The Cake Studio and other downtown news

On a rare solo expedition, I went downtown in Anchorage this past Saturday to roam around a bit, and in due course, eat!  Downtown was surprisingly empty - not too many citizens roaming around, and a surprising number of small stores and restaurants were closed.  Happily, The Cake Studio, a new bakery on 4th street, was open.  The bakery and boutique is a warm and inviting space filled with tantalizing smells and intriguing sights.  The first thing you will have to do is make some decisions - the long display case is full of gourmet candies, then there is a variety of baked goods and other sweets on display.  The variety makes it very hard to choose.  After quite a few minutes of dithering, I decided on a peppermint dome and a cup of plain coffee.  A note on the coffee - they serve Raven's Brew!  The peppermint dome was amazingly delicious - a tender cookie base with a mound of peppermint mousse and a coating of chocolate with a garnish of peppermint hard candy bits.  It was so delicious I think I briefly went into a trance.  It was not heavy or cloying - just perfectly balanced.  The mellow Raven's Brew was a wonderful complement to this mildly sweet treat. 
       After enjoying my treat, I wandered around a bit to check out the items on sale in the boutique.  There are a few cute tea towels and tablecloths, lots of fancy candles, some specialty baking supplies and some specialty candies.  I wouldn't count on  stocking up your kitchen with their supplies, but if you want specialty items (flavored extracts, fancy sugars, that sort of thing), I would definitely check them out!
  
On another note, Cafe Savannah (of earlier post fame) is gone - in it's place is a Wings and Things.  A sad thing for tapas fans.