When I stepped into The Black Sheep café, the aroma of coffee filled the air. Instantly, my eyes searched for the source of the scent; I spotted a queue of five large carafes lining the left counter top.

The café, located in downtown Amherst, had the same hustle and bustle feel as the rest of the town. The walls were brightly painted and covered with art work. Colorful menus written on large blackboards that hung across the front of the café. The dining area was packed, and a line of people that stretched to almost out of the door, waited for service on this late Sunday afternoon.  Every table was occupied with two or more people, chattering away, or typing on their laptops, drinking coffees, or eating an assortment of dessert and sandwiches.

While I waited in line to order, my peripheral vision spotted what I had been craving, something sweet. I spotted a case with four racks of decadent desserts featuring large layered cakes, cookies, crème brulee, pastries, and white chocolate dipped strawberries, which were all made from scratch.  At the center of the counter, there was an assortment of deli items, from cheeses, to pasta and frittatas encased in glass.

I ended up ordering two half sandwiches,  half of The Purple People Eater, which had eggplant, mozzarella, roasted red peppers and balsamic vinaigrette, and a C’est Brie, that had baby spinach, a raspberry vinaigrette, brie cheese and roasted red peppers on it.

The bread was fantastic on both sandwiches, homemade, slightly crunchy on top and chewy on the inside. The inside of the PPE was filled with eggplant that tasted like it had been soaked in rich balsamic vinaigrette with roasted red peppers, and mozzarella cheese. The creamy, melty cheese with the sweet red peppers, and acidic balsamic, gave a complete balance to the sandwich.  The melted brie, spinach, red peppers of the C’est Brie combined with the little bit of the raspberry flavor from the vinaigrette went well together, but the acid from the vinegar was too overpowering and drowned the flavors from the other components of the sandwich.

All sandwich breads were made from scratch and each sandwich they offered was truly unique, some featured international flavors from Europe or South of the Border, or some were a twist on a classic, each with an interesting name like “Triple Bypass” or “Fowl Play”; there is a sandwich to satisfy any person’s needs.

The Black Sheep Cafe is located on 79 Main Street, Amherst, Ma. They’re open everyday of the week, and offer a great cup of coffee, a reprieve from the college atmosphere, and phenomenal sandwiches.

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