It’s Monday, and I’m counting the days until I can go back to Baked in Chattanooga for lunch. I’ve been able to count to two since I was two, and Wednesday seems as far away as that tender age.
The wait would be easier, save for two things, the first of which is my memory of owner Allison Darras’s Spinach Portobello Mushroom Lasagna. To quote what I wrote to a friend last Thursday after trying it for the first time: “The lasanga was incredible. It was meatless, white, with tons of cheese, and the top layer of pasta was burned slightly on the edges, as it should be. She served it to me on a regular dinner plate, like you might find in the cupboard of your own home, minutes after it came out of the oven. Every time I dug my fork into it, thick chunks of mushrooms spilled out.”
I took pleasure in spearing the bits of Portobello and then chewing them slowly, like a piece of steak.
I also took a cup of Chicken Chili home for supper, as my wife was going to be working late, and I wasn’t in the mood to cook for one. After taking a bite of her hearty, tasty, slightly spicy white bean recipe, I sent my friend, an American living in Jerusalem, another message that likely made her homesick.
One more thing is making the wait for Wednesday an exercise in patience: this week’s menu, which Darras has posted on her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BakedInChattanooga). On Wednesday, she’ll be serving Chicken Potpies and Vegetarian Chili. Selections later in the week included Italian Sausage Baked Rigatoni, West African Peanut Soup, and Chicken & Broccoli Quiche. If none of the daily selections appeal to me, there are always the salads and an array of stuffed potatoes, starting with a barbecue pork, cheddar cheese and sour cream creation.
Darras bakes these dishes fresh. A graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, the recipes are hers, but you’ll swear they came out of your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. There’s a gratifying homemade quality to each of her creations – like you’re eating something prepared just for you.
Each day, Darras features two entrees plus one or two soups or chilies. By limiting her daily options, she’s able to pour more attention into each dish, and it shows. Nothing feels rushed or half-baked.
In addition to her entrees, Darras offers a slew of baked goods that really take the cake. The cupcake competition has heated up in Chattanooga, and hers are among the best. She likes to keep things interesting, so she offers a few staples and then shakes up the rest of her selections on a weekly basis. The cupcakes she’s serving this week include Derby Pie, Chocolate Strawberry, Oreo, Chocolate Mint, Vanilla, Chocolate Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Hummingbird, Lemon Blueberry, Honey, Chocolate Cream Cheese, Rocky Road, Raspberry Cream Cheese and Almond Cherry. A fan on Facebook commented, “The Chocolate Cream Cheese is speaking to me.”
Having been to Baked in Chattanooga more than once, I’ve already discovered a favorite dessert: the Orange Cranberry muffin. Packed with chewy cranberries and topped with a mouthwatering sugary crunch, it puts any muffin you could buy at a grocery store to shame.
You can find Baked in Chattanooga on River Street in Coolidge Park, where Whipped Cupcakes used to be. Darras had worked for nearly a decade as the business manager of a company that sold Burger King franchises when she ran into the owner of Whipped, who was shopping the store to possible buyers. Darras decided she didn’t want to be a business manager anymore, so she took the entrepreneurial leap and bought the place.
Oddly, Darras hasn’t replaced the decor, which is well suited to a cutesy cupcake shop, but doesn’t say, “Delicious homemade food.” From a culinary standpoint, though, that hardly matters. When you walk into her tiny space, you’ll be greeted by an aromatic mingling of whatever entrees and soups she has going plus her fresh baked goods. She could bottle the smell and sell it as a point-of-sale item.
I enjoyed sitting at one of the tables and watching people walk in. Most were clearly expecting nothing more than baked goods, and seemed surprise to learn about the lunch options. Some were puzzled by the limited selections on the chalkboard on which Darras lists her daily specials. It’s not the WHOLE menu. Stop by the cash register to see what else is available.
Baked in Chattanooga is not only delicious, it’s easy on the budget, too. I’ve spent an average of twelve dollars per visit, and I’ve never left hungry.
Darras opens her doors Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 8 a.m. She keeps them open until 5 p.m.
Baked in Chattanooga is a rare find. It’s small, and it might not look like much when you walk in, but the food is really, really good. What’s more, once you’ve sampled one of the dishes, you’ll almost certainly be back for more.
Two days and counting...