Beyond Breakfast: Bierberg Bakery | Columbus, OH

One of the best things about the Christmas season is the cookies, right? If you’re like me, you’ve got specific memories of Christmas cookies and cookie decorating from your childhood and your adult years. On one of our last free mornings before Christmas, my boys and I were out running errands and decided to stop by tiny Bierberg Bakery in German Village. It didn’t take much convincing to get them in there. Our 16-month-old just learned the word “cookie,” after all, so it was time to put that to use.

Bierberg is only open two months of the year, in November and December, and they sell a large variety of German cookies that are sold by the pound. When you take their sign down out front, the bakery appears to be just another small house on a side street in German Village.

The retail part of the bakery is a single, very small room, with tins of cookies lining the shelves. Seriously, visiting Bierberg is like hanging out in a large closet with two older German ladies.

We ordered an assorted pound of cookies, trusting to them to pic out good ones.

They weigh it, box it, and wrap up it for you.

It’s a simple delight to eye tin after tin of Christmas cookies: everything from vanilla to chocolate dipped to gingerbread…

…some soft and chewy, some crispy and crunchy.

I honestly couldn’t tell you the name of all the cookies we tried.

But these gingerbread wafers were some of my favorite.

We even said hello to the folks in the back, still making cookies. Bierberg isn’t open too much longer for the season, so I suggest calling them to find out when they’re open and making a visit!

If you want to visit:
Bierberg Bakery
729 S. Fifth St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43206
(614) 443-9959

Sammy’s New York Bagels | Columbus, OH

Sammy’s New York Bagels
Free home delivery 7 days a week
Available in the greater Columbus area
Order at (614) 252-1551 or online at SammysBagels.net

Ever since our trip to New York, we’ve been craving good bagels, and we’re lucky that you can certainly find them in town. Columbus’ two biggest suppliers are Block’s Bagels and Sammy’s, both baking New York-style bagels. Block’s and Sammy’s are such big wholesalers that chances are you’ve had their wares: Cup O Joe, Backstage Bistro, many of Ohio State campus eateries, plus plenty more, all serve locally made bagels. One big bonus about Sammy’s is that in addition to their wholesaling, they also offer home (or office) delivery.

The ordering process is quick and easy. The minimum order is $9.99 (or a dozen bagels). Bagels are $.83 a piece, and you can also order cream cheese spreads, muffins, danishes, challah, turnovers, even lox, egg salad, and tuna salad. You can mix and match your bagel order, and every dozen earns you a free bagel.

We ordered a baker’s dozen plus some scallion cream cheese. At the order screen, you’re just entering your address, phone number, and delivery date. Since this was my first order, they didn’t have a credit card on file. A Sammy’s employee called within a couple hours to confirm the order and collect payment. I initially left instructions for them to knock on the door, so I could get the bagels right away, but she advised against it because they deliver between 4-7 a.m.! You can schedule a date for delivery far out into the future; orders have to be in by 3 p.m. for next day delivery (by 3 p.m. on Friday if you want weekend delivery).

I don’t know when our bagels arrived; we certainly didn’t hear them drop it off. But it was a delight to wake up to a bag of bagels on the front porch in the morning! The bagels were triple bagged: smaller plastic bags containing the goods, all packaged together in a paper bag with our order stapled to the side, and then altogether wrapped in a bigger plastic bag to keep it dry.

Here’s the first peek inside our bag.

Different bagels are bundled separately: the everything bagels all went together (standard practice). Egg bagels were together. Cinnamon were together. Then the sesame, sundried tomato, and honey sesame came together.

Bags of bagels! I can’t stop saying it!

 

We’re still working our way through them, but so far we’ve liked all of them. The sundried tomato taste fairly similar to the everything, but they’re so loaded with seasonings that I’m not suprised. I liked the cinnamon sugar topping on the cinnamon bagels, and I’m always a fan of a good sesame bagel. The ease of ordering and delivery may make Sammy’s Bagels a household staple; this will be particularly handy when we’ve got family visiting. Just place an order the day before, and have fresh bagels for everyone in the morning!

Bergen Bagels | Brooklyn, NY

Bergen Bagels (Facebook / @BergenBagelsMyr)
536 Myrtle Ave. (map it!)
Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 789-9300
Open daily 6a-11p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

In addition to our sweet stop at Dough on our way out of Brooklyn, we wanted something savory as well. Because we couldn’t return home without a bag of fresh bagels, we decided to double-up and grab second breakfast while picking up the goods.

A quick online search revealed a nearby Bergen Bagels, which boasted a good history and solid reviews. This location had recently moved to a new spot, which was clean, bright, and easy-to-find. The location was so new that Google Maps still had the old place listed.

We caught it right at opening, and lines quickly grew. If native Brooklyners were gathering for bagel breakfasts, then we knew we were in the right place.

There’s something really delightful about catching a restaurant right when they open, when the displays are neatly organized and completely loaded with food.

And the spreads and salads are packed full of goodness. It’s so full of potential.

We were in bagel mode, so it was breakfast sandwiches for us. My wife chose their smoked salmon spread on an everything bagel. It was appropriately smoky and salty, with the right creamy texture, and went perfectly with the all-flavors-combined of the everything bagel.

And I was stunned to learn of the existence of an egg-in-the-nest bagel sandwich. Why, oh why, have I never thought of this before? It’s. So. Obvious. To make eggs in a nest, you need bread with a hole in the middle, in which to crack an egg. So why not a bagel? (Or a donut… hmm, future blog post in the making here…)

I know I’m over-reacting, but come on! Even though the egg was added after the bagel was baked, I loved how the egg still felt like it was just part of the bagel itself.

Here’s the bottom view. Egg yolk appropriately cooked through.

And the work in progress. It’s a surprisingly filling breakfast: a monstrous mound of fresh, chewy everything bagel with a fully cooked egg. Salty, nutty. Carbs and protein. If I lived in the neighborhood, this would be my everyday snack.

Of course, we took a baker’s dozen of bagels home with us, and enjoyed every one. If there’s anything I learned on this NY trip, it’s how to appreciate a good everything bagel.

Dough | Brooklyn, NY

Dough (Facebook / @doughbrooklyn)
305 Franklin Ave. (map it!)
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(347) 533-7544
Open daily, 7a-5p
Accepts cash only

Date of Visit: Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.

As we were saying good-bye to New York, we still managed to sneak in some delicious eats. Before we even hopped in the car, we walked with our friends down the street to Dough, a corner shop in the neighborhood serving big donuts to a steady line of regulars.

The shop seemed empty when we first arrived, but within seconds it was crowded with folks nabbing fresh donuts and coffee, then sneaking back out the door. The customer area is fairly small, with just a small counter and a couple seats if you want to stay. But the retail front is surrounded by big glass walls that let you see into the back and side rooms, where a small army of bakers is busy at work.

We managed to find some room to stand and nibble on donuts, and watch one baker roughly chopping chocolate.

Despite the small size, their output is clearly enormous, as evidenced by the loaded carts and vans parked out front.

Dough specializes in one type of donut: large yeast donuts with a variety of very creative toppings. There’s no simple sprinkles or vanilla icing here; they dowse these bad boys with chocolate, fruit, nuts, even flowers.

Let’s take a look in their display cases. Example one: a cafe au lait donut topped with strussel.

Example two: a pumpkin donut with a light glaze and pepitas.

We attacked our box of donuts with gusto. Our selection included (clockwise from upper right) coconut, hibiscus, chocolate with cocoa nibs, and blood orange. These donuts back a punch flavor, so these aren’t easy coffee-and-a-donut type donuts. These are “I’ll slice a small piece off each one” donuts. The chocolate was rich with a slight bitter edge, the coconut nice and toasty, the bloody orange very strong, citrusy, and a tad sour from the acid in the actual slices of orange. And the hibiscus? Well, I don’t know how else to describe it but sweet and floral. All four were really delicious and fascinating types of donuts – like nothing I’ve had before. I like that they seem to use a base recipe for the yeast donut, and then use the toppings to really distinguish them.

As we were headed out of town, we didn’t linger too long over the donuts, but I’d love to go back and try even more.

Sullivan Street Bakery | New York, NY

Sullivan Street Bakery (Facebook / @SullivanBakery)
533 W. 47th St. (map it!)
New York, NY 100
(212) 265-5580
Open Mon-Sat, 7:30a-7p; Sun, 7:30a-4pm
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.

In the middle of a busy day of trekking all over Manhattan, we stopped for a mid-afternoon snack in Hell’s Kitchen. While doing our NYC research, we had come across multiple references to Sullivan Street Bakery, and the descriptions of their breads, rolls, pizzas, and pastries were simply too enticing to pass up.

We were at the perfect point in our day to enjoy a treat (or three or four) at Sullivan Street. We had had an early breakfast, strolled through Central Park, hit up the Garment District, and even traveled to the bottom of Manhattan to see the World Trade Center site. We wanted snacks (both sweet and savory), we wanted some caffeine, and we wanted a place to sit.

The front of the space is tall and bright, with a full wall of windows and one long, thin counter with four or five seats. You’re certainly not out of place sitting in the bakery, but I’m sure more of their business comes from takeaway or wholesale customers.

Ah, but enjoying a cup of coffee in the bakery allows you to gaze at (and eventually buy) the sweet and savory treats. We ordered some iced coffees and then began working our way through the menu.

On one plate, we started with the bomboloni (upper left) and a slice of fruit canotto. The bomboloni is a delicious little yeast donut filled with sweet vanilla cream. The fruit canotto is made with brioche dough, mascarpone, and seasonal fruit. It was layers of moist, crumbly, rich pastry. We got two.

And then we got savory. They had a selection of pizzas, each of which was sliced into generous portions and abundant in toppings. First up: the pizza funghi, covered in cremini mushrooms and onions. Earthy and salty.

Then there was the pizza patate, which was a little lighter than the mushroom pizza but still sang sweetly with the potatoes, onions, and herbs.

One of the real stand-outs – in a list of standouts – were the strecci, long toasted pieces embedded with different ingredients like garlic, olives, or tomatoes. They were simply delightful: light crust on top, seasoned with salt and herbs, with plump little tomatoes baked inside. After we took a bite, the rows and rows of them lined up on the shelves looked like some glorious nirvana to us.

 

Sullivan Street Bakery is a very worthy NYC stop, early or late in the day. Even though we watched a regular flow of customers stopping in and out, the overall vibe is still quiet and relaxing. The gang behind the counter is incredibly nice. They started laughing at me as I kept coming up to the counter to sample more strecci and canotto and pizza. But we loved everything we had, from the baked goods to the iced coffee. The bright, well-designed, delicious-smelling spot is a welcome respite in the middle of busy New York City.

Eleni Christina Bakery | Columbus, OH

Eleni Christina Bakery (Facebook)
641 N. High St., Suite 107 (map it!) (entrance is on Russell St.)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 461-0021
Open Thurs-Sat, 9a-3p
Cash only

Date of Visit: Friday, August 9, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

IMPRESSIONS: If you’ve eaten at Rigsby’s Kitchen or Tasi Cafe in past decade or so, you’ve probably eaten baked goods from Eleni Christina Bakery. The bakery is part of the same family of restaurants owned by the Rigsby’s (it’s named after their daughter), and has been supplying them (and other restaurants) with bread, croissants, rolls, and more.

ATMOSPHERE: Once upon a time, the bakery had a small retail counter. I remember years ago, when we lived in Short North and Victorian Village, walking over to get biscotti. As the bakery’s production amped up, the retail operation got in the way, so they closed it up. But within the past month-and-a-half, with a little rearranging and setup, the retail corner lives again.

There’s nothing fancy about the bakery, especially compared to places like Pistacia Vera or Mozart’s or Angry Baker. But the goods are, well, just as good. The intention overall is to create more of a grab-and-go experience.

FOOD: Much of the available items are smaller size and good for a delicious snack, like cinnamon rolls, biscotti, croissants…

…or beautiful loaves of bread to take home.

One of their signatures, and a stand-out on our most recent stop there, was their bacon cheddar challah bread. Their challah is top-notch; it’s used to make some of my favorite French toast in Columbus over at Tasi Cafe.

One of the folks at the counter called this a blasphemous piece of bread, given that challah is a traditional Jewish bread, and they’ve gone and filled it with bacon. It’s a delicious salty and savory snack. Surprisingly light overall.

In addition to some lunch sandwiches and all the baked goods (cookies, croissants, tarts, and beyond), Eleni Christina offers coffee of two sorts: get a prepared mug to go of Crimson Cup, or buy brewed and whole bean coffee from Thunderkiss.

SERVICE: The bakery has a great history to it, being tied with the Rigsby’s and their pioneering efforts to establish Short North as a world-class neighborhood for shopping and dining. The kitchen exemplifies the fun and hard work they’ve put into it, so it’s especially rewarding to see the bakery open up to more customers. The crew is more than willing to talk about what they do and share their love of baking (even though they’ve been working since the early hours of the morning). We spent some time chatting with Joe about what they were currently making, and he pointed out a few other details about the space. It’s been freshly painted, re-arranged, and there’s new local artwork on the walls. They even found a home for these giant Hulk hands, which have been sitting around the bakery for years and years.

OVERALL: Eleni Christina’s re-opening as a retail establishment is a welcome addition to Short North. The bakery is rooted in the history of the neighborhood, and they produce high quality and amazingly delicious baked goods. Getting to stop in (Thursday through Saturday only, mind you) lets you take in the craft of baking and meet some of the people who are passionate about it.

OTHER LINKS:

-> see more pictures of the bakery and other stops on the Columbus Food Adventures Short North tour

The Angry Baker | Columbus, OH

The Angry Baker (Facebook / @TheAngryBaker)
891 Oak St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43205
(614) 947-0976
Open Sun & Mon, 8a-5p; Tues-Sat, 8a-7p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/Y/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Friday, April 6, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.

IMPRESSIONS: If you haven’t been to Olde Towne East lately, or if you think it’s nothing but a neighborhood of run-down old houses, you need to re-evaluate. Case in point: The Angry Baker and the booming corner of Oak and 18th Streets. Alongside AB, Yellow Brick Pizza is serving up pizza and beer, and The Tavern recently opened next door to the bakery.

ATMOSPHERE: The bakery itself has a bright, colorful little cafe in one corner, with a polished wooden floor and big brick walls.  There are a handful of tables for enjoying coffee and a pastry, or a breakfast or lunch sandwich. There’s even a long counter with stools, overlooking the kitchen itself.

FOOD: Angry Baker offers both the retail bakery experience, as well as the quaint cafe vibe. Their display cases are chock full of baked goods, and three separate chalkboards communicate the bakery items, breakfast, and lunch offerings. I love chalkboard menus. Denounce them as hipster if you like, but an erasable menu means that you can refresh your menu easily to accommodate seasonal changes and ingredient availability.

As Olde Towne East continues to develop, I’m sure Angry Baker has already become one of those neighborhood stops where residents walk over for coffee and a pastry as they begin their day. Just read through this list of goods and try not to get hungry. There’s everything from kolaches and cookies to bear claws, muffins, and scones.

Or you could spend your time at the bakery cases, staring…

…and staring…

…and staring.

And then finding more things to stare at.

For breakfast that morning, we chose one of the breakfast sandwiches, specifically the French toast sandwich. The breakfast menu focuses mainly on the sandwiches, but they also offer baked eggs, vegan pancakes, and biscuits with a mushroom gravy. Points to AB for expanding the vegan breakfast offerings in Columbus. But back to that sandwich… this isn’t the type of sandwich that you eat with two hands. This is a knife-and-fork one. It’s essentially their version of the monte cristo: local ham and cheese between two slices of French toast made with their brioche, then drowned in real maple syrup. As expected, it cuts easily with the side of a fork, and is a delightful mix of the salty and the sweet. If you’re a French toast fan, you need to sample this one.

SERVICE: With the small, intimate space, it’s hard not to get to know the crew there. You can chat with them about their baked goods, and they’ll answer any questions you have. The prepared foods are made on a small flattop right in front of the counter. This is owner Vicki Hink cooking up my French toast!

OVERALL: Angry Baker is well worth multiple visits, to sample the rotating offerings of baked goods and the seasonal changes to the cafe menu. Like I said, it’s great for a coffee-and-a-snack stop or a quiet sit-down breakfast.

OTHER LINKS:

Spalding’s Bakery | Lexington, KY

Spalding’s Bakery
760 Winchester Rd. (map it!)
Lexington, KY 40505
(859) 252-3737
Open Wed-Sat, 6:30a-12p; Sun, 7a-12p
Accepts cash only
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 7:20 a.m.

IMPRESSIONS: Early on a Sunday morning – earlier than normal, given that we had just sprung ahead into daylight saving – I convinced my youngest brother Greg to drive out to a little bakery he had told me about in Lexington, Kentucky. My two younger brothers and their families, all of whom live in Lexington, had had donuts from Spalding’s Bakery before. The best donuts become local legends in their own right. In Columbus people whisper, “Are those Der Dutchman donuts? Are those from DK Diner?” In Lexington, apparently, the equivalent is, “He brought a box from Spalding’s.” So it was that Greg and I trekked out to this tiny, nondescript little bakery, across an industrial road from the biggest peanut butter plant in the world.

ATMOSPHERE: The space, while newer, is about as simple as can be. Cream-colored walls. A few pictures. A couple display cases loaded with donuts (clearly the focal point of the room). A low, white counter with an old cash register. When we visited, there were two people seated at a table off to the side, there as fundraisers for some local cause. It was a little funny and awkward, as they sat there silently, crammed behind the small table together at 7 a.m.

Just behind the main wooden case, many more donuts stay on trays, yet to put out for display. Other shelves were loaded with boxes, already filled and labeled, just waiting to be picked up.

FOOD: Oh, the donuts. If you look at their reviews on Yelp and UrbanSpoon, Spalding’s is clearly one of those places that’s beloved by locals, but suffers from the dual reviews of “these are the greatest things on earth!” / “everyone says they’re the greatest things on earth but they don’t live up to the hype!” This is typical of incredibly popular restaurants and bakeries, and hard to avoid when loyal customers are passionate and vocal. The key is to keep your expectations up, but not too high. (Besides, if you’re trusting everyone else’s opinion to judge the best ____ in the world, you need to think about judging things for yourself more often.)

All of this is to say that these are some delicious donuts, especially when they’re soft and warm in the morning (the benefit of braving the time change and visiting early). We nabbed a mixed dozen-and-a-half: blueberry, cinnamon roll, apple fritter, chocolate cake, creme-filled, chocolate glazed.

Their signature are the glazed donuts. Sweet, misshapen, and delicious. Krispy Kreme has nothing – NOTHING – on Spalding’s.

SERVICE: There was also the bonus of meeting the sweetest, most grandmotherly woman alive. If this place is run by the Spalding family (I’m guessing), then she must be Grandma Spalding. She was incredibly sweet, making jokes with us and suggesting donuts to try. She added up the order by hand on a notepad, then rang us up at the old register (they take cash only, btw). When I asked how early she arrived there that morning, she said about 3:30. “But I wasn’t the first one here,” she added, “Being a grandmother has it’s perks!”

OVERALL: I’m still learning the Lexington breakfast scene, but from what I’ve tasted, Spalding’s seems to be the top spot for donuts around town. The hours are limited – only until noon, Wednesday to Sunday – and we’ve heard multiple reports of donuts selling out quickly. But it’s worth the early morning trek for a box or two. These are donuts as they should be made, and by a business that’s over 100 years old. Worthy of your support!

OTHER LINKS:

Auddino’s Bakery | Columbus, OH

Auddino’s Bakery (Facebook)
1490 Clara Ave. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43211
(614)  294-2577
Open Mon-Fri, 6:30a-4p; Sat, 6:30a-3p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.

IMPRESSIONS: Ah, Auddino’s. Chances are, you’ve eaten some of their product, whether you know it or not. This Italian bakery provides bread, rolls, pizza dough, and more for many restaurants in and around Columbus. You’ve most likely seen their white vans with the red, white, and green logo about town. But don’t just consider them a wholesaler; they’re so much more than that.

ATMOSPHERE: Perhaps you’ve driven by Auddino’s facility on accident, not realizing that it’s more than just a wholesale production facility. It’d be easy to assume that, given the big brick walls, the multiple loading doors for trucks, and the general location down a narrow side street just off the interstate, tucked in amongst warehouses and hotels near the Ohio Expo Center.

But Auddino’s is in fact the best of both worlds. They’re a big wholesale operation, but they’ve retained the mom-and-pop feel of a small neighborhood bakery. Enter the front doors and you’re faced with shelves of breads, rolls, pasta, sauces, and most importantly: donuts, croissants, and cookies.

FOOD: The real star of Auddino’s Bakery are their donuts. They’ve got a huge variety: cream-filled longjohns, glazed cake donuts, frosted crescents, jelly-filled, sticks, fritters. I didn’t taste anything that I didn’t like, so I give it all a strong recommendation. But pictures will speak more than words in this case, so let me just show you.

One of their unique contributions to Columbus donut culture is the glazed croissants (lovingly termed “cronuts” by CMH Gourmand). It combines the wonderful flaky texture of a croissant with the light, sugary coating of a glazed donut. Simply stellar.

Leave the gun…

I enjoy bringing home a mix of things. We leaned toward the cake donuts, plus one of the smaller croissants. (The croissants come in large and small sizes.)

Another one of our favorites are the ever-elusive lobster tails. These are crispy, flaky pastries filled with a thick, sweet custard and dusted with powdered sugar. We’ve visited multiple times and always missed them, until this one, glorious visit. Each bite involves crunching through the pastry to get through that rich custard.

SERVICE: The Auddino family is very kind and welcoming. It doesn’t take long before you feel like a part of the family. You’ll find the parents, their kids, and grandkids there. During one recent visit, my son hung out with one of their grandkids, watching cartoons while I chatted and took pictures.

OVERALL: It’s dangerous that Auddino’s is so close and easy to access from my house, because I can see justifying a quick trip there just about any weekday morning. For those of you on the west side who don’t have easy access to the deliciousness that is Auddino’s: fear not. The Auddino family told me that they plan to open a cafe in Hilliard in the spring of 2012. Stay tuned!

OTHER LINKS:

Mozart’s Bakery & Piano Cafe | Columbus, OH

Mozart’s Bakery & Piano Cafe (Facebook / @MozartsCafe)
2885 N. High St. (map it!)
Columbus, OH 43202
(614) 268-3687
Open Tues-Thurs, 7:30a-9p; Fri & Sat, 7:30a-11p; Sun, 8a-5:30p (bfast served daily till 5p)
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y

Date of Visit: Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 12:30 pm

IMPRESSIONS: As residents of Columbus’ Clintonville neighborhood, we’ve long known about Mozart’s Cafe and their dedication to the area. You will regularly find them donating cookies to community events, helping with fundraisers, and plugging other Clintonville businesses. Clintonville is sometimes seen as a culinary wasteland (especially when we chase off great food trucks!), with only a few bright points making the journey worth it. But if you’ve spent any time searching the neighborhood, you know that there’s lots worth finding. Mozart’s has served as a mainstay for years now, demonstrating that there are reasons to visit and eat in Clintonville.

ATMOSPHERE: It’s been a couple years since we last visited the Cafe. Our previous experience there was at the afternoon tea (which is lovely, and one of the few good ones in town). And perhaps that visit left the lasting impression of Mozart’s as a very prim and proper place, the go-to for dainty meals of sandwiches, tea, and light pastries. Not at all the place for a big, hearty breakfast with the family. With its shelf of pastries, classical name, tight quarters, and live piano music, Mozart’s could certainly seem like just that place. It is that, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that there’s also more to it.

Entering the restaurant puts you in a waiting area with all of the pastries, the coffee service, and the tea. It’s a bit of eye candy to get you hungry. We were greeted by one of the employees standing behind the counter, which is a little far away from the door, so we didn’t hear her at first. But it didn’t take long for us to be ushered to a table in the dining room. As you can see from the pictures above, they have a sizeable selection of coffee and teas.

The atmosphere is partially what left us with the specific impression of the afternoon tea. It’s a small cafe packed with tables and a live piano player tucked in the corner. At our arrival, almost all of the tables were full; when you have two small kids with you, it’s easy to think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a comfortable spot. Not so. They found us a table right away, and ours certainly weren’t the only kids there. Mozart’s also has a back room with more seating, and in the warmer months they have two patios to accommodate even more customers.

FOOD: Our three-year-old spied another kid enjoying an Italian soda one table over, and he quickly requested that. He happily sipped on that through the entire meal.

Again, our expectations (based on the atmosphere and our past experience with afternoon tea) led us to believe that the breakfast would be higher priced and lightly-filling. The price is certainly more than a cheap diner breakfast, but the portions were anything but skimpy. First, we ordered the Mozart’s Breakfast Sandwich for our son. This is a hearty sandwich with two eggs, bacon, Black Forest ham (a repeated ingredient on the menu), and cheddar on wheat toast. He certainly loved it, and we gladly helped him finish it.

My wife tried their quiche of the day, which came in a wide slice packed with mushrooms and served with fruit and toast. Very good mix of ingredients, held together well. Overall well seasoned and flavorful.

Our server brought butter and jelly for her toast. The jelly turned out to be more like a dense pastry filling. A little different than a chunky jam, but it certainly tasted delicious spread over the toast.

I’ve had my eye on the Tyrolean Breakfast for some time. Tryol is (I had to look this up) a region in western Austria – appropriate given the cafe’s namesake, although I’m not sure what is specifically Tyrolean about this breakfast. Still, this dish exemplified our pleasantly surprised reaction to the overall experience. When I say “I ordered the Tyrolean breakfast,” you might think of a small plate of food with a couple pieces of toast, scraps of bacon, a handful of potatoes, and some tiny eggs. On the contrary, this was a gigantic plate of food. Very appropriate for the price, and easily shared. It comes with thick slices of toast, bacon, two eggs, a pile of well-seasoned potatoes, and layers of the Black Forest ham. Everything is cooked very well, and again, it’s all incredibly filling.

Mozart’s gets bonus points that their breakfast menu features strong vegetarian dishes, and not just of the “we’ll-leave-the-meat-out” variety, but ones built specifically with the vegetarian in mind. Look for the Vienna Waltz omelet, for instance, with roasted red peppers, seasonal veggies, artichokes, and Gouda. Or the Spinach Croissant, with spinach, feta, and Emmental cheese.

Of course, no visit to Mozart’s is complete without a pastry or two, although we were full up after our breakfast. We sampled some cookies but that was it. But the Cafe has a bit of everything: cookies, croissants, struedel, petti fours, you name it.

SERVICE: We had a good experience overall with the service, although a couple of the employees spoke too softly. When you have multiple employees, many tables in close quarters, and a piano player, you need to make sure your customers can hear everything. Still, this only happened with a couple folks. Otherwise, everyone was very helpful: we felt comfortable asking anyone for a napkin or silverware or whatever, whether it was our server or not. One person came around offering samples of tea cookies, and the owner himself went from table to table, checking on customers. You are certainly well cared for at Mozart’s.

OVERALL: Whatever your impressions are of Mozart’s, their breakfast is certainly worth trying. There’s a good variety to the menu, with plenty of strong choices from sandwiches, croissants, omelets, muesli, waffles, and other specials (not even including the HUGE line of baked goods), and they welcome their customers well. Also, where else do you get live piano with your breakfast (at least on weekends)? On a final note: Mozart’s has recently given you one more reason to explore Clintonville. They recently closed their stall at North Market, while opening the Vienna Ice Cafe just a few doors up High Street from the cafe. (Hint: you could start your day with breakfast at Mozart’s, visit the antique shops of Clintonville, and end with some ice cream!)

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