We have heard great things about the Burnt Almond Torte, so we decided to give it a try while visiting a friend in Shadyside.
My first impression of the bakery was not a good one. Walking in, the first thing I noticed was how dirty the windows were. That impression carried on inside when I noticed the grungy walls, torn up carpet and smudged display cases. I wasn't thrilled to get food from this place, but the torte's reputation made me persevere and step up to the counter to place my order.
The staff were incredibly rude. Before I could place my order I had to wait for the girl to stop her conversation that she was having with someone in the back. They were talking about their periods. Yeah...makes me want to order baked goods. When she finally did decide to wait on me, she was rude and acted upset that I had dared to interrupt her conversation because I wanted to spend money there. She was sullen and didn't know much about the product when I asked her about some of the other things in the case.
It was after I made my purchase, that I noticed the flies buzzing around inside the case.Now hole in the wall I can do, a little dingy or outdated is fine, but flies crawling on your product is going a bit too far for me. My husband ate some torte...he said the almonds were fantastic but the cake itself was dry. I couldn't bring myself to try a piece because all I could see in my head were those stupid flies.
Needless to say, I won't be back and every person that tells me I have to try prantl's is going to get an earfull.
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