When a new spot opens in town, we can't wait to check it out -- and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few items, and satisfying curiosities (yours and ours).
Restaurant: The Bakery PHX Location: 1528 East Bethany Home Road Open: About a month Eats: Baked goods Price: $1 to $10
The Bakery PHX is not a trendy cupcake shop, though the bright, simple interior and handwritten signage are modern and stylish. It's also not a traditional spot, as it serves both freshly baked sourdough bread loaves as well as the shop's take on the Twinkie, which actually looks more like a Ho Ho on the outside.
Instead, it's somewhere in between. And it works.
See also: Cakes and Ribbon Bakery Serves Up Sweet Tres Leches Cake and Cupcakes
If you're a regular of Old Town Scottsdale's farmers market, then you might recognize The Bakery PHX's confections. From the name to the goods, simple is kind of the name of the game at this spot's new brick and mortar location in uptown Phoenix.
It's located on the corner of Bethany Home Road and 16th Street, and you've probably stopped by the bakery's complex for lunch at Luci's Healthy Marketplace or drinks at Dick's Hideaway. As with its neighbors, The Bakery PHX is worth stopping in.
Standard cookies and cupcakes are available. You can get classic cake cookies with frosting, with or without sprinkles. Don't expect to be wowed by some fancy new-fangled cookie here, though. It's just a bakery basic, kind of like the white noise of any bake shop -- not bad by any means but also not really exciting. Good for picky eaters, though.
For something a little more interesting, you should try the "Twinkie," which, underneath the chocolate coating, is a soft yellow cake filled with sweet pink cream. The best of the best from The Bakery PHX is easily the mini pies, though. Not just cute, these little treats come in different flavors like key lime, chocolate cream, and apple for about $8. The key lime specifically is a must-try, with a subtly tart, smooth key lime filling and decadently buttery graham cracker crust.
If The Bakery PHX carried nothing other than those mini pies, we would not be disappointed.
It's not all sweets at The Bakery PHX. Classic quiches are available in two sizes or by the slice for $4. There are also potato knishes -- a great savory breakfast option to grab on the go. The rustic-looking knish is a buttery, flaky pastry crust on the outside and on the inside, spiced mashed potatoes and sweet caramelized onions. There's nothing revolutionary about the knish here, but it's executed perfectly and that's what matters.
For artisan bread fans, The Bakery PHX also offers a variety of loaves for about $5. The sourdough impressed us, not just in its flavor and texture, but in appearance, too. The checked top crust makes this loaf the kind of bread that you'd want to bring to a dinner party.
Though there aren't any chairs inside The Bakery PHX, the tall, bar-like tables along the shop's outer edge provide a place to stand and enjoy your treats if you can't wait to take them home. The shop also offers coffee from Lavazza, tea, and milk to pair with your pastries.
Admittedly, other spots have this bakery beat in terms of cookies and cupcakes, but a good mini pie is much harder to find in this town, and that's where this bakery excels.
