Several months back, the husband and I had the opportunity to explore the quaint town of historical Warrenton, VA, thanks to our friends, Harold and Yen. As a wedding gift, we got to enjoy a one night stay at the Airlie, a conference/wedding venue tucked away in the lush shadow of the Shenandoah. There were so many pictures from this tiny trip, it only made sense to break it down into segments. There's magic everywhere, it's just a matter of appreciating it.
The first thing that we do when visiting a new area is scope out the local bakeries. I'm forever curious to see life in someone else's kitchen. After a quick internet search, the top hitting spot in this area stood out loud and clear:
The Red Truck Bakery
What's the fuss about this bakery? Oh I don't know... to start, there is the mountain of praise it has received from sources like The Washington Post, New York Times, Andrew Zimmerman, and the Oprah Magazine. Plus, there is the matter of the prestigious "Best Pumpkin Pie" award from the Washingtonian. Sounds like it's all the rage and should be teeming with hipsters, right?
Much to my delight, it's a down to earth, ol' fashioned bakery. It's nestled near the center of the historic section of town in a renovated 1921 Esso filling station. The iconic, Red Truck is parked right outside. When we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, there were no other customers and it was still as a church. This quiet, laid back store is the cause of so much fuss? Turns out this was the eye of the storm since it's usually bumpin on the weekend.
The variety of baked goods was dazzling, especially for the simplicity of the set-up. There are no frills- this a real kitchen. There was a myriad of breads distributed across the counter plus loaves, pies, and cookies. I wanted to try everything in the display window when the coffee cake caught my eye. There's a nostalgia associated with coffee cake as my mother often served the Entemann's version to her Portuguese rosary group. Goodness gracious...
Just look at this beauty!
A slab of Red Truck's coffee cake is bigger than Mike's fist, and I don't call him Monster Mitts cuz it sounds cute. It was moist, lightly sweetened, and heavenly. There must be some sour cream in this bad boy because it was really nice texture. Honestly, this is one item that I would not mind purchasing through their online delivery service. They ship nation-wide and their spring flavor, a meyer lemon cake, is teasing for a tasting.
We took the famous pumpkin pie to share with the family as a thanks for watching Autumn during our excursion. It is indeed a solid, all-American pumpkin pie! The filling is smooth and mild with a clean crust. What's the cause of this magic? Instead of dumping in white sugar, the owner, Brian Noyes, uses a caramel of sugar, water, and cream then adds orange zest to brighten things up. Pretty slick, no?
There are so many other confections to try- we just scratched the surface! Check out their online store or make it a day to visit Old Town Warrenton.
22 Waterloo St, Warrenton, VA 20186
(540) 347-2224
