By RICHARD DAVID CHAMBERLAIN
STORK’S BAKERY, COFFEE HOUSE & CAFÉ
2505 NE 15th Ave.
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
954-567-3220
We admit it. We’re a sucker for a Pilgrim Wrap. Although we were first introduced to the sandwich years ago while living in Provincetown, Massachusetts, land of the Mayflower, we recently reacquainted ourselves with the joy of this taste treat at Stork’s Bakery, Coffee House & Café in Wilton Manors. The local variety serves up a delicious sliced oven-roast turkey combo with cornbread stuffing, cranberry vinaigrette, chutney, beefsteak tomato, lettuce and mayo in a spinach wrap. At $8.49, it’s the signature sandwich of Stork’s, a local institution for the past 15 years. Over that time, there’s been a few changes to the menu, but the Pilgrim Wrap has always made the cut.
In case you’re new to the neighborhood, or haven’t stopped by recently for a fast, wholesome meal, Stork’s blends a menu of salads, sandwiches, soups, and quiches with their famous housemade desserts. This day, we tasted our way through a fresh-from-the-stove Creamy Veggie Soup ($8.95), a smack-yourlips Caprese Salad with field greens, tomato, mozzarella, basil, chives, and cracked black pepper ($7.99), a Baked Eggplant Lasagna ($10 per pound) that had just the right amount of heft to counter the light tomato sauce, and a large slice of Storkberry Pie, which, if you haven’t tried it, is heaven between a crust. The Storkberry, which should have its own patent, is a unique blend of strawberries, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, with a flaky lattice-work oatmeal crust, at $4.00 per slice. At breakfast, the spotlight is on Stork’s 13 different whole bean blends of coffee, with Snickerdoodle Decaf our vote for the moment, though they’ve got an equally large variety of fresh brewed teas. Where else could you find a tea called Get Gorgeous, which, when consumed, promises to produce the clearest skin this side of Snow White? At breakfasttime, it’s an aroma orgy inside the shop, as coffees fence with baked goods for bragging rights to um-um good.
Yet as great as the café and coffee are, Stork’s shines when the bakery is placed front and center.
There is nowhere else in town with as consistently a great German Chocolate Cake: Moist chocolate with coconut sweetness, tempered with a sprinkle of pecan at $4.15 a slice. Another favorite, which is often out of stock, is the White Chocolate Pistachio Cheesecake ($4.15). It should be illegal, and maybe it is, since it seems to vanish from the display case as soon as it arrives. It’s a white chocolate pistachio ganache that’s made sinful with the addition of pictachio pieces that circle the rim of the outside of the cheesecake. The first bite will tell you you’re in big trouble.
Those who know such things swear by the Kahlua Marble Cheesecake ($4.15), with its coffee swirl atop a dark chocolate crumb crust. While it’s too adult for us to even try, the baker insists it’s a winner.
So, too, is Stork’s within the community.
It is not unusual to see the company logo on charity fundraisers for not-for-profit organizations, particularly within the LGBT arena. They continue to be a major presence during the annual SmartRide (this year, it’s November 16-17), as well as the monthly Tea Cruise benefiting the Brian Neal Fitness and Health Foundation. Thank them for that when you next drop by, and, of course, tell them Agenda sent you.