Rosa J.
Yelp
Back in early February this year, Rosa J. was a professional thrifter, of course on her days off. She made it to the Salvation Army in Oak Park on foot while fighting with that nasty snow, but she noticed "an image of man with a mustache" across the road. At that time she didn't pay much attention to Turano Bakery because she thought that might just be a distribution center.
Can someone tell Rosa J. that she was wrong? I found the Yelp business page for Turano Bakery. There's a retail shop open to the public on Roosevelt. I believe the hours on Yelp are slightly off: they are open from 0700 to 1800 (M to F); 0800 to 1700 (Sat.); 0800 to 1400 (Sun.)!
I was worried that hubby and I couldn't make it since we came all the way from Albany Park, Chicago to Oak Park by the CTA Blue Line. After we got off at Oak Park station, we proceeded to the exit located on East Ave., and we stayed on East Ave and walked north until we hit Roosevelt.
The entire retail shop was rather small; there were two (2) high tables with no chairs if you want to consume your treats onsite. I've visited many bakeries around town, yet I found items I don't normally see at Turano: cranberry pistachio biscotti and baffo (a singular form of "mustache" in Italian, with "baffi" being plural). I picked up these two (2) rare finds, a connoli, and a brownie (hubby spotted it).
The tastes were really top-notch. My favorite was the cranberry pistachio biscotti. They were the best companion with a cup of red eye, which was made immediately after I got home via my trusty Keurig. Hubby, on the other hand, enjoyed his brownie. The brownie appeared to be much flatter and "tile-like," instead of being made like a usual "spongy" cubic. Their brownies were "nutty," with a plenty of peanuts in every bite. However, if you don't like nuts or are allergic to them, this kind of brownies might not be your cup of tea.
I would have rendered five (5) stars with no doubt for the qualities of bakery items, but I wish there was a cafe dining room so that I could enjoy them while they were fresh. There weren't many benches along Roosevelt in Oak Park. Otherwise, "having a picnic" on the street would be a fun thing to do during the summer time here.