Hanging out at Baked

18 Dec 2009 by Sean in Charleston Business

Yum.  Just yum.

Okay, well that doesn’t exactly make a blog post.  With Baked’s own coffee cake fresh on my palette, I’m writing from a beautifully crafted table in a modern, handsomely decorated room alongside E. Bay St.

Small and casual, Baked has a slow pace that works for studying, reading, working on your laptop or just spending time with a good friend.

The modern-meets-classic style can’t be over-appreciated.  Different woods maintain a natural tone while funky textures liven up the conservative color palette.  And there’s something about the light that keeps me wide awake while I work.

With room in our bellies for only two desserts, Emily, my desert-tasting specialist from Chicago, and I tried the coffee cake and a sweet & salty cupcake.

The desserts, design, coffee and smooth jazz at Baked made working a breeze.

The tasting

Sweet & salty cupcake

I’m a big fan of the sweet/salty mix.  The tiny cupcake certainly packed a punch.  The icing was super smooth, though I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of icing.  I’m sure the icing lovers out there just clicked the back button.

Emily said it was over-salted, but I thought maybe it just needed something more to balance out the salt that was there.  It was rich and velvety for sure and satisfied our sweet-tooth craving.

Overall, it was creative and kind of fun but wouldn’t keep us from trying something else next time.

Ratings:

Sean: 3.5 (out of 5)
Good, but lacking complexity.  Quarter-point bonus for holiday cheer.

Emily: 3 (out of 5)
Earned points for creativity.

Coffee cake

This ranks on the first tier of coffee cakes I’ve tried.  Rich and sugary with a crumbly, crunchy top.  The huge pieces are a fair deal at $2.50.  While I’d second-guess my next cupcake selection, next time I’m on E. Bay with a craving for something sweet and simple, I’m coming back for Baked’s coffee cake.

Ratings:

Sean: 4 (out of 5)
It was just a little too light and fluffy, but other than that it was fantastic.

Emily: 3.5 (out of 5)
Half-point deducted because “it was a little dry.”

Another Emily’s take

Emily Avent was also hanging out at the fancy table alongside E. Bay.  Here’s her take:

Emily Avent is co-founder of Pressque Editing, a Charleston-based boutique editing firm.

Baked is no longer the best-kept secret in Charleston, but it is the best bakery. Not only do they offer a scrumptious selection of inexpensive sweet and savory pastries and baked goods, delicious coffee and tea, and friendly employees, but it’s a block away from my office, and there’s always a free table with wall plugs galore for computer junkies.

The best thing about Baked is that no matter what you’re in the mood for—brownie, cupcake with creamy icing (YUM), roast beef on foccacia, quiche, birthday cake, muffin, scone or something a little fancier—they’ve got it.

I almost don’t want to write this so I can keep it all to myself. (I still don’t get the antler theme, though.)