By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Critic

PROVIDENCE -- Sitting at one of the eight counter seats at Nick's on Broadway, I am revived. It is late morning on a sunny, brisk, busy-brunch Sunday, and the small cafe is bustling. The smell of strong coffee and grilled butter wafts through the air, drifting to the tables that extend the 12-seat dining room onto the sidewalk.

Sitting so close to the kitchen's action, I overhear that the staff is short one waitress, and realize I'll have to wait a while to get my order taken.

But chef-owner Derek Wagner doesn't need any help in the kitchen. The former executive chef of Agora, Wagner -- at 25 -- has already more than earned his chef's clogs.

The restaurant, which opened in March, serves breakfast and lunch only. The evenings are set aside for catering parties on and off the premises. Glancing over the menu as I down a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, I see that things here go way beyond buttermilk pancakes and bagels.

On the breakfast side of things, my mouth waters as I take in the idea of sinking my teeth into a prosciutto, provolone, egg and tomato sandwich on an English muffin. It's almost overshadowed, though, by the thought of vanilla-battered French toast drenched in maple syrup. Who said breakfast can't be creative?

As I watch Wagner's sous chef, Ed Sheets, pour batter onto the large griddle for buttermilk hotcakes, I abandon all hope of making it out of the restaurant without needing a stretcher.

"You want me to sprinkle a little cinnamon on these?" asks Sheets, referring to the pancakes. "It really adds a nice touch."

Indeed, the pancakes are fluffy. Really. So often they are described this way, but these pancakes really are fluffy. They have a very slight twang from the buttermilk, just enough to offset the sweetness of the syrup. Wagner has minced a little mint and placed it, along with a scoop of melting butter and some blueberries, on the top of the stack.

The guy next to me has ordered a yogurt mixed with granola, served cheerily in a parfait glass. It looks gooey and delicious, but it makes me feel guilty as I bite into a fat, buttery grilled English muffin stuffed with melted provolone cheese and prosciutto wrapped around a fried egg and a juicy slice of tomato. I decide it's best to ignore him for the rest of the meal.

The lunch side of the menu is extremely enticing, with simple but creative, seasonally inspired choices. The descriptions make you want to eat -- I am drawn in by a cider-glazed chicken breast with melted brie and caramelized onions. The beauty of the lunch choices is that Wagner will serve them as a sandwich, wrap or salad.

My chicken comes between two slices of rich, eggy bread grilled with sage-laced butter, giving it a curiously bright green color. The chicken has been pulled into tender chunks, filled with savory flavor, and offset by the wonderful mustiness of the oozing brie cheese. The buttery sweetness of the caramelized onions only adds the to the decadence.

The French toast is even more hedonistic. Thick, soft slices of rich egg bread are egg battered and grilled until they have a lace-patterned crust. They are ethereally soft, yet perfectly done -- something hard to do.

A fluffy (there's that word again) omelet is filled with more brie, salty capers and baby spinach. I devour it as I watch Ed split an enormous corn muffin in half, slather it with butter and place it cut side down on the griddle.

While cooking and singing out loud to a Dave Matthews CD, Wagner is also describing the pan-seared duck breast with roasted pears, toasted walnuts and bleu cheese. He tosses his tongs -- usually tucked neatly in the back pocket of his chef's pants -- in a loop in the air and catches them with the prowess and reflexes of a gunslinger.

"I can have that as a salad?" I ask, realizing that I've already blown my calorie count for not only today, but tomorrow, too.

"Salad, sandwich -- I'll put it in the blender and puree it if that's what you want," quips Wagner, ready to please.

Oh, good. As if there weren't already enough good reasons to come back.

Nick's on Broadway, 259 Broadway, Providence, 421-0286. Very casual. No smoking. Not wheelchair accessible. Open Wed-Fri 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sun 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. V, MC, AM, DIS. On-street parking. No highchairs or booster seats. BYOB. All the breakfast and lunch items are under $10.