I saw an article about how Sweet Cheeks Bakery on Verona Island had a 24/7 vending machine for its wares.
Frankly, I'm surprised that it took me as long as it did to get there.
But my husband and I stopped by recently to peruse their offerings, and we were very pleasantly surprised.
The door to the room to the right of the bakery proper is open, and inside is a black machine just like the one I saw in the picture in the WABI article.
There are many levels of treats available - at that time only one non-sweet one, a chicken salad sandwich - with buttons on the machine to whirl them around so that you can peruse all of them. The prices are neatly posted next to each level.
When I was there, there were carmelitas (if you haven't had one, you should), lemon bars, carrot cake, various flavors of cheesecake, mock Hostess cupcakes . . . That's all I remember, but I'm sure there were more offerings than that.
And every item was good-sized, too - they don't scrimp on their portions! The Hostess cupcake, in particular, was the size of my head!
I had collected recipes and seen pictures of carmelitas, but never had one, so, on impulse, I grabbed one. The other thing I chose was one of my favorite desserts that I've made myself many times - a lemon bar.
I have to confess - we popped open that carmelita on the way home, and it was HEAVEN! It was more than enough for two, and incredibly delicious, with its brown sugary oatmeal crust, the chocolate chips, and the pools of caramel on the top . . .
Ahem. Sorry. (wiping the drool away)
We managed to hold off on eating the lemon bar until the next evening. Frankly, I was prepared to be disappointed. Most places don't make the filling lemony enough, nor do they manage to get the right crust-to-filling ratio.
But Sweet Cheeks Bakery definitely does BOTH!
It was one of the best lemon bars I've ever eaten - lovely, tart lemon curd lying on a bed of sweet, buttery shortbread. It was unbelievably good! And, again, more than enough for two to enjoy.
So, suffice it to say, we'll be back - and try to hit them while they're open. They seem to be expanding into savory offerings, too - breakfast pizzas, pulled pork and meatball subs, as well as family sized and individual chicken pot pies, to mention a few, which all look amazing!
If their meal options are anywhere near as good as their sweets, I'll be living on their doorstep in the near future! read more