Bakesale Betty's

I tend to read up on places before we try them out, and I have a long list going of places that I want to try. This had been on the list almost since we arrived and heard people talking about it. So, one lovely not too cold day, we hopped on the bus to take a straight shot down Telegraph to grab some lunch at Bakesale Betty's. I had heard that the place wasn't overly identifiable, no signs or anything, so I was wondering how we were going to find it (outside of having the address). Of course, when we got off the bus and saw a line around the corner, I was reminded again that sometimes I'm not too bright.


So we got in the line that stretched out the door and past the doorways of the next two stores (which were lovely - looking forward to going back to browse through them again) and hunkered down for what I assumed would be a long wait. And, wrong again. Not only did the line move incredibly fast, but about halfway through a lovely gentleman came outside with a tray of freshly baked cookies and gave one to everyone standing in line. Just because.


Word of advice: When you get inside, be prepared to tell your order to the next person who looks even slightly free of tasks. This was a time I was glad I did some research and knew what I wanted when I arrived, because I had missed the handwritten menu taped up on the window. Luckily, I knew I wanted the fried chicken sandwich, and then I kind of fumbled around just pointing at some baked goods that looked appetizing (there are no labels or lists of what the cookies and brownies are). The man helping me was obviously used to people being flustered because he took my order, put the cookies I pointed to in a bag and then threw a couple more in for free that he said were also good. Then he took my cash, ran down the counter to the register and brought me the sandwiches, drinks and change. The whole interaction took less than two minutes.


And then we were back on the sidewalk, trying to find some seating at the stools and ironing boards-cum-tables that are available. Luckily, we found one and proceeded to unashamedly dig in. The fried chicken sandwich is great. The roll is soft, the fried chicken is warm and moist without being overly breaded and there is little else to get in your way of the taste. There was a lot of cabbage on my sandwich, most of which I removed, but leaving some on gave the whole thing a nice crunch and a little tang, for me at least. The cookies were good - not mindblowing, but I wouldn't turn them down either. If you are there on a warm day, do get the frozen lemonade. It's tart and sweet, and perfectly slushy. (Also - I've heard raves about the strawberry shortcake, which we did not try even though it was available. They are HUGE, definitely enough for two people to share).


Things to remember:
1 - Don't be intimidated by the line.



2 - Know what you want before you get in the door. They clearly have done this "We have a huge line!" thing before.

3 - Enjoy.