My friend and former coworker Scott texted me a few Saturdays ago: “Went to Edgar’s Bakehouse…The pear tart was OMG. The pastry was so light — tasted like a European pastry, not too sweet. Went great with my French press coffee!”
“Sounds amazing!!!” I briskly typed back. Then cheekily: “Who’s the food writer here, you or me?”
With the gauntlet thrown, I knew I had to check it out. Edgar’s Bakehouse is the latest addition to the Edgar’s Hospitality Group, which includes Edgar’s Grille, Edgar’s Above Broad and The Pinnacle Club. Like them, it provides learning opportunities for students in the School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts at Helms College, which is sponsored by Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA.
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The Bakehouse is just a few storefronts down from Edgar’s Grille, in the former Hire Grounds coffeehouse location. My daughter wanted to taste test with me; she’s five, shares my love of baked goods and has already helped make swan-shaped profiteroles, fondant decorations and multiple desserts. As we drove over, she launched into song: “Cheesecake, cheesecake, going to taste the cheesecake!”
It turned out peaches and cream cheesecake was on the menu, along with seemingly every other variety of baked goods. The bakery describes itself as serving French-style breads, pastries and more, and that day’s offerings included croissants, plain, with almonds, drizzled with chocolate, or stuffed with ham and cheese; savory scallion and cream cheese cruffins and French onion bruffins; other danishes and pastries; muffins; cookies; and some unusual items, such as the banana chocolate chip tahini cake, a PB&J moon pie, s’mores Napoleons and a banana cream pie éclair.
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If we were in the mood for lunch or a light dinner, we could have chosen from sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, including turkey club, roast beef, and bacon and cheddar, all on sourdough, plus a ham sandwich on a baguette. And family-size cobblers, containers of take-home-and-bake cookie dough and a variety of ice creams were also available in a tall case across from the counter.
We carefully considered every item, but my daughter had her sights set on one specific dessert as soon as she walked in: not cheesecake, but a glorious strawberry shortcake, wrapped in a stylish collar of white chocolate, colored red, topped with scallops of white chocolate whipped cream. Meanwhile, I had a hankering for that pear tart Scott had enthused over; they were sold out, so I settled on one of my favorite flavors, lemon, in the form of a lemon meringue tart.
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We settled with our sweets at one of the round wooden tables in the cool, dimly lit and quiet space, scented with coffee—completely restful after a hectic day of work and school, then errands.
My daughter deftly wielded her fork for a first bite: “It’s definitely the best dessert,” she declared. The star, we both agreed, was the fresh and sweet strawberry preserves, studded with seeds, that was sandwiched between each light cake layer. White chocolate is one of my favorite flavors—the fragile white chocolate shell tasted creamy and sweet, breaking delicately with each bite, but we might have preferred a lighter whipped cream. We jokingly fought for bites—and my daughter ended up enjoying a good 2/3 of the dessert!
Meanwhile, I took my first bite of lemon meringue tart. The crust was shortbread, thick and crumbly and buttery. The lemon curd was delicately tangy and not too sweet—perfect for a midafternoon treat—topped with the fluffy and caramelized Italian meringue. And if I were still in my coffee-drinking days, I could see how both desserts would match beautifully with a coffee with a few sugars topped off with cream.
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Before we left, I wanted to grab a treat for my husband, and I loved when I described how he loves chocolate, the server immediately pointed to the triple chocolate cookie, which as she described, “tastes like a brownie.” Sold, and while we thought ours had a touch too much flaked sea salt, the cookie itself—which was soft and chewy, yes, just like a brownie—would be perfect for lovers of deep, dark chocolate.
I’m already planning our next dessert afternoon.
Make Your Reservation
Edgar’s Bakehouse
3179 Washington Rd., Suite B
edgarsbakehouse.com
Open: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Cost: From $2.50 for a cookie up to $8 for the rustic country sourdough boulle
Danielle Wong Moores is a local freelance writer who’ll never turn down a shrimp cocktail, sushi or cheese dip. Her greatest food influences are her mom and writers MFK Fisher and Amanda Hesser. Her Dine and Dish column runs the second and fourth Friday of each month.
