South Philly bakeshop slings pizza and pastries.
On a gloomy Tuesday around 6:00 p.m., we stepped into Kermit’s Bake Shoppe, the pizzeria–meets–patisserie, ready to indulge in a post–midterm meal. Despite the enormous rolling pin hanging from the high ceiling, our eyes fixed on the glass–enclosed menagerie that separates the entrance from the massive and conspicuous kitchen, exposing busy chefs at work. Kermit’s claims to give “mouths goose bumps”—as we salivated over the glass trove of sweet and savory goods, the statement proved accurate before our first bite.
Kermit’s takes your typical, packaged supermarket comfort foods and refines them into a wide selection of carefully crafted dishes. Chef Brian Lofink adds a home–cooked twist to microwavable Hot Pockets to create the Cheeseburger Hot Pocket ($4). The dish’s blend of ground beef, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese enclosed in a warm blanket of buttery, flaky puff pastry is practically sinful. Equally indulgent is the Pesto Hot Pocket ($4), stuffed with warm goat cheese and fresh veggies galore—artichokes, roasted red peppers, crimini mushrooms and almond basil pesto.In addition to its hot pockets, Kermit’s offers a full selection of pizza. Sensitive taste buds can definitely handle the Fiery Sausage & Peppers slice ($3.25), topped with provolone and a medley of red hot peppers, garlic sausage and onions. The plain cheese slice ($2.25) however, was dry and underwhelming. And for those who don’t eat gluten, have no fear: Kermit’s offers numerous flavorful pizzas where the standard white–wheat dough can be substituted for a gluten–free version without sacrificing taste. By the way, Kermit’s provides neither indoor nor outdoor seating, so delivery and to–go are the only options.
Appetites not yet satisfied, we approached the assortment of cleverly named, colorful desserts—a gourmand’s heaven should you find a few extra dollars to spend on slightly overpriced treats. The cashier directed us to the salted caramel brownie ($4), “a customer favorite.” However, the layer of sticky caramel, sandwiched between two blankets of dark fudge, does anything but complement the chocolate. My disappointment subsided as I devoured the red velvet crumb cake ($4.00) and then fully disappeared with the exceptionally rich carrot loaf ($2.50). For larger occasions and appetites, the bakery offers cakes, pies and tarts starting at $18.
In sum, I’ll return to Kermit’s Bake Shoppe whenever I have some spare time, cash and room in my jeans.
Kermit's Bake Shoppe 2204 Washington Ave. @KermitsPhilly (267) 639–4267
Don't Miss: Cheeseburger hot pocket Skip: Salted caramel brownie $$
