Categories
Photos Texas USA

Photo of the Week: rather massive brownies at Rather Sweet Bakery

Massive brownies at the Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericksburg TX (photo by Sheila Scarborough) I know, it’s food overload this time of year, but how can you miss when it’s slab-sized brownies?

These are from the Rather Sweet Bakery in German-tinged Fredericksburg, Texas.

It’s tucked behind the historic building where Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz was born, just off of Main Street and down the road from the newly-redesigned National Museum of the Pacific War.

Founded by native Texas Rebecca Rather (known as the “Pastry Queen” and also related to journalist Dan Rather) the bakery is known for gargantuan but tasty tarts, cookies, muffins and scones, plus some of the most gorgeous cakes you’ve ever seen.

One of her featured tarts has a pretty little “hat” of curlicued meringue, and according to the staff the day we visited, the Mexican Chocolate Cake is another best-seller.

There’s a small side room to sit and order hot or cold sandwiches, and right next door they’re getting ready to open a cafe annex (“Rather Sweet, Too.”)

Guaranteed kid-pleaser!

Categories
New York City USA

Ask Baratunde: Off the beaten path NYC restaurants

Oh, Twitter, you are so much fun!

Tonight I noticed that tech-savvy comedian and raconteur Baratunde Thurston as @Baratunde was holding an “open question session” on Twitter (where I’m @SheilaS) ….for about an hour you could ask him a question about anything, using the hashtag #AskBaratunde, and he’d try to answer.

So, since he’s based in New York City, I asked, “In the NYC area, what are 2 restaurants visitors don’t know about, and should?”

He responded in the requisite 140 characters: “Two off-the-map NYC restaurants: Mamajuana in #inwood and No. 7 in #FortGreene (Brooklyn)”

Here are their Web sites: Mamajuana is a unique combination of Spanish/Nuevo Latino/Dominican cuisine, and No. 7 is, well, pretty upscale, but it sounds delicious and might work with a teenager.

I then asked if they were family-friendly, and Baratunde responded, “i think they are. No 7 is pricey but brunch at Mamajuana is very reasonable. best in warm weather to eat outside.”

There you have it for your next NYC visit, hot off of the Twitter press….