Bakery at Cakes & Ale

For a recent lunch meeting, the destination was Bakery at Cakes & Ale, located just a few strides from the Decatur MARTA Station:

The original restaurant and chef/owner have scored many accolades, so I arrived with high expectations. The menu, which changes frequently, offers a line-up of soups, sandwiches, salads, a grain bowl and a few entrees. It was a challenge to choose just one entree among the various temptations. My dining companion and I both ordered salads.

When reading the menu, the prices don't shock--they seem to be competitive for the neighborhood. But when the food is served, the huge bowl holds just a tiny portion. It's then that the prices seem steep.

The flavor and food quality is good.

Avocado and fennel were among the ingredients in this salad:

This salad featured dandelion greens and beets:

It wasn't just us: We looked around the dining room at various lunches and consistently thought that the lunch serving sizes were small. The dude seated at the table next to ours must have left hungry since his sandwich appeared to be about five bites total.

The daily dessert special was an assortment of holiday cookies. We shared one order and it was the most appropriately priced dish we encountered.

While the main course was served on white plates and bowls of unusual shape and size, as is currently the norm at most restaurants of a certain modern vibe and creative quality, the dessert was served with pretty old-fashioned plates:

Five cookies, all easy to cut in half and all yummy:

Dessert was the most memorable part of the meal.

Bottom Line: Tasty fare at high prices. Best for dessert.