I am undoubtedly a “dessert person,” so all new Twin Cities bakeries garner a visit, and the recently-opened Copper Hen on Eat Street has me smitten. It’s the rare spot that successfully combines baked goods with hearty food (in the vein of Lowertown’s Buttered Tin, last year’s summer success) in an environment that makes you want to stay awhile.
Funded by nearly 200 Kickstarter backers last October, the kitchen and cakery is run by husband-wife duo Chris and Danielle Bjorling and features fare to sustain their clientele at all hours (they’re open ’til 10 on weeknights and 11 on weekends). An ideal day would kick off with the signature breakfast cupcake—a crumble cake packed with blueberries and bacon, topped with cream cheese frosting and maple syrup—and end with a chicken pot pie topped with flaky pastry or a pizza covered in goat cheese, figs, and balsamic vinegar.
Saving room for dessert is mandatory, of course. Plate-sized cookies are tempting on the dessert counter, as are the seasonal hand pies, and cupcakes served in miniature Mason jars are utterly charming. And a wall filled with wonderful-looking, crusty loaves of bread signals that the bakers have a good handle on the savory side as well.
by josie franske
As for the décor, exposed rafters and support beams give the space an appealing barn-like quality, and strings of lights, dark wood, and chalkboards in abundance add to the homey vibe.
I sampled a vanilla raspberry buttercream cupcake, which had an intoxicating vanilla scent when I sliced into it and had an abundance of fresh berries studding its interior. A dollop of not-too-sweet vanilla buttercream was, literally and figuratively, the icing on the cake.
2515 Nicollet Ave., Mpls., 612-872-2221, copperhenkitchen.com
