Midtown Lunch

When Cake and the Beanstalk opened last March, replacing the 2nd location of cupcake shop Flying Monkey, I had a good feeling about it. The neighborhood needed a place to get it’s morning started, and cupcakes are usually not what you want for that. The owner, Dan, is the sweetest guy and a serious baker.

The small coffee shop was updated with local art and funky furniture. You can sit in the sunroom that looks over the community garden. And when it is nice out you can sit outside on the tiny patio. The shop is normally filled with people working on their laptops while enjoying a coffee, but there is almost always a seat available. It didn’t take long after they opened for me to find my favorite thing on the menu.

You are probably going to want to start with a caffeine filled drink. I don’t like to drink coffee on the regular basis, and while I do like their iced coffees, I sometimes splurge for an iced chai latte.

After a run of selling only liquids and sweet things, paninis were added to the menu ($6.50).  The chicken and roasted red pepper panini had a generous helping of mozzarella cheese on toasted Le Bus bread.

As the seasons change, so do the dessert offerings. Pumpkin lovers will be happy to know that a pumpkin cheesecake is now being sold.

And then there is the pound cake. This might be Dan’s specialty. His chocolate pound cake might be my favorite ever. It is the ideal density and is not only studded with chocolate chips but glazed with a layer of chocolate. Would this make a better breakfast over a cupcake?

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Amazing baked goods
• Welcoming space to sit and work

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Drinks cost more a bit more than Dunkin donut prices

Cake and the Beanstalk, 1112 Locust St, 215 592 6505