Audio By Carbonatix
Oh, my. This beauty of a sticky bun, studded with pecans and glazed with a
crème brûlée-like shell, is certainly one way to start off your morning at Hi
Rise (2162 Larimer Street). But there are many more ways to sweeten your day at the bakery, which opened its doors eight months ago.The pastry case offers up a selection that ranges from breakfast fare to light
treats to splurge-worthy desserts.
Though the sticky bun lives up to its name,
it can be a bit dry and benefits greatly from a brief warming, which the staff
will do for you. The brownie, however, is nothing if not moist and tender. It’s owner Doug
Anderson’s favorite and, while he admits he likes whatever is new, “I can’t turn
my back on the brownie,” he says. “It’s about as much sugar as I can stand in one
sitting!”
The brownie has a miraculous composition that allows it to be insanely,
melt-in-your-mouth chocolatey, without turning into a dense brick. The frosting contains a
healthy dose of salt, which compliments the sweet and keeps it from becoming
an all-out sugar bomb.
Many of Anderson’s recipes are “based on a guy in Paramus, New Jersey,” he says, hand-written and full of idiosyncratic directions (“half a coffee cup of
salt”). Anderson toyed and tested them all until the results were to
his liking.
Though he’s not from the East Coast, the flavor of the region is present
in many of Anderson’s baked goods. The shortbread, for instance, is a delicate, buttery square
with a raspberry filling under a lattice top — the closest thing you’ll find
to a New York linzer tart in Denver.
“I like traditional, homey-type stuff,” Anderson says — a broad sentiment
that covers airy, pecan-laced rochers and giant lemon cookies drizzled with
tart icing. Given the array of choices, it’s safe to say there’s something for
everyone at Hi Rise. And if you come on a Monday, when the pastries and desserts are 2 for
1, everyone can get a couple somethings.
Sticky bun $2.50
Brownie $2.50
Shortbread $1.50
Lemon cookie $.99
Rocher: $.75
