BY GWENN FRISS
HARWICH PORT - With a name like ''Talk of the Town Cafe

Nestled between a drugstore and hardware store, the cafe is in a storefront containing nine tables and a counter with high wooden stools. A half-dozen daily specials are written on a whiteboard; the rest of the menu is inscribed on a board stretching across the wall behind the counter.

The fare is basic home cooking - egg salad with lettuce and tomato ($4.25), corned beef brisket cooked inhouse ($5.95), grilled cheese ($4.25, or $4.95 with tomato), cheeseburger ($4.95) and a dozen other familiar sandwiches.

I tried a tuna salad sandwich with lettuce, tomato and onion ($5.55) on 12-grain bread. The sandwich was fine, pretty much what mom would pack if mom were still packing your lunch. The tuna was a little wet - not from extra mayonnaise but from the water in which it was packed. The bread was fresh and soft, but store-bought rather than cafe-baked. The sandwich came with a small serving, three tablespoons or so, of potato salad. It tasted like it came from a deli but had been nicely doctored with the addition of some finely sliced onion.

The stew was thick with chunks of carrots and beef that was tender, rich and aromatic. The potatoes were minced and mixed in with the gravy - not a choice I would have made because you couldn't really see or taste them.

My colleague's shepherd's pie was the typical layered presentation of potatoes, veggie and meat served with gravy, but it contained a pleasant surprise. There was a pleasant taste that seemed to be cinnamon or cumin, or more likely a combination of those and other spices that are found in Chinese Five-Spice seasoning. It was delicious and really made the old standby special.

The menu has a couple of dishes that do a twist on tradition, such as the breakfast rollup - a wrap with three eggs, cheese and a choice of bacon, ham or sausage.