Ochre Bakery

Detroit, MI

You may have heard of this new little hot spot. It caught some major fanfare late last year when it was named Bon Appetit’s No. 4 Best New Restaurant in America. Not bad for lowkey place tucked into Detroit’s Core City.

Like any crowd-adverse foodie, I waited for the Bon App hype to dissipate before attempting my first visit. And even then, I went at 2:30 in the afternoon. No chance of struggling through coffee rush hour for this gal. My patience was rewarded with a lovely, chill coffee break for one. And since no coffee break is complete without a carb, I partook in the one of their house specialties – the vegan lemon pistachio loaf – very light and very balanced (lemony, buttery, and sweet).

Just as sweet? The vibes. I mean, I think my coolness factor went up to a solid eight when I was in there. My slouchy, vibrant sweater and colored specs might have helped too. Yup, just me and some hip filmmakers taking in an afternoon of caffeine and carbs. One of these artists was enjoying a drool-worthy chocolate cake, sadly not vegan, but damn fine looking.  (Yes, I totally got caught ogling.)

I was feelin’ the vibes so much that I couldn’t help but get an herbed potato loaf for the road. To my amazement and joy, this special bread of the day had actual chunks of potato throughout. That, my friends, was dinner (smartly paired with vegan butter and a semi-homemade chickpea barley soup).

Up your cool factor, check out the Ochre Bakery.