Comments (0) BEST BAKERY - 2008
A Baker's Wife
Few things in this world are incontrovertible. But here's one: A good neighborhood bakery can save lives. How? It's difficult to say, but it feels right to say it. If you stood outside the place peering in through the window, you wouldn't believe me. The view is mostly obstructed by a grandmother's collection of old signage, things like a woodcut of a sheep with the words "Thank Ewe!" painted across the wool. And passing by in your car, it would be easy to mistake the place for something more akin to one of those Wonder Bread thrift stores. You would certainly never guess that this jewel of a Minneapolis bakery is run by the former pastry chef of Manhattan's Plaza Hotel, if only because of the prices. The buttery-crisp blueberry turnover, the caramel cake, the doughnut holes packed into a clear to-go cup and surrounded by the beaded moisture of the just-baked—any of these things can be yours for just outside of a dollar. And the perfect peasant loaves? Just outside of two dollars. As if they needed to indulge in any further kindness: The iced tea comes with ice cubes made of the same. And this is truly a neighborhood bakery. On any given Sunday morning you'll find kids still in their pajamas and neighbors exchanging another week's worth of hyper-local gossip. Is it saving lives? Okay, we'll cool it with the bluster. But it is.
