Our critic finds out what makes the Midwest the holy land. Just beyond the display case filled with varieties of honey-drenched baklava and mamoul is a miniature cafeteria line boasting hot and cold dishes, from chilled salads to fat boiled potatoes stuffed with lamb. Diners can eat at the few tables near the entrance or have a meal wrapped up to go. Hot sandwiches in pastry crusts wait under a heat lamp, ready to be picked up and eaten. Like many of the city's Middle Eastern restaurants, the Jerusalem Bakery is unglamorous and unabashedly casual.
Prices are slightly higher here, but the food is exquisite.
A memorable house salad comes with a tangy olive oil vinaigrette. Most diners will have enough left for lunch the following day. And the delicate, warm walnut baklava is the best I've ever tasted. The Turks and Greeks both lay claim to inventing this rich pastry, but after sampling it in Parkville, you'll know Missouri is the real Promised Land. Inc. All rights reserved.