| photography by Alex Lepe |
Do you remember that feeling when you were a kid and passed the window of the toy store displaying boundless objects tempting you to take them all home?
It's that same feeling when you walk into Swiss Pastry Shop and see the case filled with cakes, puff pastries, Napoleons, éclairs and petit fours, all competing for your attention as you wait to be seated.
Hoping to have missed the lunch rush, we visited a little after 2 p.m. It was still a packed house. While the exterior of Swiss Pastry Shop leaves a lot to be desired, the quaint interior is genuine and charming. Red leather chairs and booths overlook Vickery Boulevard, and a mural of a Swiss countryside occupies the main wall.
The menu ranges from sandwiches and bratwurst to innovative burgers. Several local craft beers and a limited, yet adequate wine selection and several coffee/espresso offerings are available. Prices are exceptionally reasonable.
Owner Hans Peter Muller took over his father's restaurant in 1992 and has since transformed this bakery into the go-to dessert destination and popular café that creates life-long regulars out of guests. Muller recently hired Peter Kreidler as executive chef to bring his skill to the new dinner menu.
Attempting to save room for dessert, I ordered the Salad Plate ($5.45) with the chicken option and a cup of the soup of the day ($2.50). Unfortunately, our server never delivered the soup to the table. A scoop of chicken salad was served with a carrot cake sandwich and side of fruit.
Both creamy and tangy, the chicken was lightly shredded as opposed to cubed. Bits of celery and pickle added a nice crunch. The savory sandwich featured a light spreading of cream cheese between two small pieces of dense carrot cake, which wasn't overly sweet and was chock-full of fragments of nuts and raisins. Disappointed with the side serving of a bland, watery tomato, the pickle slices were firm, flavorful and crisp.
My dining companion ordered The Smoking Cuban ($8) with a side of the café's potato salad, and he generously allowed me to sample it. Pecan smoked pork loin and Applewood ham fuse together with the aid of melted Swiss cheese. What really makes this sandwich stand out is the intense smoky flavor and the house-made sesame bun. I suggest dipping it in the spicy brown mustard, which is among the many condiments housed in the center of each table.
A side of potato salad is made traditionally and has both a mustard and mayonnaise base, although the mustard is more prominent. It was good, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
Quite the opposite, the Black Forest Cake ($2.95) is unlike any dessert you've ever tasted. Flourless and gluten-free, it's made with three ingredients (egg white, pure cane sugar and crushed almonds) and is filled with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The heavenly slice was airy as the fork crunched through the crackly baked meringue. If Fort Worth were to be assigned an official dessert, this would be it.
Location: Swiss Pastry Shop,3936 W. Vickery Blvd.
For Info Call: 817.732.5661
Price Range: $-$$
Hours: Tues. – Thurs., 6 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Fri., 6 a.m. -3:30 p.m., 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sat., 7 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sun. & Mon., Closed
What We Like: The atmosphere is authentic, and you can't go wrong with any of the desserts.
What We Don't Like: With everything made in house, we were surprised that the chips came out of a bag.
Our Recommendation: Don't you dare leave without trying the Black Forest Cake.
