As she whips out her smart phone and its Square credit-card reader, Her Story Café owner Liz Rosenbaum is the illustration of modern savviness. Her avid Twitter and Facebooking prove it  as does the success of the trendy Her Story mobile lunch truck, which has been serving soup and sandwiches to the Springs since April 2011.

Rosenbaum smiles from behind the counter of her brick-and-mortar location on Academy Boulevard. She urges customers to check out her online presence for the store, which opened in April, and to try her newest soup creation: Cowgirl Up BBQ, which is served with a salty pretzel roll for dipping. Soups, she says, are her favorite creative outlets, and women are the inspiration for all her menu items.

There’s the Jerri Marr Sandwich Platter ($10), for example. It’s named after the cool-under-pressure Forest Service supervisor who kept us informed during the recent Waldo Canyon Fire. It features three of Her Story’s half sandwiches, including such the Sally Ride BLASTT and the Hot Pants Pastrami, and two sides.

Aside from the charming names, Her Story Café’s menu is straight-forward and modest. That Sally Ride (all lunch sandwiches are $6.95) includes only spinach, tomatoes and Swiss, and the Hot Pants is a spicy grilled panini. Neither are revolutionary, aside from the latter’s generous slathering of Rosenbaum’s signature “peppy sauce.” Both, though, are solidly delicious meals, made with quality ingredients.

Much of the quality stems from Her Story’s use of fresh bread from the Old German Bakery. That bread elevates a simple breakfast sandwich like the Ashley Judd ($4), which is served on ciabatta with hot scrambled egg, strips of cheddar and a delightful smear of mustard. The bread is airy, soft, slightly sweet and very addictive.

Less simplistic, the thick bread used in the Decadent French Toast ($6) is stuffed with (as the name suggests) decadently rich cream cheese, It’s dipped in egg, and served crisp and hot, and topped with homemade strawberry compote. The side of traditional syrup goes to waste so perfect is that compote as a breakfast topping.

It’s the homemade aspect of all of Her Story’s dishes that impresses. The daily specials, in particular. Rosenbaum’s soups change weekly — or daily — and they’re lovely. For instance, the Brave Chick N Noodle ($3 cup, $5 bowl) – brave chick as in brave lady, get it? – is a chunky treat of moist meat and toothsome scratch-made noodles.

The best rotating special, however, is perhaps the Mac Attack ($3 cup, $5 bowl). Creamy yet oddly light, the recent ranch macaroni-and-cheese special with herby ranch spices stirred into the mix should have been an endless bowl, so soon did it disappear into my happy stomach. As a cheese lover, the possibilities of this noodle special seem infinite and worth repeatedly visiting the café to sample all the varied options.

Of course, the classic café fare is also stellar, like the She Deviled Egg Salad. It boasts smooth hard-boiled eggs, grainy mustard and a thick layer of leafy spinach, while the vegetarian Avocado Delight features a thick fan of the tasty fruit, surely an entire avocado in each sandwich.

Service is warm and surprisingly quick considering that only one or two employees are working in the spacious, clean kitchen. The environment, too, is homey, with real houseplants, mismatched tables and chairs, and wall art urging diners to “eat, laugh (and) relax.” Customers are also encouraged to contribute to a bulletin board of inspiration, where past eaters have posted notes about their lives, hopes and dreams.

Overall, a vivacious, entrepreneurial spirit infuses Her Story Café, an independent spirit for which it’s difficult not to cheer. If the restaurant keeps dishing up this level of quality eats, though, it won’t need much cheering to be as successful as its mobile lunch truck predecessor, which, by the way, rolls on Tuesdays and Thursdays, weather permitting.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, men are more than welcome at Her Story. And like all the patrons, they might learn a little something about women’s history while they dine. For instance, Hattie McDaniel, the namesake of the bacon or sausage breakfast sandwich? She was the first African American woman to win an Oscar for her role in “Gone with the Wind.” I guess you learn – and eat – something new every day.

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Our dining critic is abroad! Kate Jonuska (@cospringseats or Colorado Springs Eats on Facebook) is in China. Check out those links or Coloradosprings.com to follow her tale of authentic Chinese food.