Eastern Iowa Baking Co.

After several trips to the new bakery in town, I finally have the time to write out a delicious review!

   Eastern Iowa Baking Co. opened in February in the old floral shop building in downtown Eldridge (2nd & Franklin).  The building was originally constructed as a doctor's office in 1857.

photo from their FB

The bakery is cute and tiny with a small dine-in area.  The morning selection includes baked doughnuts, pastries, and sometimes quiche.  I had a horrible internship selling quiche one time.  *shudders*

I often see the owner, Rhonda Groh baking away as I run by at an ungodly hour of the morning.  She has been a certified pastry chef since 2003.  Her family has been selling her goods at the Freight House Farmer's Market for several years now and will continue to do so.   The tip jar at the bakery is always donated to a charitable cause.

Red has forgone the whole concept of breakfast and always heads straight for the baked goods they also sell daily.  She's had cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and a lemon bar.  There's no way this kid was switched at birth.

Unkempt blonde hair.  Brownie for breakfast.  Definitely mine.

"You mean people actually eat vegetables?"

Lemon bar is sort of a fruit

Richie usually chooses a big cinnamon roll and a medium roast coffee.  Every one raves about the coffee from here and by everyone I do mean several retirees who spend their days roaming around Eldridge.  They would know, dammit.

Although they receive a steady stream of business, we have never had a problem finding a place to sit.  The food is served on nice plates with real silverware.  I think they could use some jazzy music playing in the background.  Not because I like jazz, but because it seems like the right thing to do.

We've never had a bad dish at Eastern Iowa BC and we love the location.  Be sure to check it out sometime and then catch yourself some diabetes at Smilee's Ice Cream, right across the street.  The bakery is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.  I'll have to update once we try lunch there!

Yummy's

My stomach and teeth are screaming at me today. This is why...














When I was in Iowa City, I did a bit of a cakewalk, visiting some local bakeries and grocery stores. Pictured above is one that I actually had to drive to, as it is located in Coralville near the Oakdale campus (2180 Norcor Ave). Yummy's is a bakery that specializes in cakes. The previous location on the Coralville strip flooded in 2008, but luckily the owner decided to rebuild. It's now in a new strip mall in the midst of a eerie neighborhood where every house looks exactly the same. Sort of Edward Scissorhand-ish minus the pastels.














We walked in and were greeted by beguiling scent of fresh baked cake. The store is small, but very clean and shiny, with display cases filled with individual portions of baked goods. The walls had photos of wedding and occasion cakes which you can also view on their Facebook page.














Instead of cupcakes, Yummy's has squares of their cakes in just about every flavor conceivable. It was almost too much to choose from, but I was able to narrow it down to a simple marble cake with chocolate buttercream. My sister chose milk chocolate- chocolate cake filled with chocolate sauce, chocolate mousse, and topped with chocolate whipped cream. Oy Vey. Next time I will go with something more exotic like the Mango Mousse or Almond Marzipan.














They also offer cookies and pastries. The cinnamon rolls are, dare I say, cinn-full...nope better not. That would be lame.













So here is my cute container o' cake. The yellow and chocolate flavors integrated nicely in my mouth.














The frosting was just the right amount, but could have been a bit sweeter. Then again, I would prefer a spoonful of sugar be 'a bit sweeter.'














Getchyour swirl on girl. I rode those curves right on into Cakeville.

While traipsing through the ped mall, we made sure to stop in at Revival. Revival is a store with a good mix of vintage and contemporary clothing with cute handmade accessories sold on consignment. They also have this adorable cake stand filled with cupcakes from Sugarplum.














A business since 2008, Sugarplum bakes cupcakes in an at-home bakery and sells them at Revival and the Iowa City Farmer's Market. Flavors are limited to what is baked that particular day, but here is a full menu of flavors that she can make for events and parties.

On that particular Thursday, I had a choice of chocolate chip or vanilla. The lady at Revival struggled to smoosh it into a pink takeout carton. Frosting got everywhere, but no matter. I just used a spoon to excavate it. The frosting was very light and airy, obviously whipped cream based. I prefer buttercream, but this was good too. The cake was actually my favorite part. That may be the first time I have ever said that. My tongue was joyfully greeted by big chunks of gourmet chocolate in a moist yellow cake. If I had to choose one of the two businesses to cater an event, I would hire Sugarplum based on taste and presentation... I put too much thought into that.

Finally, I stopped at the local co-op to fraternize with the dirty hippies and impeccably dressed upper crust of Iowa City.














New Pioneer Co-op (22 S. Van Buren) is a very cool place. Produce is locally or regionally grown, other food products are organic, natural, vegan, gluten-free, etc. The co-op is owned by 20,000 local residents. You can become a member for a one time investment fee, or pay a 5% non-member charge every time you shop.

We visited their bakery section where they offer a potpourri of vegan and gluten-free treats, but I chose a cranberry orange bar. Sometimes the stomachache is worth it.













This little bar was surprisingly tart and imbued with flavor. The orange zest was robust, but not too strong. The cranberries were ample and juicy. Got my Vitamin C on. It was probably the healthiest thing I ate all day.

Boston Mass part 2

On the only morning that it didn't rain in sheets, we walked up to Beacon Hill for breakfast and stopped in a cafe called The Paramount. The guidebook I found in our hotel room claims it has been a Boston favorite for breakfasts since 1937.














Walking in, I was surprised at how tiny it is. It's very narrow and a half dozen or so small tables were crammed against the left side of the wall. They have specific instructions on going to the counter and ordering, paying, and then finding a seat. The rules explain that this helps keep people moving in and out and minimizes wait. Though the restaurant was full when we walked in, by the time we had ordered and were ready to sit, a table had opened up.




























We both ordered spinach, feta, and tomato omelets. They were 8.50 and came with toast and potatoes. Just a couple minutes later the food was ready and were eating.




























This definitely beat the Rice Krispy treat I had for breakfast the day before. The ingredients were fresh and the food was prepared in open view of patrons, so I know he didn't sneeze in it.

After visiting Paul Revere's sad little house, we were in need of a sugar rush and luckily we were in Little Italy. We passed by a few pastry shops but I was drawn to this one because of the funky marquee.













Modern Pastry was opened over 70 yrs ago by Italian immigrants. They claim that the recipes are originals passed down from 'the old country.'
I drooled over the pastry case, while my mom picked up some pasta for my sister.
























































My mom got a slice of carrot cake, while I got a whoopie pie. Here's the cute little box they came in.













I took that baby back to the hotel room and had my way with it. The next picture includes content of pleasurable nature. Look away if you are easily offended.

































Best whoopie pie ever. then again, I've only had grocery store versions and Wicked Whoopies
Much like Lindsay Lohan's nostrils, my lips were covered with a sinful layer of white powder. My mom quickly scarfed the carrot cake before I could poke a finger in it. Bummer.

If we ever return to Boston, I'm definitely stopping by Modern again to try a cannoli, just so I can exclaim, Holy cannoli!

Lagomarcino's confectionary

I went back to beloved Lagomarcino's, but this time it was just a quick trip to the original Moline location to peruse their Easter candy. Both my parents have fond memories of going to this store and drinking green rivers, and now I do as well.

A whole book could be written about the history of Lagomarcino's and actually has been, Sweet Memories by Bill Wundram. We have it at our library, so go to our website and search if you're that interested. Lago's isn't just some little candy shop that opened in a mall. The Lagomarcino family has a 70 yr history as a professional chocolatiers.

Lagomarcino's is well known for their chocolate Easter eggs that are filled with chocolate candies. Sound rich? Ohhh yeaaah. A tradition for almost 80 yrs, they come in varying sizes, with the smallest being the kid's size for 7.99 and the largest being around football size at 69.99. That's a 3 1/2 lb chocolate egg (milk or dark) with over 5 dozen candies packed inside. I just want to know how they fill it?




The grand daddy:









Mama egg, baby egg
Part of their window display






The gourmet food mag Saveur ran an article on their eggs one year and they ended up filling 2 1/2 UPS trucks with eggs. I'd like to fill 2 1/2 of my stomachs with eggs.














An interior shot of the old store














Everything is all Easter'ed up.. getchyo pastel on














Cutesy bunny baskets and buckets of goodies














a variety of chocolate candies all dolled up in their Sunday best














Varying sizes of cream filled eggs.
You can choose from maple, raspberry, vanilla, fruit and nut and more. I chose maple. you know...for Easter...or lunch.














More fresh cream filled eggs. have you ever seen anything so beautiful?














Like gay men's polo shirts, they even come in Easter pastels (white chocolate)














Go nuts for coconuts! Chocolate coconut nests filled with Jelly Bellys.
But let's not forget about St. Paddy's day. Binge on these delicious mints and meltaways. Fresh breath and no hangover !



























These are not peeps by any means. They're "crystallized" creams a.k.a. butter and sugar wearing a delicious coat of more sugar.














Lots of beautiful bulk candies for Easter baskets- malted milk balls, sours, jellies, and balls of other persuasions.

Honestly, I wouldn't waste these gourmet candies on little kids. Throw a few jelly beans, Cadbury eggs, and Reeses cups in their baskets, then create a gourmet basket for the adults. It's a nice sweet ending to a salty ham dinner.

Village Inn

Well sometimes you have a hankering for something from a chain restaurant. For us, it's usually for Red Robin or Cracker Barrel, but this time it was for a Village Inn breakfast. Everyone has a diner they frequented in high school where they spent hours annoying diners and waitresses. Village Inn was just that place for me. my friends and I spent hours there sipping hot chocolate and dissecting pieces of pie. If you don't have a Village Inn, a Perkin's or Baker's Square might have been your place.














I also have many good memories of eating with my grandparents and family at Village Inn. I don't think I have ever had a bad meal from there. The decor is pretty typical of this type of restaurant. Kinda blah but no one notices anyway. The booths are comfy though!














Both of us had breakfast on our minds since our failed attempt at eating at Symposium (yuck!) So Richie ordered a double bacon double cheese skillet. It's like the ice cream sundae of breakfast foods. Breakfast potatoes topped with scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon. Apparently this one had double the amount of cheese and bacon. Comes with your choice of pancakes or toast...is that really a hard choice?




























He's not sucking his food through a straw...yep, that is cheese. I must say, that skillet was mighty cheesy. Every forkful had a massive amount of delicious goo.

I'll be honest, my omelet was made with Egg Beaters because I had to have my cholesterol tested the next morning. I had to add extra salt and pepper to add some flavor, but the consistency was nice and fluffy. The ham, green peppers and onions folded inside were delicious. Hashbrowns were good, but I like them a little crispier. Actually, I like my potatoes burnt, so I ate the browned part. The pancakes were so big and fluffy. Richie devoured his and most of mine.



























I flipped through the dessert menu like 9 times. You can't go to VI and not review a slice of pie. Every Wednesday you get a free piece, but it wasn't Wed., so we paid the 3 dollars and change for a slice of lemon meringue.














The lemon filling was very sweet, but the meringue was my favorite part. It was a delicious pillow of marshmallowy goodness. I wanted to bury my head in it and fall asleep.














Here I am paying at the counter, trying to ignore the pie case. A must have around the holidays is their Candy Cane Pie. My family sort of obsesses over it as we rush through our ham dinner.














For a breakfast guaranteed to satisfy, try Village Inn. The rest of the menu isn't bad either, but not worth blogging home about.