In the heart of tourist town U.S.A., it was the locals Jeanne Johnston was after, people who would come back to P&P over and over again and spend as much time there as they’d like. That’s one of the reasons why she chose her semi-obscure spot-by-the-sea, a spot off the beaten track where turning over tables wouldn’t be as important as taste.

Pastries and Petals is located on Mission, in a small courtyard a couple of doors up from Fifth on the northeast side of the street, where Le Coq D’or once lived. The place seats 24 inside, and many linger, over their coffee or wine and often with companions. You can get food to go, of course, if time is an issue. They also have a dozen seats outside on the patio and will be putting a canopy over the area any day now.

Johnston used to have a restaurant in Sacramento. Lautrec was a large restaurant, designed by the late Scott Lamb, and divided in two, with fancy on one side and a more casual, bistro-style on the other. The capital cow town wasn’t ready for it. She took what she learned from that experience and decided to go for the gold standard. She started by bringing in her daughter Jennifer Hatton, who was clearly born to make pastries – just try any of her from-scratch specialties – and her niece Sarah King, who sees to the front operation along with her daughter’s fiancé Guiseppe Panzuto.

The napkins are linen, the flatware has weight to it. Flower buds are served on the plates as garnish and some perch atop the pastries.

Cinnamon French toast ($7.50) or old fashioned oatmeal ($5.50) with fresh berries (add $2) jump out from the breakfast lineup, though the favorite seems to be the P&P breakfast sandwiches ($7), which are built from scrambled eggs and chives on an English muffin, bagel or croissant with choices of turkey, ham, bacon or turkey apple sausage and Jarlsburg, cheddar, jack, or brie. (Or you might try a peanut butter and banana panini.)

At a visit for lunch, there were two choices for the soup of the day. I had the pea soup in a cup large enough (10 ounces) to satisfy many appetites. It was served with a cornbread cupcake on a doily adorned plate. It was only $5.50, with a bowl a buck more.

Next, I enjoyed a tomato-and-ham quiche ($10.25) which was rich in flavor but not heavy. The base crust had its own fresh flavor – Johnston makes the quiche crusts herself, using herbs or cayenne depending on what’s in the quiche. With a Gruyere cheese crust on top and the eggs in between, mine approached impeccable. I could detect not just fresh ingredients but something more elusive: an item lovingly produced by people who enjoy what they are doing. When I later learned these family recipes go back two generations, I wasn’t surprised. The quiche was served with a small Caesar salad; they also offer a mixed green salad instead.

Another attractive avenue for lunch: the personal paninis ($10.50), with a choice of turkey or ham or vegetables, six cheeses and condiments. P&P also touts the chicken salad sandwich ($10.25), and the tuna salad ($9.50) with chutney, toasted slivered almonds and scallions, toasted or grilled with a choice of cheeses on sourdough or wheat. An apricot and brie panini ($7) also appears when stone fruit’s in season. Each shares the plate with three-bean or orzo salads.

The P&P eggplant casserole ($12.50, also with a salad) presents even heartier fare: eggplant sliced and grilled, filled with three cheeses – asiago, mascarpone, chevre – rolled up with sun-dried tomato, topped with mozzarella and covered with a homemade pesto marinara.

The waiter asked if I would like something sweet to finish my meal. Yes, I said, the entire display case. But I chose instead a piece of apple strudel ($4.50) and six of their signature cupcakes ($3.50 each). No, I didn’t eat them all at once, but I did sacrifice myself on the altar of fresh gastronomical journalism and sampled each.

This ain’t Twinkieville. All were particularly good because while they were sweet, they were also light. The carrot cake is topped with a traditional cream cheese frosting and you can tell it is hand-cut; they don’t order bags of diced carrots. The Almond Joy cupcake is filled with molten fudge and topped with white buttercream and drizzled with chocolate. The new truffle cake-in-a-cup sells out every day. It looks like a piece of candy, but is a combination of candy and cake; flavors include spice, red velvet, chocolate fudge, and strawberry. Mint is coming on St. Patrick’s ($2.50).

In addition to breakfast and lunch, they are now offering dinner on Monday evenings, starting at 6:30pm. For those with a refined thirst, in addition to a half-dozen familiar brews including Stella Artois, Heineken, and Sierra Nevada ($4.25 each), there is a quite decent selection of wines, by the glass (for instance, Bernardus Chardonnay for $10) and the bottle at quite decent prices (the Bernadus is $30). Plus some quite lavish choices for some extra special Monday evening, like a bottle of 1996 Opus One for a trifling $425.

These many elements feed into the resident art of matching sensuality and sapor, sort of the way nature does with flowers. The cuisine has both body and grace, substance and lightness of being, and the experience involves more than just consuming good food – which is why this local will certainly be back, and will probably stay a while.

PASTRIES AND PETALS Northeast of Fifth on Mission. • Daily hours: Bakery opens 7am; 9-11am breakfast; 11:30am-3pm lunch; Mondays only: 6:30 dinner. • 620-1400.