Yesterday, I had occasion to take lunch at Alon’s Bakery and Market in Dunwoody. It’s been around for twenty years now, currently with locations in both Virginia-Highland (near the Mistress of Sarcasm’s old haunts) and in Dunwoody (in the space once occupied by Eatzi’s). But somehow, despite my love for Things Foodie, I had never managed to make time to set foot in the place.
Oh. My. Gawd.
There’s a whole section with various prepared foods: salads, meats, vegetable dishes, you name it. There’s a deli counter where you can get a sandwich made to order. There’s a huge array of exotic gourmet comestibles, most of them with ridiculous price tags.
But then there are the cakes and pastries. Feast your eyes:
An amazing mouth-watering array of jewel-like cakes and other Miscellaneous Goodies.
In my experience, when cakes look this good, they generally disappoint when it comes to taste and texture. But the one little treat I permitted myself - a flourless chocolate soufflé cake - was delightful, with rich chocolate flavor and a dense (but not too dense) consistency. I would bet that each one of these jewel-like confections tastes every bit as good as it looks. Damn.
There’s even a honkin’ impressive Cheese Aisle.
Cheeses. K. Reist, does this look good!
I will definitely be back. There are about ten thousand things at Alon’s I want to get my mouth around... eventually.
Postscriptum: Later the same day, I found myself standing in front of the Display o’ Humongous Cakes at the Marietta Diner. [In Georgia, as it is in New York and other states in which diners may be found, there is apparently a law on the books that requires such establishments to have a big-ass display case filled with cakes, located as close to the front door as possible.] The cakes were each the size of two cinderblocks laid end-to-end, and each was decorated in a completely over-the-top manner. The contrast with what I had earlier seen at Alon’s could not have been sharper: it was New Jersey versus Paris, the average Wal-Mart shopper versus Audrey Hepburn. Quantity versus quality.
And yet, in the world of cake, there’s a place for both... because even a slab of Humongo-Cake can taste mighty good!
I've seen tons of Korean bakeries that aspire to produce these sorts of cakes. You're right about the disappointing contrast between the cakes' look and their taste/texture. They appeal to the eyes, but don't always deliver to the taste buds.
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