Food Lovers' Guide: Blackbird Baking Co.

The chocolate chip cookies are the sleepers of Blackbird Baking Co. The crunchy-outside, gooey-inside treats ($1.45) with a sprinkle of sea salt on top have become a surprise frequent sellout. Food & Wine even named them one of the best chocolate chip cookies in the country. “We make more of those every day than we make of anything else,” says co-owner and baker Tom Clark. “It’s totally taken off.” Don’t let the simple cookie fool you, this bakery also sells artful tarts and other French pastries such as sweet and savory croissants that bakers laminate and handcut at 3 a.m. each business day. Clark is serious about breadmaking too, using fine European-style bread flours and free-range Amish eggs. He adheres to classic French dough fermentation techniques that bring out a more distinct flavor in the breads over more time. “Our levains, they do have a little bit of a tang,” he says. “You also get the nuttiness; it’s a little bit chewier.” Use It At Home: To wow at parties, turn the French baguette ($2.95) into crostinis by cutting it up, toasting it with olive oil and topping it with artisan cheese. 1319 Sloane Ave., Lakewood, 216-712-6599, blackbirdbaking.com