Retro Oven Bakery – St. Pete, FL

My friend Vimmi invited me to go check out this brand new bakery called Retro Oven that her friend Ivana opened in St. Pete.  We each invited friends who invited their own friends, so we had a nice group of girls join us to test out her treats!

Ivana has already been baking wholesale for a few years, but she decided to add a storefront just last week.  So far, the only advertising has been word of mouth, but it already seems to be very popular. 

This place is a hidden gem. I’m sure if I didn’t know it was there, I would drive right past the strip center (the outside definitely doesn’t do it justice).  It was a rainy Saturday morning with the remnants of Hurricane Hermine, but as soon as we stepped through the door, we were welcomed by the cozy, modern interior. 

There was a mix of sweet and savory pastries, cakes, and breads.  Ivana uses a lot of family recipes, and because of her Serbian background, the sweets aren’t quite as sugary as the typical American dessert (which is actually a relief – some bakeries add so much sugar to their concoctions that you get a headache afterwards). 

She gave us several samples and even had slices of all her cakes for us to test out (I loved the European Hazelnut Walnut).  We also tasted her homemade bread, which was hearty and full of all sorts of grains.  I ended up ordering a cinnamon roll and cup of coffee to dip it in.  And since Lance had to work, I picked him up a giant cookie to go. 

Wishing her lots of success! If any of you are in the area, go and visit.

We ended up spending the afternoon in St. Pete. We visited the Indie Market at the Morean Center for Clay where I stocked up on my stash of Urban Canning Company’s D’anjou pear, ginger & habanero jam, got a cup of blueberry jalapeño ginger beer from Tidal Boar, and found a cool piece of art from The Messy Painter. 

We finished with lunch at Bodega on Central – it was hot and sticky outside, but I really enjoyed my arepas and maduros.  I’d love for Tampa’s downtown to eventually become as vibrant as the St. Pete scene since I’m on this side of the bay – we’ll get there one day. 

Retro Oven Bakery is located at 2803 38th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713.  They are open Monday – Friday 7:30am – 3:30pm and Saturday 8am – 3pm (they are closed on Sundays). 

Bodega on Central is located at 1120 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33705.  They are open Sunday – Wednesday 11am – 9pm and Thursday – Saturday 11am – 11pm. 

Black Bean Deli – Orlando, FL

 

On our way to my cousin Fran’s wedding in Titusville last weekend, we stopped in Orlando for a quick bite to eat.  We weren’t sure where to go, so we used the Yelp app to locate nearby restaurants.  The Black Bean Deli was only a few blocks away and had great reviews!

I was expecting an average sandwich shop, but I think this may be one of my new favorite Orlando spots.  It is located in an old retro gas station that’s been renovated to have a cozy modern interior and a covered patio with picnic benches. 

 

I ordered the Choripan sandwich with sweet ham, chorizo sausage, and Swiss cheese.  Lance had the regular Cuban, which also had the same ham & cheese as mine, but with added roast pork and pickles.  They asked if he wanted the large Cuban – but it’s a good thing he went with the regular size!   The sandwiches were huge!    

 

 

We also split an order of maduros – I love sweet plantains.  The food was all very simple, but perfectly executed.  If I lived nearby, I’d be a regular. 

They also have a Winter Park location – and I read that they’re serving a limited menu at a concession stand in the Amway Center too.  I will say that this location was pretty busy, so parking was difficult.  Guess everyone else in Orlando knows about their great food!

Black Bean Deli is located at 1835 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803 and is open 11am – 9pm Monday – Thursday, 11am – 10pm on Friday – Saturday, and closed on Sunday.