Sarah & Desmond's Bakery & Cafe is the coffee shop that I wish was in my neighborhood.(UPDATE: Sarah & Desmond's closed.)
The bakery and sandwich shop sits just off Main Street in downtown Ellicott City, and it fills on a Saturday morning with sunshine, slow-moving people, and the smell of muffins fresh from the oven. With the traffic just outside the plate glass windows, you could almost believe that you were in a city.
Sarah & Desmond's offers a robust menu for a small bakery. Sandwiches. Salads. Muffins. Cookies. Cupcakes. My most-recent trip was a morning when I really needed something good, and I bought a blueberry muffin that went straight from the baking tray into my takeout box. It was so warm that it crumbled, and I ate greedily in the car -- light and fruity cake with a sugary crisp top, nothing like the dense, plastic-wrapped muffins that haunt so many breakfast places.
With the muffin, you can get Zeke's coffee. For a dessert, you should definitely try the cupcakes. Like Touche Touchet in Coumbia, Sarah & Desmond's offers an adult cupcake -- delicious cake, a stiff frosting with flavor (not just sweet), and a size that you actually want to finish. If you want something more substantial, you can buys sandwiches, salads, quiches or soups.
By now, I hope that you're inspired to try out the joint. That's why I'll mention at the end that Sarah & Desmond's is a vegetarian bakery and cafe. They even do some vegan baking, and the vegan cookies are good although nothing beats a warm muffin. Vegetarian options should be an added plus for anyone who wants them, and it shouldn't scare of the meat-eaters among us. It's a bakery. Most baked goods are vegetarian. You'll eat well. I haven't tried the sandwiches yet, but there is a broad menu -- and nothing fake. It's good-looking vegetables with flavors like olives, goat cheese, artichoke hearts, etc. No one is tricking you with mock deli meats. Give it a try.
(Update: There are several suggestions about things to order in the comments below. Apparently Sarah & Desmond's does gluten-free baking along with vegan options.)
If you are looking for baked goods, check out my post about bakeries in Howard County.
Sarah & Desmonds Bakery & Cafe
3715 Old Columbia Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
410-465-9700
NEAR: Sarah and Desmond's is just off Main Street in downtown Ellicott City. It is a block up Old Columbia Pike. I don't know where you are supposed to park. I have either walked there from Main Street or parking in the lot behind the bakery, but on my most-recent trip, I realized that bakery is linked to the closed yoga shop -- not the bakery.
9 comments:
The food, coffee and atmosphere there is fantastic. The one complaint I have with Sarah and Desmond's is the consistently slow service. If you're ordering something out of the display case, you'll probably not notice, but anything that requires preparation takes a lot of time. If you want to try Sarah and Desmond's I'd recommend that you don't do it when you're in a rush.
I recently had a very yummy grilled vegetable salad there with toasted goat cheese. I used to frequent Java House on Main Street (which this bakery took over, then they moved up onto Tongue Row). They kept a few stellar menu items from Java House, including the Sticks N Stones pita pizza with black beans, cheddar, etc. Delish!
I recently tried this place for lunch and liked it. I had a portobello sandwich on focaccia which was very good. The focaccia bread was the best part. I agree with the first post, the service for lunch was very slow. I still plan to visit again though.
I recently tried this place because I heard they make gluten-free baked goods (an unfortunate necessity for me). I had a gluten-free vegan blondie from there and it was very good! Also, they are smart enough to know to keep the gluten-free goods in the freezer, so don't be alarmed if you don't see anything in the case. They said they have gluten-free bread to make sandwiches with as well! If you're in need of some gluten-free baked goods, I'd definitely recommend Sarah and Desmonds!
S&D's has been a favorite of my family for many years. Sarah baked our wedding cake which was half carrot cake and half almond pound cake with apricot and butter cream filling. We still, 5 years later get compliments on it, and have gone back many times for other custom cakes.
We also frequent S&D's for lunch. I highly recommend the "BellaDonna" which is the portabello sandwich that was referred to in a previous comment. The focaccia bread is (obviously) homemade and delectable! Also, try S&D Margherita Pita Pizza and the Formaggio pizza. For dessert the "Lemon Lust Cake" is a MUST-HAVE! They also make their own chai tea that is perfect for a cool fall day.
Hubby & I went there a month or so ago - early on a Sunday morning. Not a single muffin available. Service was just okay - no effort to give us another breakfast option. I figured an early morning stop would be the BEST time to get a pastry but we were wrong. I hope we just hit a bad day there. Wasn't impressed.
Definitely give it another try. They do everything from scratch daily so every once in a while, they run out or are off schedule. In 7 years of frequenting them, I have never experienced a total shortage so I am sure you'll have better lock on another visit. The muffins and lemon lust cake are worth it! The service is usually ok but it's a casual place with low, low prices and high quality food so that's all I need.
Definitely give it another try. They do everything from scratch daily so every once in a while, they run out or are off schedule. In 7 years of frequenting them, I have never experienced a total shortage so I am sure you'll have better lock on another visit. The muffins and lemon lust cake are worth it! The service is usually ok but it's a casual place with low, low prices and high quality food so that's all I need.
Looks like they're closed for good. :-(
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