Dining Out: Sweet sensations

With its gleaming glass cases filled with glistening glazed pastries and so much more – butter cookies, cheesecakes, cannoli, just to name a few – Grandma’s Bakery on 13^th Avenue is truly a neighborhood treasure.

And, as longtime residents know, it has deep roots in the community, with Grandma’s opening in 1983 on the site of bakeries dating back just about a century.

The original coal-fired oven from 1919 is still in use, and former owner Peter Misseri – who opened Grandma’s in 1983 — credits it with giving all of the baked goods produced at Grandma’s their unique flavor. “It’s one of the things that makes a difference in 99.9 percent of the products,” he explained.

Those products – including many classic Italian items that can be hard to find at other bakeries — have remained consistent since Grandma’s debuted 32 years ago, in part because of the bakery’s determination to make everything from scratch, beginning with the very popular apple fillings in its pastries.

Indeed, the change of ownership to current proprietor Antonio Chavez, who began working at the bakery about 23 years ago, eventually becoming partners with Misseri and then buying him out in 2009, has been seamless. Chavez, thanks to his long experience, has brought continuity to the transition, though, he admits, he “mixes it up” on occasion, taking “a little bit of the best of everything” to offer to customers.

The result is a delectable array of sweets and other baked goods that brings old customers back, including many who have moved out of the neighborhood but who still crave the desserts from Grandma’s, including the Apple Horseshoe ($7.99), flaky pastry wrapped around a filling of cooked fresh apple wedges and drizzled with icing, and the cheesecake varieties, which are dense and sweet, intensely rich without being in the least cloying. Like the other pastries by the piece, the slices of cheese cake are $2 for a large piece, and $1 for a small one, with prices varying for the full cakes and pies.

“Customers come from all over,” noted Chavez. “They can’t believe the place is still here.”

I sampled several of Grandma’s specialties, not only the Apple Horseshoe and the Cheesecake, but also the Butter Cookies ($10.49 per pound), which were deliciously crumbly, and not too sweet, as well as a pastry that featured custard topped with whipped cream and glazed fresh strawberries in a cookie shell.

A rectangular slice of chocolate filled chocolate cake was luscious and gooey but no more so than another that combined chocolate cake with vanilla icing and a mocha filling, its top dusted with cocoa for good measure.

I also tasted the Taralli ($4.95 per pound), traditional crisp Italian bread rings, like bread sticks but twisted into an elongated teardrop shape. The flavors of the Taralli vary though I particularly enjoyed the ones with the hot pepper and fennel.

Delicious as the baked goods were, just as delightful was the atmosphere in the cozy shop, which also will bake to order for any occasion, even creating elaborate fondant covered cakes on request.

And, the sweetness doesn’t stop at the counter’s edge.

“When you come in here, it’s like you are shopping at home,” noted Misseri. “Everyone is very friendly and helpful. It’s a good atmosphere, and a good staff.”

GRANDMA’S BAKERY
7208 13^th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11228
718-680-3636
Open 7 days, 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m.