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Phone: 804/798-8331
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sunday.Tab for two: About $25
Atmosphere: Cozy, cheerful setting, with booths and outdoor seating.
Credit cards: American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover
Directions: Take I-95 South
to Exit 92. Make a right
off the exit onto Route 54 West. Go through three stoplights. As you cross the railroad tracks, Homemades by Suzanne will be in front of you, to the right. Parking is available in the rear of the building.
Other info: Homemades by Suzanne also caters and prepares box lunches.
Phone: 804/798-8331
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sunday.
Atmosphere: Cozy, cheerful setting, with booths and outdoor seating.
Lunch tab for two: $25
Credit cards: American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover
Directions from Fredericksburg: Take I-95 South to Exit 92. Make a right off the exit onto Route 54 West. Go through three stoplights, and as you cross the railroad tracks, Homemades by Suzanne will be in front of you, to the right. Parking is available in the rear of the building.
Other info: Homemades by Suzanne also caters and prepares box lunches. The Colony Club in Richmond is Suzanne's special events banquet facility, at 10 E. Franklin St. The Colony Club can be reached at 804/775-2323.
THE FREE LANCE-STAR I have an insatiable sweet tooth.I rush through dinner to get to dessert. I stir a ridiculous amount of sugar in my coffee. And whenever I see a bakery, I am inexplicably drawn inside.
Homemades by Suzanne in the quaint town of Ashland is my Mecca. I made the 40-minute drive down Interstate 95 to the bakery last week under the pretense of having lunch with a friend.
"They have the best sandwiches," I told him, all the while thinking about the glass cases full of huge buttery cookies, truffles, chocolate chess pie and pastries.
But the lunch menu at Suzanne's is extensive, too.
Last week I tried the Hanover Club ($6.45), a true Virginia sandwich. The soft, fresh wheat roll (baked on the premises) was stacked high with the real deal: salty country ham, roasted turkey, delightfully crisp bacon, lettuce, ripe tomato and mayonnaise.
The sandwiches at Suzanne's come with a choice of side salads. The woman behind the counter was very patient with me as I tried to decide between five-veggie slaw, sugar snap pea and tomato salad, marinated carrots and green bean salad. These are only a few of the nearly 15 salads available.
I finally decided on the green bean salad, which contained fresh crisp green beans, kidney beans cooked just right and little bits of tomato. The light, sweet dressing was the perfect complement to the summery concoction.
I tried a deviled egg, too, and one bite took me back to Fourth of July picnics in my grandmother's back yard.
The sandwiches at Suzanne's are served on cute flowery trays, with a few bread and butter pickles stacked on the side.
The colorful trays add to the homey atmosphere of the bakery. Baskets line the cheerful blue and yellow plaid walls and hang from the ceilings. The booths around the perimeter of the dining area are cozy, and the antique tables that fill the center of the room make the place feel like a country kitchen.
Outside, the blue and yellow awning and wrought-iron tables remind me of the cafés in Paris, but the pineapple on the door--the Colonial symbol for hospitality--is all Virginia.
But the real reason the place feels like home is the made-from-scratch food. My friend ordered the hickory-smoked barbecue sandwich on a wheat roll with slaw ($5.45). He inhaled the tender, sweet sandwich in no time.
The fruit salad that came with his sandwich was the run-of-the-mill combination of melon, strawberries, grapes and pineapple. Its color and texture were disappointing, and the fruit wasn't very fresh.
After sucking down our peach iced tea and strawberry lemonade, we headed up to the counter for a long look at the desserts.
"I'll have rows one through three," my friend told the woman behind the counter. She smiled and told him it would take a while to package all those desserts for him.
I chose the cream puff ($2) and my dairy-loving friend went for the turtle cheesecake ($2.25).
My treat was big enough for a family of four. The airy pastry was filled with custard and unsweetened whipped cream, the perfect balance for the smooth, chocolate frosting on top.
The cheesecake was good, too--not too heavy. The chocolate sauce, butterscotch and pecans gave it a special twist.
Some other desserts on the menu are carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, pies (including coconut, lemon chess and pecan), sour cream coconut cake, macaroons and miniature cupcakes.
Whole pies range in price from $7.50 to $9.50.
After finishing dessert, I headed up to the counter-of-temptation for a final perusal. I wouldn't make it back to Suzanne's for a while, so I bought some crab quiche with green pea and cheddar salad ($6.45) for dinner.
When I was finally hungry enough to eat again (the next day!) the quiche's lumps of backfin crabmeat, cheddar cheese and fluffy eggs melted in my mouth. The flaky crust was perfect.
I had also taken home a jumbo key lime cookie (95 cents). The tangy, tart glaze on the moist cookie tasted just like my beloved key lime pie.
My friend and I plan to make another trip to Homemades by Suzanne. And next time, we plan to make a day of it--eating and exploring the adorable town of Ashland, home to Randolph-Macon College, unique shops and stately Southern homes.