A THUMBS UP LOCAL BAKERY

This morning I stopped by a bakery called "Blue Sky" (more nature? yes!), in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn for coffee and a muffin. I had read about this little place in Time Out New York's recently released "Cheap Eats" issue.


The second I laid eyes on Blue Sky’s brightly colored, cheerful exterior, I was pleased. But the true test was the quality of the goods...it is shocking that in this great city, with its intense food competition and sophisticated consumer palates, that there could even be such a thing as a bad baked good, but they are definitely out there. The core problems seem to be associated with lack of freshness, over-baking, and/or low-quality ingredients.


Blue Sky lives up to my food quality standards, at least according to this first visit. Per the recommendation of Time Out, I asked for the Blue Sky Special, which consists of a small iced coffee and delicious fresh muffin for $3.95 (more pricey than at a coffee cart but quality has its price; plus it is Friday and everyone deserves a muffin on Friday).

The place is bright and clean on the interior as well, plus it seemed to be well run, keeping with the consumer’s needs and want in mind. I planned on walking in and taking out, but decided to enjoy my muffin and coffee at one of the little tables set up with array of daily newspapers, just like the other locals. Nothing like starting the day with a little reading on the latest twists of the 10-year old JonBenet murder case let me tell you.


The muffin tasted homemade, as in fresh and just baked, but it also had that perfectly crisp, sugar-coated muffin top that indicates it was baked in a professional kitchen. The top was so good I couldn't hold back before I got to a camera. I am sorry for that. The coffee was also refreshing and delicious, even more so because of my adding in liquid sugar, which has become an essential for sweet-toothed iced coffee drinkers everywhere. I appreciated that it was an option.


It was obvious that the neighborhood had embraced Blue Sky whole-heartedly. While I technically was also a local, I didn’t feel quite as legit since I had heard about the place in Time Out just last night. I felt as if I had “poser” tattooed on my forehead. Oh well- it is a good excuse to keep going back.