There's an eager, hungry early-morning crowd at Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe, but there is no jostling. The crowd is leisurely, slowly eyeing the savory muffins and scones that lie within the glass counters. A friendly crowd, they take their orders and scatter to sit in one of the small rustic rooms inside, or in the courtyard under a canopy of trees.
Rebecca Rather, owner of Rather Sweet and a self-taught baker with the lightest of touches, says that she loves Texas and the way Texans think which she translates as bigger, even over-the-top. Looking into the breakfast case at Rather Sweet, wanting to taste everything, we noted that her scones and muffins were unabashed in size and would start the day with a burst of energy. In the pastry case, Rather's famous lime cheesecake, the brownies and bars, were large but civilized while the chocolate chip cookies, the oatmeal cranberry cookies were monster-sized and thick. Drawn by rave reviews in newspapers and periodicals, both tourists and residents come to eat at Rather Sweet. Located around the corner from main street, Rather Sweet hides in a small nook in a two-story house. It is a casual and a comfortable place with daily newspapers to read while you much a muffin. If you are drawn to Rather Sweet more than once -and you will be- you will to recognize the faces around the courtyard. These are the regulars, and the best thing you can do is ask them what you should order. They will tell you that the most popular breakfast, a signature delight, is the Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scone, but when you look over the shoulders of the regulars, you will notice that variety is the spice of breakfast, if not of life itself, and the regulars dig into oversized lemon muffins one day, cinnamon rolls on the second, and on the third day a delicate but large-as-usual pumpkin scone. In recent years, Rather Sweet has expanded to include a brightly colored upstairs dining area where they serve cold sandwiches with organic spring field greens, hot sandwiches with Applewood smoked bacon dressing, their Reuben sandwiches, a bacon cheeseburger and what they call a BLAT - Applewood smoked bacon, romaine lettuce, avocado and tomato served on a toasted sourdough bun, served with fresh fruit or chips and salsa. There are tapas, beer, wine, and desserts on weekend evenings. Live music in the lovely courtyard is icing on the cake - the very large piece of cake.
Rebecca Rather has offered her recipes to the world in the form of a cookbook: please read our review of The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Café Get some recipes, too.
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