Congrats to Ike & Jane!!!

I am pleased to announce that my brother-in-law's new bakery has been getting some VERY good press lately. This first article was written in the Athens Banner Herald and the second article was written in The Moment Blog of the New York Times. The writer from the New York Times visited them on the second day they were open. How awesome is that?! They received a second mention in the Banner Herald today as part of the Action 5 which appears to be some guy's list of 5 things you shouldn't miss. Congratulations Matt and Jessie! Anyone heading to Athens in the near future should definitely ride down Prince and check it out!

Ike & Jane: Tell the whole neighborhood

The Dish

By Steven Grubbs | Athens Banner-Herald | Story updated at 7:16 pm on 3/10/2009

If you live in Normaltown or the Boulevard area, you've probably noticed over the past few months since the old Black Forest Bakery moved, a place called Ike & Jane has replaced it.

For months, that place stood unopened, the word ALMOST repeated on some signage in the window.

Well, last week, that sign was taken down, and the door was unlocked. I stopped in and had some lunch, an espresso and a doughnut. It was good enough that I came back the next day. And the next. And, ahem, the next.

In fact, ever since I first heard that Matt Downs of Luna Bread and Corie Rein (formerly of Espresso Royale Café) were opening a bakery café together, I've been somewhat fixated on the place. This is not surprising, since I am both a sucker for baked goods and a bona fide espresso fiend. But these are available all over town. What really had been goading me was the fact that every time I got such a hankering, I had to get in my car and drive right by Ike & Jane on the way to someplace else. ALMOST, the sign would say, ALMOST. I was not to be assuaged.

So you then might attribute my persistent attendance simply to some kind of exorbitant release of tension, the way a kid would have Christmas four or five days in a row, if he could.

But I don't think it's just that. The food really is very good. The sandwich of pulled pork and slaw on ciabatta bread has been my favorite, but the grilled ham-and-gruyere on sourdough was no slouch, either. And the soups are made in-house by hired gun Chef Neff, who comes in the night to work his magic, and is gone before the day breaks. The pastries and doughnuts are exactly what they should be: hearty, comforting and yet surprisingly elegant.

But I don't think it's just that, either. And it's not just the espresso, which is among the best in town, or the charm of the name, which is composed of the first names of Downs' grandparents (who once owned a bakery, too), or the outdoor seating, or the gags that get you 10 percent off.

No, the reason is something that struck me two Sundays ago as I sat in the window and drank an espresso and watched the street fill up with snow. I had walked over from my house just as the really big flakes started to come down, and as I came into Ike & Jane, I shook my head and laughed at what was happening with other people from the neighborhood who'd had the same idea. It was a classic moment. Capra classic.

It was this sense of something classic, classic like a bakery, that helped explain my behavior. The reason I've been back almost every day is because finally I have been given a neighborhood haunt. For someone who grew up in the fractured, disassociated suburbs of Atlanta, this has a special poignancy. It is a link to something small but important: a few small walkable streets, a couple of places to eat, a warm little bakery - a neighborhood.

Now all we need is a grocery.

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The next article was reprinted from the Moment Blog of the New York Times. They were in town checking out a place that had just started serving breakfast and their owner steered them over to Ike & Jane's.

March 5, 2009, 2:31 pm

Counter Culture | Breakfast in Georgia

By Christine Muhlke

The National will have you looking for real estate in Athens, Ga.

Breakfast on the road can either be triste or transcendent. Last week in Athens, Ga., I found two things to write home about. Looking forward to a biscuit at the Waffle House chain (love those light fixtures), I was rerouted to The National by Hugh Acheson, the extremely talented (and cool) chef at Five & Ten, who’s one of the partners.

At night, the small bar area is filled with Williamsburg-ready foodies and music lovers on their way to and from nearby clubs. At 8 a.m. the next morning, they’re replaced by professors and locals who quietly read the paper over Counter Culture coffee and the chef Peter Dale’s knockout food. The small menu includes dried cherry muffins; a burrata, tomato and basil frittata; and the killer: an empanada stuffed with Benton’s Tennessee prosciutto, titilla cheese (a Spanish cheddar) and scallions and fried until crispy-melty. Reader, it was $2. I immediately started looking at real-estate listings.

Not far away, Ike & Jane’s, a cute new bakery and cafe, had opened the day before. Always game for research, I took some coffee cake, sweet-potato cheesecake and a doughnut on the plane. If I had been able to get over myself and taken the challenge of the day (do your best imitation of an elephant), I’d have gotten 10 percent off. Everyone else in line was into it. Maybe they should try it at Balthazar Bakery.