Coffee & Treats in Phillipsburg

Three-Way Cafe's midday-meal sculptors adorn palates with a dynamic array of salads, sandwiches, and soups, with seasonal specials available daily and deli trays for catered parties. While relaxing amid colorful murals, guests strap on their tongues' rucksacks and explore lunch options such as the cuban sandwich, with thin slices of pork and ham smothered in swiss cheese. All of the café's eponymous daily specialties can be commissioned either as salads, grilled paninis, or quesadillas. The italian salad or panini holds pepperoni, genoa salami, capocollo, and roasted red peppers in a provolone embrace equal in strength to the blue-cheese bite of the buffalo-chicken salad or quesadilla. Large groups helm their own bready excursions with kaiser rolls and an assortment of ham, turkey, and roast beef on the Three-Way Cafe deli tray. The sliced-cheese tray supports a dairy-laden display, and the café's fresh cupcakes keep sweet teeth under control and provide ammunition for miniature catapults.

Newly opened Trattoria de Simonetta borrows its name from cofounder Phillip Simonetta, previously known for making some of the best sandwiches in Philadelphia. Simonetta has brought his hoagie prowess home with a menu ripe with substantial subs built atop a foundation of fresh bread delivered daily from New York. Representative beasts include the cuban–a toasted alliance of ham, swiss, pickle, sliced pork, and mayo that holds a one party rule over your mouth ($5.25 for 6", $7.25 for 12"). Pizzas allow diners to stockpile toppings like pepperoni, sausage, and bacon ($9.99 for 16", toppings $1.50 each), and the homemade minicannoli moonlights as a refreshingly conspicuous spyglass ($1.50). Hoagies and other deli delights can be consumed in the trattoria's comfortable seating area or ordered for takeout or delivery.

Every week, 16 new flavors of frozen yogurt fill So Fun! Frozen Yogurt's coolers, from the cheery orange swirl of mango tart to the decadent savory sweetness of Reese's peanut-butter cup. Customers grab a cup and help themselves to swirls of varied flavors, mixing and matching or sticking with a single base. Next, they progress to a toppings bar, where they layer yogurt with a scoop of cereal for an added crunch or slices of fresh fruit for an easier time smuggling the dessert into the gym. At the register, treats ring up by their weight, rendering the ratio of toppings to yogurt or yogurt to dinner completely up to the customer. Since the yogurt contains calcium, protein, and active live cultures, it can be considered a healthy alternative to many traditional desserts. Sugar-free and dairy-free options also lighten the calorie count.

Since opening in March 2013, Beyond Cakes has baked, iced, and added decorative touches to a rotating selection of cupcakes. Open daily at 7 a.m., the bakery pairs fresh-brewed coffee with pastries, bagels, and breakfast sandwiches. The shop recently incorporated sweet and savory miniature pies into its daily selection of baked goods including a tomato pie on weekends. Beyond Cakes also awards a free cupcake to over-achieving students who bring in an honor roll sticker.

Rice N Beans serves up traditional flavors of Latin America in a casual dining environment. Those flavors are seared into dishes such as quesadillas, empanadas, and arroz chaufas. Taste combinations are completed by sides such as plantains, guacamole, and fried yuca. They also offer vegetarian dishes such as tacos with rice and beans, chimichangas, and burritos.

Only four people know the Joshi family’s delicious secret. By carefully guarding the recipe for Nuts About Ice Cream's specially mixed ice creams, the Joshis ensure the quality and consistency of their frozen treats while also protecting their hard-won creation against imitators. Since placing their first perfectly rounded scoop of ice cream atop a cone in 1988, the Joshis have worked hard to forge unique ice creams and sorbets using skills honed at the Penn State Dairy Ice Cream School.

The ice creams and sorbets that come out of Nuts' kitchens are forged in small batches by chefs who avoid artificial additives when possible, opting instead for wholesome additions such as natural extracts and purées. Along with their roster of classic flavors, the ice creamists whip up specially ordered batches of exotic flavors using ingredients such as cardamom, rose-hip extract, lychee, and cabernet with a mysterious European accent.

In the front of the house, staffers behind the ice-cream parlor’s old-fashioned counter concoct all manner of treats, from cones and sundaes to thick milk shakes. Nuts About Ice Cream’s curbside pickup service facilitates on-the-go treat enjoyment, and a limited lunch menu offers hot and cold sandwiches and hot dogs.