Anna T.
Yelp
After waking up one Sunday morning, I decided I would start my day off by going to a bakery and cafe to get my much needed bread fix. I noticed that The Stone Oven Bakery was near my current home in Cleveland, and the pictures featured on Google Maps looked enticing enough - I set my heart to check the cafe out.
I got there at 10 AM, and finding free parking was a bit difficult. There is a designated parking lot for the various mini boutique shops lined on this particular street, but it was 1) coin-based meter parking only (I don't really carry coins around) and 2) I'd rather put my money to use on food than on parking (Yeah you can call me Cheapskate Anna). Luckily, I found out that you could just park for free on the curb RIGHT next to this parking lot! Parking lot hack!
When I entered the cafe, it was bustling with energy. Families with their young children were happily munching down on their breakfast plates, and elderly couples were quietly sipping on their coffee mugs, seemingly appreciating the environment around them. The line was a bit long, but the employees behind the counter were working hard to keep the line moving at a fast pace.
I ordered the French Toast Sandwich (basically, a Monte Cristo) and I couldn't resist buying a pastry to go along with it too. The pastry selections were all very enticing, but I ended up choosing the Raspberry Cream Cheese Croissant! I also got a Cafe Au Lait made with Almond Milk as my drink (They offer Whole Milk, Skim Milk, Almond Milk, and Soy Milk. Almond Milk is actually an extra 50 cents).
The French Toast Sandwich was definitely hefty...listen, I'm not a quitter when it comes to food, but I actually could not finish this plate. It was too heavy of a dish for my liking, especially for breakfast. The French Toast portion was delicious, especially because they actually use Challah bread that they bake in-house. Although the bread slices weren't as thick to my liking, the dough was still very soft and pillowy with just enough "spring" in it to give each mouthful of French Toast a satisfying chew. However, the cheese in particular overpowered the joy of eating the French Toast. It was a thick slice of melted cheese in comparison to the thickness and volume of the bread, so much so that I tasted more of the savoriness of the cheese and ham more than the sweetness of the bread. I realized I'm not really a fan of sweet and savory mashups in one dish. I'd recommend getting the regular French Toast plate instead.
Now, what really blew me away was the Raspberry Cream Cheese Croissant, and I am SO glad I chose this pastry! Oh my goodness, each bite was pure BLISS. With each bite into the pastry, I was able to experience a "crunch," caused by the crispier exterior of the croissant, followed by layers and layers of thin, but airy, sheets of dough. As I got closer to the core of the croissant, I was able to experience sheets of fluffy dough enveloping a neat spread of cream cheese and raspberry jam. Something about the concoction of lightly salted cream cheese with sweet jam is so magical.
The Cafe Au Lait with Almond Milk was okay - nothing too special, in my opinion. It simply tasted like...coffee with frothed almond milk. Not sure how else to explain it, because it was quite a simple drink. I'm a fan of Almond Milk, but I think next time I'd prefer to save on the extra 50 cents and just go the Whole Milk route, or simply drink their locally roasted house coffee.
I really loved this cafe. I'd stick to just trying out their pastries, as well as their dessert delicacies (such as cake!). Weekends definitely seem to be more crowded, so if you want a good table to sit at, try to come earlier (around 8-9 AM would be good)!