Christie C. Everything is too beautiful or too cute to eat!
Even though Chrizar and I gorged ourselves on Cuban fusion food, dumplings, and beer the night before, sleeping in emptied our stomachs enough to crave breakfast. So, Chrizar introduced me to Heritage Bakery & Café, a beautiful little cottage building laden with flora even this late in fall.
Upon entering, you’ll notice that this café is well heated, welcoming, and dressed like your mother’s kitchen from the wooden tables to the delicate china to the country-styled cabinets. Even the bakers wear patterned aprons!
This is the sort of bakery where everything is too beautiful or too cute to eat! Chrizar indulged in a seasoned bagel with smoked salmon while I had a toasted croissant sandwich with spinach, eggs, and cheese. I burned my mouth on it twice because I couldn’t wait to dig in!
This was also the rare case when we had cookies for breakfast. I bought the Lemon Rosemary Shortbread and the Almond Blueberry Macarons for us to eat. I was planning on saving them for later, but they didn’t last the breakfast.
The Lemon Rosemary Shortbread was slightly moist with crispy edges. This is how shortbread should be: not too dry and lightly caramelized.
They were topped with lemon curd, a few fresh rosemary leaves, and a couple of lavender buds. Chrizar and I were skeptical about the lavender at first, but the slight floral edge rounded out the tartness of the lemon and the herbaceous taste of the rosemary.
The star of our cookie purchase, however, was the Almond Blueberry Macaron, which caught my eye based on the cotton candy colors alone. The filling was buttercream that wasn’t too sweet, and the macaron cookie was just flaky at the first bite before your teeth sank into soft meringue texture. Inside was a fresh blueberry, which we thought was a great touch!
Heritage Bakery and Café’s menu changes periodically depending on what is in season and available. I am beginning to appreciate seasonal items because I’ve noticed their depth of flavor in comparison to their “not-in-season” taste.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit this Harrisonburg gemstone, please do!
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