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| Photo: Dann Tara, Flickr |
I talked before about living in Barcelona, Spain, for 4 years. We were working there with our ministry and had the privilege of living right in the city, in a beautiful area near the Sagrada Familia (pictured above). We would walk down the street above to go everywhere. It was lined with shops and cafes of all types. My favorite stop, though, was a cafe called Supan, just off this main pedestrian street.
Every Monday morning I would take little Owen with me and we'd go get a pastry and a cafe con leche (Spain's coffee with milk - amazing) at Supan. I would get a chocolate-filled croissant or a spiraled, lightly sweetened pastry dusted with powdered sugar. Oh, man, I'm starting to drool!!
And another very important thing: no one would be upset if I decided to take some materials and study there for a few hours, preparing for my week.
When we visited Barcelona last summer we went to Supan for breakfast almost every morning.
The employees welcomed us back grandly, and even gave us a box filled with pastries to take with us to the airport.
I have been so disappointed, then, as I've tried to find a little place like Supan in Colorado Springs. The coffee shops don't have the worthy pastries, and the bakeries don't have the sit-down-and-stay appeal (and focus more on confections than pastries). And I have to tell you, the bane of my existence is Altitude Sweets, a bakery near North Carefree and Powers that somehow won Best Cinnamon Roll in Gazette's 2010 Best of the Springs magazine. I really want Altitude Sweets to be good! I want a good bakery in Colorado Springs! So I go back, again and again, to try something else, hoping they've improved. But every time I go there I leave disappointed, almost angry, that such an sub-par bakery is considered "best" in Colorado Springs just because we don't have enough options here.
Enter Marigold Cafe & Bakery. When Steve brought home a box of treats from them, leftovers from a Bible study, I was amazed. There were good pastries in Colorado Springs! Their cinnamon twists and almond- and apple-filled croissants helped me remember what amazing pastries are supposed to taste like! But one question: What is it like inside? Will it pass the sit-down-and-stay test? (Okay, that's two questions.)
I visited Marigolds with my friend the other morning. We planned to sit and talk for a while, and eat something yummy while we were there. I arrived at 10 am, grabbed a seat in the bakery - a seat at a pub table for two. The bakery employee offered me a seat in the dining room, wondering if I'd be more comfortable there, but I was quite content at my little pub table. (I'm not sure if seating in the dining room would always be available, or if that was just a nicety for pregnant-me; I imagine it's the latter.) There was one other couple sitting in the bakery, at their own table-for-two. Others mostly stopped by for a pastry to go.
I ordered a cup of coffee and an almond-filled croissant; and later ordered an apple-filled croissant; and then ordered two cinnamon-twists to go. (I was so excited, I just couldn't stop!) My bill, included tip, came to $14. Other tasty treats that they offered included muffins, scones, cookies, and coffee cakes. We sat for 1 1/2 hours and never felt like we were in anyone's way.
I don't think this is the place to take a large group. Four people might be the most they can handle in one group if you plan to eat in.
And one disadvantage to Marigolds Bakery is that they don't open until 8 am, so it might not be appropriate for a very early morning stop. Oh, and the other disadvantage is that it is way too far away from me, located at Centennial and Garden of the Gods.
But I would drive to the moon and back for a tasty pastry!
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