JEFF KORBELIK / GZO | Posted: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 7:00 pm
Thank goodness for the pumpkin muffin from The Sweeter Side bakery.
I was bummed when the Green Gateau stopped providing baked goods for The Mill in the Haymarket because I often accompanied my morning coffee with a cream or oatmeal scone.
But then The Sweeter Side, the semi-new bakery in south Lincoln, started selling its goodies at The Mill, including those deliciously moist pumpkin muffins.
All is right with the world again.
The Sweeter Side is owned by Rob Epps and Becky Lamb. Both are graduates of the culinary program at Southeast Community College.
Epps opened The Sweeter Side a couple of years ago at 48th Street and Cornhusker Highway, where the Garrison Coleman Co. bakery used to be. Lamb has been with him for more than a year.
The duo recently decided to move in another direction with the business.
At the beginning of September, The Sweeter Side went from wholesale to retail, making its pastries, breads and desserts available to the public at its new location in Heritage Park — just south of Super Saver and Petco at 56th Street and Nebraska 2.
About a month ago, the bakery introduced a lunch menu, offering a handful of tasty sandwiches on a variety of baked breads: country white, split-top honey wheat, multi-grain, ciabatta, baguette and croissant.
“We wanted to get the pastries and bakery going before we started serving lunch,” Lamb said. “We only have so much help. You can only introduce so much at one time and keep it under control.”
Sweeter Side uses Boar’s Head Deli meats and cheeses for its sandwiches. They are the kind featured at Ideal and Leon’s groceries. The sandwiches are unique twists on common themes.
The roast beef ($6.25), for example, is served with roasted red pepper and gorgonzola cheese. I bought one of the bakery’s multi-grain bread for a co-worker who loved it. I tried the dijon chicken salad ($4.50)on a croissant and found it just as tasty.
Other sandwich choices include oven roasted turkey, maple glazed honey ham, vegetarian, hickory smoked chicken breast, albacore tuna salad and egg salad. Sandwiches range from $4 to $6.50 and come with chips.
The Sweeter Side also has available three salads — Greek, cobb and Asian sesame chicken — and two soups, which can be paired with half sandwiches.
As for the pastries, there are a variety of muffins, bear claws, turnovers, scones and croissants, costing $1.25 to $1.75 each. The bakery has a large coffee/beverage menu for those who like to combine the two.
Another draw is the desserts. On my visit, the display case featured a homemade three-layer carrot cake and an assortment of cheesecakes and tortes. I had a heavenly piece of a mocha pecan torte ($3).
Lamb said whole cakes and tortes are for sale. The bakery can do special orders with advanced notice. She suggested calling for a complete list of what the twosome can create in their kitchen.
As for prices, the three-layer cake ran $26 and the entire tort cost $41.50.
The Sweeter Side is primarily a takeout place, but does have seating for about 20. The shop is hidden from the street, but Lamb says people are finding them.
It’s helped that they are providing their goods for places such as The Mill, which is one of the best ways to advertise.
It worked for me. I’m hooked on those pumpkin muffins.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
Dining out
The Sweeter Side
5550 S. 59th St., Suite 10
Atmosphere: Casual
Specialty: Pastries, breads, sandwiches
Payment: Cash, checks, major credit cards
Hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday (lunch runs from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.)
Phone: (402) 464-6566
Notes: Parking, takeout, catering, no alcohol