonstration will be how to pair desserts with beer - a far cry from the spicy wings/fried food pairing you normally associate with a pint.

That said, there will be food vendors of the extra crispy variety, along with a Pig Roast. Couple all of that food and beer with entertainment including The Flour City Rockers and The Kid Kurry Band, and you've got quite a night.

The Flour City Brewfest takes place at Frontier Field 5-10 p.m. Advance tickets are $20, $25 at the gate, with designated driver passes at $5. Visit the website fcbrewfest.com/ for additional information.