Recently I took notice of Please and Thank You, 800 E. Market Street in the heart of NuLu. They were awarded Leo's “Best Place to Get a Piece of Heaven” specifically for their chocolate chip cookies, reputedly a religious experience of the best kind. I work just a few blocks down the way, so my friend Kathleen and I opted to escape from our office for a long luncheon at Please & Thank You this past week.
Please and Thank You is utterly pleasant on the inside, with records lining one wall, and stacked baked goods all around the counter. The afore mentioned cookies were in attendance, as were thick slices of crumbly-topped coffee cake, a cinnamon treat. We ordered the Ganache, a thick latte that came with three marshmallows to balance the heady espresso and dark chocolate. The ganache was thick, frothy, rich, decorated with a foamy latte art leaf. The iced black tea came with a sprig of mint and curls of citrus peel, and packed such a wallop of welcome caffeine I was bouncing off the walls of my cubicle for the rest of the day.
We ordered the Market Street Salad, mixed greens with a basil vinaigrette, bleu cheese, candied walnuts and slivered nectarines. I do not exaggerate when I tell you that it was the best salad I have ever eaten—the exact right balance of those earthy nuts, the springy greens, the soft cheese and fresh fruit. It was also a very large salad, I couldn't finish it.. We ordered the “Curious”, an every seed bagel with cream cheese, peppadew, red onion, apricot jam and cracked peppercorns, just because we were indeed curious and all the ingredients went together so well! Best of all, we got two lattes, a giant iced tea, a salad, a piece of coffee cake, and the Curious for around $30. How's that for Please and Thank You? We will definitely be back.
photos: Elizabeth Orrick
