USA on the menu > St. John’s Bakery August 1, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in GreekTaste World.trackback
You don’t have to go to Santorini or Mikonos to get a taste of Greece. > Just take a drive down Highway 97, through the pines of Satus Pass, to St. John’s Bakery, Coffee & Gifts.
The sisters of St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Monastery pray as they bake. Perhaps that’s why their treats, baklava, biscotti, gyros, mousakas, souvlaki, are so good. They’re blessed.
The sisters make a variety of Greek sweets, from indokarydo, coconut cake, to kourambiedes, toasted almond crescent-shaped cookies topped with plenty of powdered sugar. They also offer a full espresso bar, including traditional Greek coffee and chocolate-covered espresso beans. And they recently started making their own chocolates.
The sisters offer lunch and snack foods, too. There’s dolmadakia, vine leaves stuffed with beef, rice, onions, oils, herbs and spices, spanakopita, spinach, cheese, onions, oils, herbs and spices in buttery philo dough, gyros, strips of seasoned beef, tomato and onion wrapped in grilled pita bread, mousakas, layers of eggplant, potatoes and cheeses, topped with a tomato and meat sauce, souvlaki, seasoned meat shishkabobs, and Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, feta cheese and olives. Don’t forget the fresh tzatziki sauce, a combination of yogurt, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and spices.
The sisters opened their shop, popular with truckers and tourists heading to Goldendale or Portland or the Yakima Valley, in 2002. Since then, word has spread. The sisters and community volunteers, some are mothers of the nuns, who staff are the shop are hospitable, knowledgeable and kind.
You don’t have to be hungry or thirsty to stop in, though. The sisters also sell handiwork, from handmade soaps and lotions, in scents like milk and almond, apple spice, honeysuckle, tea tree, sandalwood, honey cinnamon and vanilla spice, to beeswax candles, incense, CDs, books and religious icons.
Instead of tips, the sisters ask customers to give money to help feed the hungry. We say, instead of stopping to see the sisters on the way to somewhere else, make St. John’s the destination. And stock up.
RECOMMENDED DISH > Baklava is a well-known favorite. Layers of buttery philo dough are filled with nuts and soaked in a syrup of honey, citrus and spices. One triangular piece costs about $3. Boxes of the dessert range in price from $7.50 to $15.99. Or, try a combination box of baklava and kourambiedes for $6.70.
OTHER TREATS > Galaktoboureko is a lemon custard baked in philo dough, doused with syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. One piece costs about $3. Don’t be shy: Ask the sisters to heat up a piece in the microwave. “It’s nicer when it’s warm,” says Sister Iosiphia.
Small appetitie? Opt for a plain piece of biscotti for 99 cents, or dipped in chocolate for $1.15. Hours: St. John’s, located at 2378 Highway 97, 10 miles north of Goldendale, is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Sundays. Call 773-6650.
grhomeboy
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