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Off The Menu
Raleigh Metro Magazine
Off The Menu
by Fred Benton
There’s more culinary treasure in Glenwood Village, namely Hereghty Heavenly Delicious, a to-die-for patisserie and caf that opened about six months ago. Before I discovered Hereghty, I would make periodic sojourns to the Watergate Pastry Shop in DC to assuage my passion for Napoleons with a creme patisserie that made France famous. But brothers Chris (the pastry chef with Swiss training) and Brian (formerly an architect) had a life-long dream to open a first-rate European bakery—and their dream has become a reality.
Lunch, according to Brian, is their peak period of the day when diners can sit inside (room for 16) in comfortable chairs or outside at cafe tables (seating for 8) and nosh on quiche, one of the best renditions I’ve tasted made in a commercial kitchen. And I hail it a “best” simply because, unlike in every restaurant in which I’ve eaten quiche, the bottom crust is actually cooked! Everywhere else it’s soggy, pallid raw dough. I visited Hereghty’s the other day in the early evening and really enjoyed sipping a glass of wine outside where each table had a lit candle, watching the bustling Glenwood Village world go scrambling by while I sunk a fork into a variety of mousses: cakes that with every taste brought to my palate the finest ingredients. I have a particular fondness for their lemon tart, which is wonderfully tart and smooth (the secret, confided Chris, was the use of glucose that adds silkiness to the filling).
Gourmet coffees are also offered along with coffee drinks (how about a Liquid Brownie?). The list of their “incredible edibles” would read a mile long. But these are delectable, as well as beautiful sweets. And they also do sweet trays for parties—which for me is a boon. I hate cooking sweets. Just reading the tarts list makes my sweet tooth go on alarm: how about a rice tart? Never had a rice tart but this is a Swiss specialty with hazelnut dough, apricots, golden raisins, milk rice filling with a hint of cinnamon and finished with a rum Bavarian cream. I asked Chris his two favorite pastries; he responded with the Paris and the Zurich. The menu describes the Paris as “chocolate cake with two layers of chocolate sponge, light rum syrup and a light 58 percent chocolate mousse”; the Zurich is “a layer of flourless coconut sponge, milk chocolate praline crunch, passion fruit cream and chocolate mousse.” The Zurich was my favorite only because of the crunch of the praline, but both were “heavenly” good.
As I mentioned, party trays are available that take these delicious cakes to more bite-sized portions, plus the bakery will be doing all sorts of holiday traditional fare. Hereghty’s is big business. They have a 2,800-square-foot production kitchen at another location in Raleigh. They also prepare wedding and specialty cakes. Choice holiday gift: a gift card to this amazing place.
Correspondent: Fred Benton
Published: December 2005
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