Sugar Leaf Bakery & Cafe

A beacon of grace and culinary style in the Grand Village Mall, Sugar Leaf Bakery & Cafe feels like a hidden gem. Decor is pretty tea-room/ladies lunch: hanging green plants everywhere, comfy upholstered chairs and rustic chandeliers, checked-tile floor and handsome polished wood pillars.

It began as a bakery, and baked goods still are front and center. You’ll have an opportunity to peruse some of what’s available as you wait in line to order lunch. Among the fruit cobblers, muffins, and cakes is a marvelous “campfire cookie.” A gloss on the traditional S’mores, it is chocolate and melted marshmallow, but not on a Graham cracker. It’s on a soft chocolate chip cookie.

Sandwiches come on house-made bread: tomato-basil bread for the BLT, dill bread for tuna salad, ancho chili bread for mesquite chicken and smoked gouda cheese. Even buns for hot dogs are baked right here.

Interesting made-to-order salads are a highlight. Roasted beets (not from a jar) crown a beautiful rustic salad that also includes thin slices of Brussels sprouts, greens, goat cheese, and nutty granola. A fig & apple harvest salad features candied walnuts and feta cheese and comes with sweet/tart cider vinaigrette.

Note that Sugar Leaf cookies are available by mail via the cafe website’s on-line store.