Rao's Bakery
Cakes, Coffees, Light Lunch Fare,
and a Spectrum of Gelatos
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A specialty of Rao's, the
gelato is handmade from ingredients imported
from Italy. Rao's offers the indulgence in
many different flavors. |
There’s a new bake shop in town, one which
augments its cakes, cookies and coffee with
lunchtime offerings, and it is well worth checking
out.
Rao’s Bakery (pronounced “Ray-O’s”) opened on
April 1 in the same bustling new shopping center on
Cypresswood Drive that houses the trendy Gringo’s
Mexican Kitchen and Hasta La Pasta restaurants. This
is the fourth location for Rao’s, which was founded
in Beaumont in 1941. Well known for their New
Orleans-style King Cakes and for a tradition of
excellent dessert-making, the eatery has an emerging
reputation for their coffees and gelatos.
After only a short conversation with owner Jake
Tortorice, one can tell he is very focused on the
quality of his product. As he talks, his eyes are
scanning the premises, observing employee
interactions with customers, checking to make sure
everything is in order. Jake purchased the
restaurant from the founder about ten years ago, and
two of his four sons – Josh and Jake, Jr. – share in
management duties.
Not content to ride on Rao’s past reputation,
Jake varies the menu and adds new goods periodically
for his customers to experience. In doing this, he
leaves no stone unturned, and considers only the
quality of the food, beverage, or ingredient, not
the price. In survival-of-the-fittest manner, he
prefers to let his customers decide whether a
particular item is worth the money. (We found the
prices reasonable.) Jake travels to Sicily
periodically to visit his extended family; while he
is in Italy he is looking, sampling, and shopping
for new viands for the table.
One such addition is espresso from Illycaffé
located in Trieste, a seaport in the extreme
northeast of Italy. Illy, a family-owned company,
literally wrote the book on espresso (the company’s
founder invented the modern espresso machine). Illy
espresso is available only in the most exclusive
restaurants and hotels around the world, and Rao’s
Bakery had to undergo extensive review and training
simply to qualify to carry this elite coffee brand.
Another specialty of the Rao’s house is their
handmade gelato, which comes in a variety of
flavors. The ingredients are imported from Aromi di
Italia of Turin (known in Italy as Torino), which
many will remember as the home of the 2006 Winter
Olympics. Gelato is a centuries-old craft in this
northern Italian town. Rao’s makes the gelato fresh,
in small batches.
The fruit flavors – which are technically a
sorbet – are lighter on the palate (and the calorie
count) than the cream-based varieties. The intense
flavors of Rao’s gelatos are enough to make folks
forget (at least temporarily) about Ben & Jerry’s.
The coffee gelato is superb and richly brewed; the
berry flavors – particularly the blackberry and
blueberry – are bright and vibrant.
A Rao’s mainstay is their cakes, and in this area
they pay attention to an oft-forgotten
characteristic: presentation.
It may be true that people choose a bakery based
on flavor, but an impressive appearance adds
something extra to every kind of special occasion.
Cut into Rao’s cakes and you will be equally pleased
with the taste. The tres leches was moist (though
not as soggy as it is sometimes served) and sweet.
The luscious sacher torte’s chocolate cake core is
laced with raspberry, iced with a chocolate ganache
and whipped cream mix, and encased in a rich
chocolate shell.
Order the turtle fudge cheesecake and you won’t
soon forget the magic that nuts, chocolate and
caramel can work to reinvent ordinary cheesecake.
The beverages at Rao’s are distinctive. While we
highly recommend Dancing Goats brewed coffee, a
smooth blend with a slightly nutty flavor, there are
dozens of other latte, cappuccino, “dessert” and
flavored coffee options.
Root beer fans should try the Creamy Red Birch
Beer, a product of Boylan Bottling Co. With a
mellowing touch of vanilla, the tone is more nip
than bite.
Of the many fruit smoothies and coffee drinks on
the frozen beverage menu, Josh Tortorice’s favorite
is the Mango Fruit Tea Blast. Rao’s also has dozens
of different specialty teas.
Although we weren’t game to try it, Rao’s also
offers chilled mint water (reputedly a traditional
Middle Eastern treatment for bacterial ailments).
The lunch menu, available all day, features
grilled panini sandwiches on delicious breads:
white, wheat, focaccia, croissant, or assorted
wraps.
Rao’s takes egg salad into unfamiliar territory
by adding chopped green olives, a Sicilian
inflection which is remarkably tasty. (Next time we
would order it on focaccia instead of wheat bread.)
The tuna salad was creamy without being runny;
chopped celery gives it a rewarding crunch (although
this ingredient is not mentioned on the menu). The
grilled cheese is basic and heartier than that your
mom used to make. The $1.99 price makes it a
thumbs-up selection for the kids. Rao’s also has
various quiches and salads.
Make sure and ask about the day’s soups. The
tomato-garlic is a hearty soup; more substantial
than your average tomato-basil, it is a delicious
choice for tomato soup lovers.
We know and love gumbo... and it's not often that
one notches up our joie de vivre like the gumbo
offered at Rao’s. Unfortunately, you can’t get it on
just any old day, but when you can, buy extra to
take home and freeze. With goodly bites of chicken
and sausage in an amped-up broth, it’s restless like
Mardi Gras and as loud as zydeco... a meal by
itself.
It may take a while to discover all of the good
things Rao’s has to offer... but it will be well
worth the effort.
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