If Don Draper and his Mad Men cohorts had been working on campaigns for Aquanet out of an office in Augusta, they would have been lunchtime regulars at Sunshine Bakery, 1209 Broad St.

Sunshine has been serving Augustans since 1949, and its 1209 Dining Room, with its display counter of bakery goodies, looks like it's caught in a time warp, in a good way. It's simple, intimate and timeless.

If we were back in 1963, Don would probably opt for a red meat staple such as roast beef on rye with Swiss. Peggy perhaps would go for a chicken salad sandwich on a whole-wheat bun. The price is so cheap that unctuous Pete would offer to pick up the tab.

They would have had to consume their martinis before heading to the deli, because it doesn't serve alcohol. And it would not have been a power lunch, just a bite to fuel the creative juice.

It's still that way.

This isn't a place for fancy, it's just the go-to deli downtown for simple and filling food. You go here for a Reuben, or knockwurst with German potato salad, and a cup of a down-home split pea or lentil or potato soup.

On a recent Monday, I had a takeout order of a corned beef sandwich ($6.95) on Sunshine's homemade sourdough rye bread, naked: no mustard, lettuce, tomato or onion. Nothing except the sour goodness of the bread and the thinly sliced meat.

Sandwiches come with a cup of the soup of the day. Sunshine's potato soup, served up on Mondays and Wednesdays, is creamy and peppery, with a healthy helping of potato slices. It's a perfect lunch for a cool fall day.

The cookies in the display counter were calling my name as I waited, so I bought a dozen and took them back for the denizens of Lunch Money Central to sample. The shortbread cookies dressed up for Halloween were a hit.

Sunshine is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Call ahead for pickup orders at (706) 724-2302.

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