Bakery Street

Address: 1370 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115. 801.486.0238.

Review: Anymore, there are relatively few times I experience something in the valley that makes me think, "Wow, never seen that before." Bakery Street (Street), a Brazilian bakery, caused such a reaction.

Since I'm not much of a sugar guy, Street's savory offerings had me at hello. That said, the selection of sweet confections with dolce de leche were quite enticing.

So, my friend and I ordered a bevy of goodies, beginning with a beef empanada, a chicken and potato coxinha, and a ham and cheese sope.

The coxinha (on right) was shaped much like Dan Akroyd's cranium in those old conehead skits. And for all its strange shape, this was a good little treat. The cone portion up top primarily mashed potatoes surrounded by a wonderfully crunchy breaded exterior. As you move down, you arrive at a pocket of spiced shredded chicken that makes this treat substantial.

In the center of the plate is the ground beef empanada. The exterior was nice golden, and the inside was simple beef and spices. Nothing stunning here, but empanadas are peasant foods, not haute cuisine.

And then was have the ham and cheese sope. The sope was beautifully fried. It was light, airy, and invitingly warm. The inside was an amalgam of stringy cheese and chopped ham. This is what a great snack food should be.

And then we ordered sandwiches. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the sandwich I ate. What I do remember is (1) the size, which was friggin' huge; (2) the steak portion of the sandwich had dynamite flavor; and (3) the bread was a nice mix of soft and hard that made for a really enjoyable sandwich experience.

In all, I was surprised how much I enjoyed Street. I will be back often to try out the other sandwich offerings, which I'm sure will be stellar. Who knows, maybe even some sugary treats will be in order next time.

Rating: 7/10 (5/10 is average).