Whenever we travel we like to enjoy a few guilty pleasures. Eating dessert is not an everyday experience for us, so when the opportunity arises, we like to go bold. Antoinette Baking Company offered us a chance to do just that. This place was not on our radar, as I had not seen anything about it during my research. Fortunately, during a conversation at one of our earlier stops we were clued in on it. Like most cities we visit, the locals are always helpful in pointing us to the hidden gems.
A Boutique Bakery
We timed our visit to fall after dinner at a nearby restaurant. We spent a little while perusing the Ida Red store, as we let our dinner digest. We had planned to wait quite a while, but having seen some of the pie slices as we passed by the store front, we decided to cut our shopping short. Antoinette Baking Co. is just across the street, so we were there in no time. We had seen a steady stream of customers filing through the door, and we were a little concerned that they may sell out, before we could get our choices.
Choices Galore
Fortunately, There was no need to worry about their stock. The shop is an open air format with the kitchen in back, and the sales counter to one side. A large set of windows lend an airy feeling to the place. Tables and booths are arranged in about a fourth of the place, but it was plenty during our visit. As we made our way past the register, we began to see all of the sweet options that they had produced for that day. An assortment of cookies, bars, whoopie pies, and other pastries decorated the counter. Everything looked delicious, but we were on a mission to sample the pies we had heard about earlier.
Eye Candy
At the end of the counter we came to a refrigerated case. Here were the rewards that we were searching out. There were so many good options, and each looked better than the one before. I have to admit that I was a little shocked when Crystal bypassed the Lime Meringue Tarts. After all, she is one of the biggest fans of Key Lime Pie that I know. The bottom rows of this case held slices of pie that were almost too large to believe. This was the point that I began wondering if we should have shopped longer, so as to make more room in our bellies. Well it was too late to fret it now, so the only thing to do was to pick the flavor that sounded most appealing.
Heavenly Pillows of Meringue
I chose the Lemon & Blackberry Meringue Pie (On the left), which had a crown at least four inches tall. The sweetness of the meringue blended so well with the slightly tart lemon. It was absolute heaven. Although I knew it was unwise, I finished the entire slice. Crystal chose a Lime & Raspberry Custard with an extra large dollop of whipped cream. While her slice was not as tall, it was more dense, so just as filling. We each tasted the others, but stuck with our original choices. We finished our treats, and thanked the staff for such a delicious experience. As we left the shop, we were glad that we had a nice long walk back to our hotel. In fact, we even took the long way to help burn off some of the dessert. Doesn’t this look like a place you want to visit?
