Chef Joseph Moorhead is a picky eater. He's not a fan of salmon mousse, and he doesn't like onions cluttering his food. He says he wouldn't work well in a savory kitchen -- so it seems fitting that he instead spends long hours in his heavenly pastry studio, Petit 4, where his passion for sweets takes on a Zen-like artistry. Two and a half years ago, Moorhead opened his bakery in a quiet corner of Old City. Uncompromising with flavor, he uses only the finest ingredients in his creations. Moorhead likes Indonesian vanilla beans, organic flour, butter and heavy cream, because they are the absolute best when it comes to fine pastry.
Petit 4 concentrates on creating unparalleled desserts that lure customers from far and wide for something as seemingly insignificant as banana milk chocolate cookies ($1), which are so popular that they have "traveled more than I have," claims Joe. Sundays are special at Petit 4. Patrons sip hot coffee and nibble on fresh from the oven, to-die-for scones ($2 each) while perusing the Sunday New York Times and listening to The Beatles. This is Joe's idea of a perfect Sunday morning, and he passes on the secret of simple pleasures to his consumers. The ambiance is a juxtaposition of funk and elegance. Paired with sophisticated pastry, mismatched '50s tables and artsy coffeepot-inspired light fixtures decorate the caf‚ half of the bakery, creating the epitome of culinary elegance without snobbery. Moorhead's favorite part of the space is a floor-to-ceiling window that acts as the back wall of the kitchen/caf‚. With the sun warming up his kitchen, Moorhead hopes it provides his trainees with a comfortable, relaxing workspace to inspire them. Better yet, you can watch the entire creative process from the cafe floor, which really inspires an appetite. My companion and I savored three perfect little pastries -- a gorgeous mini key lime tart ($4 each), a berry-covered fruit tart ($5) and a Tiffany-style, little-blue-box-shaped Petit 4 that Mara -- a friendly 17 year-old member of the Petit 4 family -- brought us. She grinned at us and said, "Are you guys stuffed yet? Keep going -- that Napoleon is awesome." Between the layers of light puff pastry and rich Napoleon cream were perfectly ripe, whole strawberries. The Napoleon ($4) was not only my favorite, but also Joe's choice pastry of the day. He says that, ultimately, the goal is to make people smile and say "Mmm, mmm..." while they chew and gasp, "Ohmigod!" as they swallow, which is exactly what we did.
