ALL'S FARE

Pastries by en
2495 Orchard Lake Road
Sylvan Lake
(248) 681-5700; pastriesbyellen.com

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 7 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Price Range:
Breakfast entrees: $3-$8
$4-$8

SWEET & SAVORY

BY ANNABEL COHEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

an oatmeal draw visitors to a restaurant?
Yes, if it's as good as it is at this bakery,
coffeehouse and breakfast-and-lunch spot in
Sylvan Lake. On a street lined with fast food,
Pastries by Ellen, open since 1999, is at the
forefront of a changing neighborhood, in the middle of
its gentle evolution from a modest lake community to a
trendy area that bridges West Bloomfield and Bloomfield
townships.
I've known about Pastries by Ellen for a long time. I
live close by and really never had the inclination to go
in; the name on the strip-mall
storefront always stopped me,
making me think it only sold
baked goods. But devotees of
r
Ellen's, as regulars call it (90
percent of business is repeat
customers), know that when
they enter this unremark-
able cafe, they're in for some
remarkable food.
Dearborn native George
Kalergis — a graduate of the
Culinary Institute of America
(CIA) in New York and former head chef at some
impressive venues — brings his world-class cooking talent
to breakfast, lunch and a growing catering business.
Then there's Ellen, a quiet, serious baker who holds
a pedigree as well. Also a graduate of the CIA, Ellen
Meyer-Kalergis had baked for well-known establishments
in and out of town before marrying George, a classmate,
and opening the pastry-only shop. When George joined
the business in 2000, he brought his gourmet touch and
gregarious personality to both the menu and the business.
("He comes from a big Greek family and has always had

C

8 •

SEPTEMBER 2006 • JNPLATINLJM

From luscious pastry confections to
homemade corned beef, Ellen's has it all.

a lot of people in his life," explains Ellen.) What once
offered only coffee and exquisite baked goods has blos-
somed, with George's help, into a full-fledged restaurant,
which now seats 30.
"People rave over the oatmeal," says Ellen. "George
makes a lot of it, served with fresh fruit and all the trim-
mings. Blueberry pancakes, cinnamon-raisin-walnut
French toast — and the omelets: three-egg specials.
Corned-beef hash — we cook our own corned beef and
serve it with eggs, any style. One of our best sellers for
lunch? Soup, made fresh and different every day. Nobody
knows what soups we're serving,"
she says, "until Chef George tells
us at 10 a.m."
Sandwiches, a lunch staple,
also get epicurean makeovers. You
can just tell that the smoked-tur-
key avocado pita and the chicken
panini — chicken with asparagus
spears, roasted red pepper, pro-
volone cheese and lemon-thyme
mayonnaise — are crafted with
an artist's hand. And salads, like
the couple's Cobb, are fresh and
carefully prepared. All are available for carryout and cater-
ing for events of any size.
And then there are the pastries. Ellen describes her
approach as classic American home-style pastries. "My
customers really want comfort foods," she says. "I do nice
basic pies made with all-butter crusts, truffle mousse cake,
key lime pie." The breads and bagels are all homemade,
and Ellen's decorated sugar cookies, with constantly
changing designs, are a value at $1.50. She also makes one
of the best carrot cakes this reviewer has ever had. Adds
Ellen, "I can't put my name on it if it's not good." ❑

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Clockwise from top: Pastry chef Ellen Meyer-Kalergis has created

her own version of Sander's famous bumpy cake; sugar cookies

are offered in constantly changing designs; Key Lime Pie, Flourless

Chocolate Torte and Strawberry-Topped Cheesecake entice; begin

with a roast-beef sandwich and a cup of chilled fresh gazpacho.