Dining: Upper Crust Bakery

At Upper Crust Bakery, the journey to dessert is tasty, too

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: Feb. 9, 2005

Photos by Laura Skelding/AA-S Upper Crust Bakery churns out heavenly pastries such as these sugary, delectable cinnamon rolls, top. The bakery serves delicious dishes such as Italian stew, middle left, and hearty turkey on wheat as well as a beautiful strawberry cream cake.

Beyond those rolls, I also think of Upper Crust as a place for marble cupcakes ($1.05) that pair chocolate and cheesecake, marzipan pockets ($2.10) full of the flavors of almonds and cheese, and luscious Italian cream cakes ($2.50 a slice), both regular and chocolate.

Sweets galore. But I never thought of Upper Crust as savory. Until now.

After spending time there for lunch, I have redefined my view of the North Austin bakery.

The soups are delicious, including the most popular one, a cheese soup ($2.10 for a small cup) with a delightfully thin broth packed with julienne vegetables. A rustic Italian stew ($2.85 for a small cup) is heavy with potatoes, sausage and tomatoes, while the lentil soup ($2.10 for a small cup) is so thick with lentils that it almost seems more of a side dish than a soup.

Sandwiches on the bakery's bread, including the sourdough and the wheat, are inviting, particularly the simple egg salad ($4.50).

Small vegetarian ($4.95) and pepperoni pizzas ($5.50) beg to be sampled, offering a tasty, yeasty crust as enticement. The brioches are beautiful, making it hard to pick between the savory cheese loaf ($3) and the one filled with raspberry preserves and chocolate ($3).

Which takes us back to the sweets, and Gateau Marisa ($2.75 a slice), the lovely strawberry cream cake that is now the bakery's most popular confection. The white layers are interspersed with pastry cream and sliced strawberries, a perfect pairing for a sweet finish to a savory lunch.

And that's the only problem I have with Upper Crust: My bakery identification system has been undermined.

Upper Crust Bakery.
4508 Burnet Road, 467-0102.
Rating: Forks up. Price: Cheap.