When reviewing a restaurant, I always try to go either really early for lunch or rather late in the hopes of being able to have a conversation with the owner when things aren’t quite as busy.  When Mom and I walked into Prairie Thunder, the owner John McBryde walked right out from the kitchen and asked what he could do for us.  What luck, I thought, as I began my interrogation.

First things first, of course. I must eat lunch and sample food before really getting down to business.  John’s friendly employees made some suggestions from the mostly soup, salad and sandwich menu. After standing over the bakery display for longer than needed, I finally went with the tomato-based chicken tortilla soup and veggie sandwich lunch combo ($8.25) which consisted of greens, red onions, ricotta cheese, roasted peppers, capers and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, served on their fabulous homemade bread.  Mom went with the special lunch quiche of the day ($5.75) which included a side salad.  The main thing she said made it so good was the ultra-thin, homemade crust, obviously not something frozen from a restaurant supply.  Each of our entrees also included a homemade roll.  John said they pride themselves in everything being homemade, from the salad dressing on up.  The bakery case was full of beautiful and delicious looking pastries and treats, many of them decorated and packaged for a quick gift for Valentine’s Day.

As soon as we were finished with our lunch, John said he would love to take us on a tour of the bakery behind the scenes.  We took him up on the offer and ended up spending over two hours learning the fascinating art of making and baking artisan bread.  The kitchen is divided into two large areas, one for bakery items and the other for bread.  Much of his equipment comes from Europe. The standing oven is so big, he can roll entire racks of bakery items into it.  After spending almost 30 years in the oil and gas business, John spent a year researching equipment and methods for bread baking.  According to him, if he was going to do this, he was going to do it right, and that drive is evident in the equipment he has in place.

Prairie Thunder has been open two years now, and business is great.  They do much of the bread baking and delivery to lots of locally-owned restaurants in the metro area.  There were several huge bread racks in the middle of the kitchen, and each shelf was labeled with the name of the restaurant they service.

It was quite warm in back, and soon I discovered why.  In the middle of the kitchen stands the Frigand bread oven, which hails from France.  There are only 150 of them in the U.S., and, of course, only one in Oklahoma.  It weighs 18,000 lbs, and is stacked with three decks and nine doors.  There is 150 square feet of baking space.  It arrived in a 53 foot semi truck and took three weeks of 12-hour days to assemble, with the help of a man from Austria.  It’s quite a site to behold, and even though it had been turned off for several hours, the heat still radiating from it made it feel like a summer day.  John said they recently celebrated the oven’s birthday by serving free mini-baguettes and cream puffs to customers.

The other side of the kitchen is where the bread is made, and it was stacked with huge sacks of King Arthur flour and crowded with enormous mixers from Germany.  Some of the breads take anywhere from 24-48 hours to make, so there are two overnight bakers who arrive at 10pm before John comes in at 5am.  Several other fancy machines that control temperature and humidity line the walls.  John’s tour was a fascinating education for me and certainly gave me a new appreciation for each delicious bite of bread I sampled that day.  It also said a lot for the cleanliness and neatness of the kitchen, as John had no idea I was coming when he invited me back for the tour.

John also designed the front part of the restaurant and did all of the woodwork himself.  He thought the name Prairie Thunder was quite appropriate for a restaurant with Oklahoma roots, and his dining room centers around a sign that reads, “Man, for all his progresses, posturings, and high-minded opinions of himself, owes his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”  He said the flour he uses comes from both Oklahoma and Montana.  I just can’t say enough how delicious the bread is.

I think this a great little place for breakfast, lunch, or just for bread. It’s in a wonderful, historical building in the mid-town area.  I hope Prairie Thunder sticks around the OKC landscape for a long time.  It’s a great addition to our town and definitely unique.

What do you think about Prairie Thunder? Let us know in the comments.

I knew pretty much right away I was going to like The Shartel Cafe as I approached the beautiful, dessert-laden counter to place my order.  But with my New Year’s willpower still i tact, I bypassed those desserts, placed my order, filled my cup with tropical herbal iced tea and made it to the table.  I was safe.  I had no idea this place was a bakery, too.  Why didn’t someone warn me?

My attention was soon drawn from the dessert display to the displays of fresh flowers sitting around the counter tops.  My trusty sidekick, Mom, began her visual appraisal and critique of the dining area while we waited on lunch, and the flowers were the first things she praised.  I agreed — fresh flowers add class and beauty to any place. In fact, I’ve been known to purchase a bouquet — to me, from me — on occasion, for my stuffy office.

Soon, the owner served us our entrees, and it was great to have a discussion with her between bites.  Mom’s Greek Veggie Salad ($7.25) arrived first, all fresh, crunchy and appetizing.  It consisted of fresh greens, roma tomatoes, Greek olives, red peppers, pepperoncini, cucumbers, red onions, artichokes and feta cheese, accompanied by a nice, thick, Greek dressing.  The lady next to us said she eats this salad here every day.  My Island Jerk chicken wrap ($7.25) arrived a few minutes later.  It consisted of jerk-marinated chicken, pineapple cream cheese, onion and lettuce on a whole wheat honey wrap.  Although it was good, I think I might have added a little something else for moistness and extra flavor, say like sliced tomatoes or a warm, pineapple compote.

Patrick and Deneen Nault opened Shartel Cafe three years ago and haven’t had time to look back (one can see Patrick serving as chef back in the kitchen).  Deneen says the brisk business stems from surrounding areas such as the OU Medical School and area high schools during the week.  Then, families from surrounding neighborhoods meet there on weekends.  It’s gotten to be a rather homey place for many of their customers, including Betsy, who has created her own special of a hamburger steak with mushroom gravy and the veggie of the day.  Although it’s not located anywhere on the menu, anyone is welcome to ask for it.  The Naults are also happy to cater to any special dietary needs that they can.  Some of their customers come for breakfast, get a to-go order for lunch to take to work, then call in dinner to pick up on the way home.  This is exactly the type of place I wish would open somewhere in far Northwest Oklahoma City.

Deneen saw that Mom and I hadn’t ordered dessert and insisted that we try something. So, of course, I immediately agreed, happily waving goodbye to any non-dessert resolutions I had earlier possessed. In fact, I watched them fly right out the big windows that line the front of the store.  I sent Mom to the counter and she returned with a slice of lemon creme cake ($2.95), a monster cinnamon roll ($1.95), and a white chocolate, cranberry walnut cookie ($1.50).  All delicious.

Deneen went on to say that lots of people come just for the Shartel Mac and Cheese ($7.95), the Oh, My Reuben ($7.25) and any of the burgers, which all looked great.  The Mac and Cheese is tossed with sweet peas and ham, and the Reuben is served on their homemade swirled rye bread.  The breakfast menu is loaded with options — everything from oatmeal, yogurt and granola to pancakes, breakfast quesadillas and quiche.  Pretty much anything is available for a wide variety of tastes.

They also serve several flavors of Java Dave’s coffee, hot and iced teas, smoothies and cappuccino.  And they provide catering.

I found Shartel Cafe to be a great neighborhood restaurant. They have something for all tastes and something for just about any time of the day. Have you tried it? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

This is part three of the Oklahoma City Cupcake Smackdown, which was started by Greg sometime last year. Here, Sarah continues the series with this look at Green Goodies by Tiffany. If you’d like to review previous posts in this series, you can read our reviews of Sara Sara Cupcakes and Cuppies and Joe.

When Tim asked if I would take over the cupcake smackdown series and review the latest addition to OKC’s cupcake landscape, I didn’t have to think too long about it.  Cupcakes are all the rage right now, so I’m happy to throw in my humble opinion on the small, personal-sized cakes.  Of course, when Mom found out where I was headed, she got into my car uninvited, but that’s OK.  Two opinions are always better than one.

I knew beforehand that Green Goodies is a specialty cupcake shop. They promote themselves as Oklahoma City’s first “peanut free” bakery and they make a big deal about being “organic” and meeting special dietary needs. You have a choice between organic, vegan/allergy friendly (no egg, no dairy) and gluten-free (available two days per week for walk-ins or by special order).  Soy-free and sugar free cupcakes are also available by special order. As you can see, they are going after a very specialized niche in the cupcake world.

That said, I hope you’re not thinking you don’t need to try this shop just because something might be organic or vegan.  I’m here to tell you, everything we tried was delicious.  If you didn’t know their products were organic or vegan, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the taste.

I’m really glad a shop like this has opened in our market, with so many people these days having food allergies or special dietary needs.  “Cupcakes for everyone!” is what owner Tiffany Magness told us the day of our visit.  She and manager Hallie Fitzgerald also told us that if you must be really careful about food allergies, you should see their website for a detailed Q&A section on their organic and vegan selections.  A visit or call to Tiffany would also be very valuable.

Alright, so on to the tasting. I started with the pumpkin because I am an anything-pumpkin lover, and mom started with the Green Hostess. Both of these were from the organic selection.  The Green Hostess looks like the chocolate Hostess cupcake we all grew up on, except much more delicious.  It is described as chocolate-chip chocolate cake, filled with madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache.  If Mom didn’t have anything else to eat the rest of her life, she would be happy to live on this from now on.  Yep, it was that good.  The pumpkin cupcake I had was very moist and flavorful, and I enjoyed it very much along with a frosty mug of sugar-free, organic, Hansen’s root beer ($1.50).  You do know that dessert calories are always canceled out with a diet soda pop on the side, right?  They also serve regular Hansen’s root beer, coffee and organic milk in frosty mugs.

The cupcakes we tried were so rich that we took our other samples to go.  My husband is a red velvet critic, so he tried this organic sample later that day and pronounced it blue-ribbon quality.  I tried the strawberry cake the next day and found it to still be very moist, and I enjoyed the strawberry frosting and fresh strawberry slice on top.  Dave also tried the black and white (chocolate cake with white icing).  He said it was “really chocolately and it seemed like there were little chunks of chocolate in the cake.”  He loved it.

Before I had visited Green Goodies in-store, a friend of mine from work had special-ordered some of their sugar-free chocolate cupcakes with white icing for me.  He said the day he picked them up, they were like molten chocolate lava. However, when I tried them the next day, they were a little crunchy around the outside, but they were still moist inside. All-in-all, I was pretty impressed with their sugar-free offering. Just remember that since all of their cakes are made with no preservatives or trans-fats, I would suggest enjoying them the same day you purchase them and no later than the day after.

Comparing Green Goodies to the other shops in our series is difficult since they have such a specialized niche offering. But, I will offer a little comparison on price. The cupcakes here are about the same size as Cuppies and Joes, on the small end of the cupcake scale, as opposed to the larger cakes at Sara Sara. And yet, Green Goodies’ organic cakes are priced at $3 each, with the vegan/allergy-friendly and gluten-free cakes priced at $3.25 each. So, they are quite a bit more expensive when you look at price and size together.

In my opinion, the price is worth it for the specialization they offer. If you have shopped in the organic section of the grocery store lately, you know that organic ingredients are expensive. And, if you have special dietary needs, Green Goodies offers you something you truly can’t find anywhere else.

I’m glad to see a cupcake shop open in another part of town, since Cuppies and Joe and Sara Sara are closer to the downtown area and the Paseo district.  Green Goodies does provide a comfortable atmosphere, along the lines of Cuppies, but not to the level of “stop here and read a book” that Cuppies achieves. One difference in ambiance is that some of the shabby-chic items around Green Goodies’ store front are for sale.  Items such as old aprons and mis-matched sets of old flatware.

Though the pricing is higher, I can tell you that everything we tried was yummy! I think Green Goodies is at least worth your attention, especially if you love cupcakes but have special dietary needs.  Of course, as always, we want to hear what you think about Green Goodies, so please leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Isn’t it weird how sometimes you overlook places to visit that are the closest to you?  Having lived in the Deep Deuce for a few years, I’ve only visited the Deep Deuce Bar and Grill just twice, which seems odd. Not only that, but Sage has been open for a few months now and I haven’t been able to push myself to eat there until just recently.   I don’t know if it’s the fact that dining in Bricktown typically costs an arm and a leg or if the view of the wall full of alcohol through the windows made Sage seem more like a bar than a restaurant, but something has kept me away … until now.

The fact that Sage is also a ”market” did peek my interest since OKC has a dearth of healthy, organic markets (Whole Foods are you reading this?!).  I put market in quotes because the market section at Sage probably isn’t much bigger than my kitchen.  In spite of its size, they do offer a selection of goods that can’t be found at your normal supermarket or Wal-Mart.  They feature locally grown organic foods, a nice selection of cheeses, gourmet dressings, organic coffee, oils, and even beer.  Speaking with the sous chef, I found out that the owner has plans to expand the market in the future once the other tennant in the building ends their lease, but that’s still a few years in the works (unfortunately).

So, how’s the food?  Well, Greg visited on a separate occasion and had this to say:

“I had the 3-cheese mac and cheese ($9 for lunch and $11 for dinner) and thought it was wonderful. The gorgonzola gave the whole dish a great tang that really differentiated it from “normal” mac and cheese. The dish was very heavy, though, so I could hardly imagine it as an entree. I really thought it worked best when shared. It might be too rich for me to eat all alone.

I also tried the roasted seasonal vegetables ($7.50), which were pretty good. I was less impressed by the eggplant, but the green tomatoes were a revelation. Sweet and tart, warm and crisp. I would get this dish again in a heartbeat. Also great was that it came with a small side of hummus, which was thicker and tastier than some I’ve found locally.

Wrapping up my appetizer meal were the Greek turkey meatballs with tzatziki sauce ($7.50). They were dense, but flavorful, and the sauce really added a nice, fresh burst. The best part was, by sharing with friends, my bill was only $9 — pretty good for a fancy lunch.

Looking around, I saw some giant sandwiches that I am eager to go back and try. The roast beef was piled high and the portobello sandwich was really calling to me as well. Almost any sandwich topping is also available on a salad and the Ahi tuna salad looked pretty appetizing, but I’ll have to go back for a taste before I can pass judgment.”

I have to agree with Greg about the mac and cheese dishes, they’re pretty good.  I had the Grilled Shrimp Pesto version ($10.50 for lunch and $13 for dinner) and was definitely satisfied with the taste.  The accompanying waldorf salad (celery, apples, walnuts, grapes in a light mayo sauce) matched well with the mac and cheese and kind of helped to break up the heavy creamy flavor. I just wish it came with a bit more salad.  If you’ve ever read the menu and wondered why their mac and cheese is called “The Original” it’s apparently because (they believe) Sage is one of the original and only restaurants in OKC to offer gourmet mac and cheese.  I’m interested to see if there are any other readers or restaurants out there who might debunk this claim.

Talking about original offerings, Sage also has a salt bar where you choose from three of their eleven premium salts from around the world for $2.  I honestly don’t know what these different salts will do to change the flavor of my food, but it’s definitely something I’d like to try out another time.

On a subsequent visit during happy hour (everyday from 2-6pm) I was happy to find the $3.50 margaritas and mojitos.  I think everyone needs to try out the mojitos because they come in an awesome mason jar!  Honestly, it’s a nice touch.  I also made a meal of the $3.50 appetizer selections.  The grilled chili lime chicken wings and greek turkey meatballs are definitely enough to share with several people.  If you want to enjoy this happy hour deal, make sure you place all your food orders before the cutoff because the computer will automatically adjust prices at 6pm sharp.

Now, for the bad news. If you’re looking to visit Sage with a large group, be advised — I had a birthday party with a group of 13 and I must say the service was less than stellar.  I reserved our spot a good week ahead of time so I feel the staff had plenty of time to prepare for our party.  To start, those ordering mac and cheese dishes were told that they were out of the accompanying waldorf salad (disappointing news), but then one of my friends got some other person’s dinner and it came with the waldorf salad (aggravating news). In addition, I think our server took everyone’s orders about 3 or 4 times and blamed the ticketing system that was acting funny (this is the second visit on which I’ve encountered issues with the computer system). As a result, we all sat around waiting much longer than we really wanted.

I know big groups are always a challenge, but at a higher-end establishment like Sage, you expect them to be a bit more prepared, especially with advanced notice. My friends were pretty disappointed with the service, but I still think the quality of the food might bring some of them back again.

Overall, Sage offers unique dining, a convenient gourmet market and mini-deli, a pretty nice bar and some pretty good desserts choices. Aside from sub-par service with a large group, I can’t offer much complaint.  I will continue to anticipate the expansion of their market or just hope for a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods to open up.  If you’ve had a good (or bad) experience at Sage, we would like to know your thoughts.  Please leave us a comment below.

The wonderful thing about Oklahoma City (and its truly remarkable lack of zoning structure), is that you can find shady eating all over — sometimes literally a block away from what would be considered “the good part of town.” I have been enjoying shady dining all over town these days, mostly thanks to you readers who faithfully recommend new shady places for me to try. This month’s shady award winner is going to come again from the East side. There are a lot of places I have yet to try on this stretch of road, but the bright orange trailer / shack where Geronimo’s lies just screamed out to me that shady dining could be found within.  Well, it may not have been an audible screaming voice, but with hand-painted, large, black, graffiti-esque, exterior signage saying “Fish” and “Donuts,” Geronimo’s voice might as well have been audible. I was too intrigued to pass it by.

That’s right, Geronimo’s is a small, bright-orange shack of a building beckoning passers-by to come try its donuts and fish. I have to admit, even I was a bit nervous walking into this one. The door is like a hinged patio screen door that has been replaced with rusty steel and bars. It doesn’t look like a mere mortal would be able to push it open as you approach it, but it swings open with ease. The always-packed parking lot eased my tensions and I busted on in, with a few shady companions. The first thing you see is an archaic display case that doubles as a serving counter.  Inside this case is a fairly large assortment of donuts, including some fairly large (read: huge) donuts. The menu is the old school ripple board with the little stuck-in letters advertising burgers, fish, and donuts. There are several fliers hung up advertising local fund raisers and Douglass High School sporting events. The other thing you immediately notice is there really isn’t anywhere to sit. There are a handful of chairs to sit in while you wait for your food, and there are a couple of stools that you can sit at along a very small bar by the window — room enough for maybe 3 or 4 people.

It’s worth sticking around and eating there at the bar. Have you seen the movie “Barbershop”? In the movie, there are the same dudes sitting around at a barber shop all day, chatting about who knows what, right?  Same thing here. You have a couple guys that are always there hanging out and just shooting the breeze, commenting on everyone that comes in and out (nothing negative, but quite often funny), and making your wait for a tasty burger pretty entertaining.  In fact, the last time I was there I learned all about the Douglass High School Football coach and how he is apparently one of the finest coaches in the country and also about how this girl who walked in apparently has lost a lot of weight since last time. There is a place to sit outside on what I like to call “patio seating East-side style.”  Very similar to the patio experience at the former Tom and Jerry’s except there is no fountain, no bistro furniture, and no mosaic-tiled walkway.  OK, I guess it’s really just a couple of picnic tables under a carport.  Regardless, on a nice spring day it’s probably a nice place to enjoy a Geronimo burger.

Speaking of the Geronimo burger, it is a burger with a slice of ham on it.  Nothing fancy, but it’s tasty.  These are little thin patties (probably frozen), but he does them up well.  His burgers are cheap, ranging from 2.50 to 3.50 depending on how you specify it.  He also has fried catfish which seems to be pretty fresh, and everyone agrees it’s pretty good.  You can of course get fries, fried okra, and jalapeno poppers.  Not a lot on the menu. Just very affordable burgers and fries. It’s nothing fancy, but they are rock-solid good burgers for just a couple of bucks. Don’t misinterpret what I am saying, please.  These are no Nic’s burgers that explode with flavor and shave a year off your life. They’re just good old-fashioned affordable burgers served in aluminum foil and a paper bag.

I also really like the donuts.  I’ve had his Texas-sized donuts as well as the regular size. I think they are fantastic, and they are fresh every day. They are fluffy and light and have a hint of lemon. My wife doesn’t like the lemony essence, but I think it’s a nice touch.

There isn’t a lot to write about regarding the food — I mean, it’s burgers, fish and donuts — but the atmosphere is as shady and wonderful as it gets.  You may see me sitting out on this patio, East-side style, once the weather warms up a little.  If you listen to anything I say, go get a donut, get a burger, and enjoy the conversation.  It’ll only cost you a couple of bucks, and you will have some awesome stories when you go back to the office after lunch. Please leave comments on your experiences. We are bound to get some good stories.

This is part two of Greg’s Oklahoma City Cupcake Smackdown. If you recall, we’ve had two cupcake bakeries open up here in the city in relatively short order, so we’re taking a close look at them both. Here, we’ll take a look at the newly opened Cuppies & Joe. Click here for the review of Sara Sara Cupcakes.

The first thing I’ll say about Cuppies & Joe is that you should go to Cuppies & Joe. Even if you don’t like cupcakes. Even if you don’t like Joe (but who doesn’t like Joe — I mean, what did he ever do to you?).

Why? Because Cuppies & Joe is a great place to hang out. It’s like if your friends invited you over, but instead of bedrooms, they all just decided they wanted a bunch of tables and chairs and somebody on a keyboard playing easy-going music.

The restaurant is owned and operated by the Diefenderfer family, who, I was told, just really like making cupcakes. And pies, too. You can check out their online menu to get an idea of their full selection.

At $2 a piece ($22 per dozen), the cupcakes aren’t break-the-bank expensive, but they’re also not that big. Unlike Sara Sara Cupcakes, Cuppies & Joe serves the size of cupcake your mom probably makes. But let me tell you, you only wish your mom’s cupcakes tasted this good.

While Sara Sara does a host of specialty cupcakes, Cuppies focuses on some basics with a few twists thrown in. You can have chocolate or vanilla cake with chocolate or buttercream frosting and any combination therein. The Boomerang is chocolate with mocha frosting. The Neverland is peanut butter cake with chocolate frosting.

All of them are good. And if you want something a bit different, the Horsebite (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting) and the Roman Holiday (tiramisu) are great.

But the one that knocked me off my socks was the Sassafras. Here’s a short story about it:

My brother loves Red Velvet cake. I am indifferent toward Red Velvet cake. Every year for three years, my mom forgot that my brother was the one who loved it and got me a Red Velvet cake for my birthday. Then, remembering it again, would get him the same cake for his birthday. Thus began my fiery hatred of Red Velvet cake.

The Sassafras is a Red Velvet cupcake with buttercream frosting. On paper, I should hate this thing. In reality, I’m surprised I’m not at Cuppies & Joe right now, half-naked and smearing whatever I can’t fit into my mouth all over my body. It was great.

My wife would also like to point out that if you like Starbucks, but don’t like paying crazy money for Starbucks, Cuppies & Joe has some of the best coffee around at very low prices.

My only worry for Cuppies & Joe is the parking issue, which can be hairy. There’s a few street spots out front, but they’re on a very busy stretch of 23rd street which can make for some nail-biting parallel parking. A better bet is to take the little alley around back where there’s a private parking lot available.

If you can find a place for your car, you won’t have any trouble finding a place in your stomach for some of their delicious cupcakes.

Now, where else can a guy get some cupcakes? Let me know and I’ll be there soon. Oh, and let us know what you think about Cuppies & Joe in the comments.

I am a comic book geek, so I hope you will grant me this brief history lesson. Marvel Comics debuted a muck-encrusted character named Man-Thing in May of 1971. About a month later, DC Comics introduced their own vegetable-based hero, Swamp Thing. The way publishing works, there’s no way DC Comics was copying Marvel — they came up with the ideas independently and put them out almost simultaneously.

It happens a lot. “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” came out in the same summer. In Oklahoma City, we have our own version with two cupcake shops — Sara Sara Cupcakes and Cuppies & Joe — opening up within about a month, and about a mile, of each other.

And so, in the grand history of Andrew’s Shady Restaurant of the Month and Sarah’s Onion Burger Tour, we begin Greg’s Oklahoma City Cupcake Smackdown. But in this case, since there’s just two restaurants and they both opened up so close together, we’re publishing both reviews at the same time.

This post covers Sara Sara Cupcakes. Click here for the review of Cuppies & Joe.

Cupcake-only bakeries have been popping up all over the U.S., usually in major metropolitan areas. The big one, Sprinkles, has franchised around. Despite the timing, Sara Sara is not jumping on the trend. Instead, this bakery is a tribute to Sara Brinson, the daughter of co-owner Dana Brinson and niece of co-owner Toni Hoffman, who died last year. She loved baking cupcakes and had talked about opening a store like Sara Sara with her aunt. Her family, looking for something to do with their grief, turned to the kitchen and followed up on that dream.

And the dream has taken off. The publicity for this little shop, nestled in a house next door to Iguana Mexican Grill, has been huge. Word of mouth has the place bustling and with good reason — they make good cupcakes.

Taking a bullet for you good people, I have eaten all or part of: Count Rockula, Strawberry Shortcake, Cherries Jubilee, Judge Joe Cannon, Cappuccino, The Destin and Coconut Cream. I know, I know. I totally deserve a medal to be pinned on my enormous belly.

I’ve only heard two knocks on Sara Sara — the cupcakes are a little dry and the prices are a little high. And I cannot wholly disagree. The Coconut Cream and the Cherries Jubilee I tried could have been a bit more moist. That said, they weren’t so dry that I couldn’t eat them, they just were a little dry.

I talked to chef Eric Smith and he candidly addressed the problem — lack of training. Because the construction time ran up so close to opening the doors, there wasn’t much time to perfect the cupcakes. They’ve gotten better, however, and they’re honing in on the perfect times for their different recipes.

Meanwhile, the Strawberry Shortcake, which was warm and fresh when I ate it, was perfectly moist. And my favorite, the Count Rockula — chocolate with chocolate cream, cocoa puffs and marshmallows on top — was so good I don’t remember anything but wanting more.

The price is $3.25 per cupcake or $36 for a dozen, which might seem like a lot, but really — how many cupcakes are you going to eat? For a cake meant for one (or two, if you’re capable of sharing), the price tag isn’t that shocking. If you’re planning on downing three or four, then, yeah, the price goes up.

A bit more shocking is the price for a glass of milk. At $3, it’s steep, but there’s no better companion to a warm brownie than a cold glass of milk served in a frozen glass. I had the chocolate milk and it was heavenly. Other beverages include hot chocolate ($5), espresso ($3) and soft drinks ($2).

This is not your everyday bakery. The design is stark and modern, like an Ikea full of baked goods. This is almost an experience restaurant — a cool place to take your friends or to pick up a few cupcakes to try at the office.

Located downtown, they’ve definitely got a chance to become part of the neighborhood and expand their business. As it is, they’re not hurting — the cupcake display was almost empty when I visited. I guess everybody wants a sweet treat now and then.