I used to stand at the bus stop across the street early in the morning when this bakery first opened, and felt tortured enough by the smells coming from within that I inevitably started regularly going in for treats. The coffee has come a long way, and yet still not up to par with Lladro or Victrola up the street, but their baked goods are delicious and well worth it. They are baked fresh every day and are not too fussy nor too sweet nor too expensive, unlike what many other bakeries offer (and sadly not many actual bakeries are left at all these days but that is another story...). The pain au chocolat is good, and the daily selection of muffins are good, and the danishes are good, and the cinnamon rolls are good (basically everything is good but it's a question of what you like). The breads are good too, and I have made delicious French toast from the challah. My favorite choice, however, is by far that Granny's Chocolate Cake, which is outstanding. You can't have it with your coffee every morning without paying in ways other than cash, so it's a good thing that all the other more reasonable baked goods here are tasty too. That chocolate cake is moist and chocolate-rich and the frosting full of flavor and not overpowered by sugar, a welcome reprieve from the likes of hip cupcakes all over town. It brings to mind chocolate cakes from days past, when mayonnaise or sour cream was used to give that unparalleled moistness and it was a crime to make a cake with a dry tasteless crumb no matter how much butter or oil it took. I've also enjoyed the Poire Normande tart, which is almond and pears, and the petits fours and lemon bars. It's a nice space to read the paper and take a moment, and the owners are very nice and often available either behind the counter or talking to regulars. One downside is their hours, as they close at 5:30 pm daily and some of us work later, and astonishingly enough they are closed on Sundays! It's a small business so they must have their reasons but who doesn't want to walk to the local bakery on a Sunday morning to read the paper or grab rolls for the family or such? Apparently not enough folks near 15th on Capitol Hill!
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