Lidet Café & Bakery
Vegan Gluten Free Teff Bread
Orange Cranberry Bread
Vegan Banana Nut Bread
Cream Puff
Éclair
Napoleon
Almond Croissant
Located on West Flamingo for over a year it was finally on Saturday that a reason arose to visit Lidet Café & Bakery, the signage signifying an Ethiopian influence that is actually indicative of ownership as the husband and wife team were both present and happy to discuss their products.
Translated roughly as new birth, the Café a passion project for the young woman who quit her job to take up baking full time, guests entering Lidet will quickly take note of a virtually spotless space that is brightly lit and nicely decorated, an overhead menu displaying Food and Beverage choices though several items from the list were not available over two hours after opening.
Describing the concept with enthusiasm, a menu that is Vegan-friendly yet free of fillers and emulsifiers no doubt commendable considering the limitations, it was after inquiring about several unlabeled items that an order of six was decided upon with a Cream Puff added complimentary, the whole lot’s total just under $21.
Returning home to enjoy, though the Café itself is peaceful including shaded outdoor seats, it was with all goods unboxed and Coffee in hand that first bites were taken of Vegan Banana Nut Bread, the bitter flavor of Walnuts nicely balanced by Fruit but the Bread unfortunately lacking moisture while the non-Vegan Orange-Cranberry Loaf was no different, and as a matter of fact actually drier.
A bit discouraged as good Quick Breads can be found on both sides of Las Vegas Boulevard, though Teff Loaf that is naturally Gluten-free stood out for its uniquely spongy texture and light sweetness, it was with good fortune that both Lidet’s Choux-based items were dramatically better, the same Custard Filling first tasted creamy and pure followed as a backdrop to Dark Chocolate Drizzle.
Rounding out the morning with two more items, a $3.75 “Napoleon” besieged with sogginess that compromised what otherwise could have been an interesting compilation of Custard, Pastry and Nuts, it was as another source of disappointment that a still-warm Almond Croissant was found to be filled with Frangipane, a seemingly odd choice as naturally ground Almonds would seem far better fitting Lidet’s focus on natural ingredients.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Small, hidden in a strip-mall and run by folks who care it would be great to sing the praises of Lidet Café & Bakery but as it stands there is not much here to bring one back with Manan just up the Street and the likes of Rosallie, Breizh and others nearby except perhaps the Cream Puffs or an interest in tasting the Teff Bread.
RECOMMENDED: Cream Puff, Teff Bread.
AVOID: Orange-Cranberry Loaf, Napoleon, Banana Nut Bread, Almond Croissant.
TIP: Open at 8am Monday through Saturday, though Almond Croissants had just been made and Cinnamon Rolls were still absent at 10:15am.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.lidetcafe.com
