Moorpark's High Street emphasizes its old-fashioned virtues and quaint, historic buildings. Old Town Breakfast & Bakery fits that image physically, with a handsome wood- and beveled-glass entry door and comfortable seating in two large dining areas.

But it breaks the traditional mode with contemporary California cuisine served for breakfast and lunch. Best of all, its food preparation is hands-on, featuring home-baked bread and homemade sausage patties among menu items that venture beyond the same-old.

Open just six months and run by women who have worked together as caterers, the restaurant is a pleasant surprise on a street that works hard at its image, with commendable successes and valiant failures. The bakery/restaurant is a good bet to become one of the former after taking over a spot that has been a bar, among other things.

Now the interior looks almost like a welcoming old parlor, with small, stuffed chairs along one wall flanking dainty round tables and larger, well-cushioned chairs arranged around square tables throughout the rest of the room. A second room repeats the simple decor.

The menu is a bit more complex, offering items for breakfast or lunch that go well beyond the routine. A friend and I had a hard time narrowing down our breakfast choices, but finally settled on a goat cheese and spinach omelet ($7.95), a side order of sausage patties ($3.50) and pecan roll French toast ($5.50).

My friend couldn't say enough about the goat cheese-spinach omelet, with its perfect blend of flavors and just-right light texture. Also garnering praise were the fried potatoes (hash browns are available) that come with the omelet. Good, fresh chunks of potato are grilled with hefty pieces of fresh green and yellow bell peppers and cuts of red onion. The final, appealing touch is homemade white or wheat toast, which had the satisfying texture of fresh-baked bread. It was served with apricot or raspberry jam.

The sausage also gets TLC, with sun-dried tomato and fresh basil blended into tender pork sausage patties.

Egg wasn't dominant in the pecan roll French toast made from a cinnamon-pecan roll; it was excellent and generously topped with pecans. Dots of raspberry jam placed under the roll added a touch of color and flavor, complementing the contents of a tiny pitcher of warm syrup.

Slurped down with a cup of good, strong coffee, both dishes gave breakfast a good name.

Among other breakfast items that sounded tempting were the "express" scrambled egg-and-cheese sandwich with coffee ($5), scrambled eggs with cream cheese and chives ($5.95), ground turkey patties with red pepper, apple and fresh sage, and homemade granola ($4.25).

We'd like to go back again, next time for lunch. The extensive menu includes potato leek soup and sirloin chili, cranberry Gorgonzola salad, pastas, meat lasagna, grilled salmon, braised short ribs, quesadillas, burgers and an array of sandwiches. Beverages run from juice and soft drinks to beer and wine, the latter from Old Creek Ranch Winery near Ojai.

A notice on a small display case suggested that customers ask about the day's special pastries, which we were eager to do.

Unfortunately, another visitor floated the query and was apologetically told that the owner/baker was off for the day, hence no extra baked goodies were available.

That's something else to look for the next time around.

E-mail Rita Moran at ritamoran@earthlink.net.

OLD TOWN BREAKFAST & BAKERY

LOCATION: 79 E. High St., Moorpark. 523-0045.

HOURS: Breakfast: 6 to 11 a.m. Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

WHAT'S HOT: Goat cheese and spinach omelet, fried potatoes with bell peppers and onions, pecan-roll French toast, sausage patties.

IMPRESSIONS: Attractive, comfortable dining areas, gracious service, food that shows innovation and hands-on approach.

COST OF BREAKFAST FOR TWO: $8-$15.

-- Reviewed one day in August