Yia Yia's Bakery

On the way out of work today I passed by Yia Yia's Bakery in Essex. I had no idea this place was even there! It's at the intersection of King and Philadelphia Road (where King terminates). I was jonesin' for some chocolate top cookies, and this was closer than Geresbeck's, so I stopped here to see if they had any.

My oh my! They had tons of things in this place - wedding cakes, Boar's Head deli meats, breads, rolls, croissants, and many sweets - cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and a wide assortment of Greek desserts (their kandaifi piqued my interest, but at $2.60, not unreasonable, I wanted other things instead). They even have a sizable Greek-themed section where you can eat.

Since I wanted chocolate top cookies, I got some - half a pound, at $8 (the same price as Giant's, $2 more than those at Geresbeck's), and a black bottom (89¢). Altogether it came to a little over $5, which is not bad.

Of course, I had to try a cookie as soon as I got to the parking lot. First impression: a little hard (much more so than those from other places), more like a typical butter cookie, but very flavorful and buttery. The chocolate, sadly, was also very hard, and crumbled when I bit into it. Still, it had a lovely flavor. I chalked it up to maybe sitting in the case too long, but later I had another one, microwaved for 20 seconds, and still it was quite hard. So I was a wee bit disappointed in the chocolate tops. Same with the black bottom, but it was tasty enough that I'd get it again.

I'm not dissing Yia Yia's, mind you. There were so many other things that made me drool much harder than those chocolate tops or black bottoms. Some things I will indeed be going back for (prices are approximate; here's a bakery menu, sans prices):

• their mini opera cakes ($1.25)
• again, that kandaifi ($2.60; as good as the one I got at the Greek Festival in St. Nick's Greek Orthodox Church? I hope...)
• baklava ($1.25; what Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern or Ethiopian bakery or restaurant worth its salt doesn't offer this?)
• all their other cupcakes and mini-cakes (range from $1 to $7)
• petit fours (didn't catch the price; bright and technicolored - mmmm)
• crepes (Wait - they have crepes!?)

So maybe I'll go there again before Thanksgiving (I don't recall, but they might be open for a little bit on Thanksgiving, and closed on Friday). Oh, they do wholesale, by the way.