The Noguchi lanterns in the front  of the new Fifth Avenue restaurant, Perch, were, for me, the deal makers. I just love those kind of round Japanese paper lanterns.

The new cafeandsomuchmore, which is between Fifth and Sixth Streets, is lovely to look at and a pleasant place to be. In front there are tables, roomy enough for strollers, high chairs, and leggy people. In other words, the built-in banquettes are comfy.

The middle of the shop is the cafe, kitchen, and counter by day, bar by night. That’s right, in the morning, Perch has the GREAT COFFEE neon going. And in the evening, it says: COCKTAILS.

In the back of the restaurant, a light filled area with more Noguchi lamps and a stylish couch for sitting. Plus the place has wireless Internet access.

Perch is owned by a husband and wife team, who live on Fifth Avenue near 9th Street with two kids under five. They knew that Fifth Avenue needed a child-friendly cafe with good, healthy food. "All of our friends were desperate for a place like this," says Dierdre Jones, the owner, a former jewelry designer, whose husband, a mill worker, designed and built all the built-ins  in the restauarant.

One gets the sense that they’ve created just the kind of place they wanted and needed there to be on Fifth: a place you can go to in the mornings, for brunch, for lunch, and for dinner and  drinks in the evenings.

Not just a restaurant, a way of life: you eat, you compute, you admire gorgeous square paintings by Amy Rubell, you meet friends, maybe you have some coffee or dessert. Cinamon toast for the kids. That’ll work just about any time of day.

For a couple of people who’ve never been in the restaurant business before, they’ve created what I would call a sucessful hybrid cafe/restaurant. It’s self-service: order at the counter and take a red plastic number to your table. The service is speedy, the food is great and you leave a tip in the glass "Karma Boomerang" tip jar.

Easy. Good looking. Tasteful. A nice place to be .Just what the Avenue needed.