Kneads pairs desserts, cocktails and comfort foods in nighttime menu
Kira and Adam Paterakis remember as kids having dinners out with their family and getting raw dough balls to play with and shape. Then, the staff would take the dough back and bake it. That kind of dinner outing was a special one — and one that the third-generation owners of Kneads Bakeshop in Harbor East want to share with their own children. A bakeshop with fresh pastries, comfort food and a relaxing atmosphere different from the daytime rush, Kneads at Night launched this fall, with the vision of a menu that would feel accessible to all — from the family to the nearby hotel guest to the passerby looking for a laid-back evening over dinner, dessert and cocktails.
Garlic Parmesan wings, a Bistro Burger, crab pretzel, pizza, and other savory favorites are on the menu. But even if you’ve already eaten dinner, there’s an opportunity for a treat.
“Maybe, you know, you’ve had a great meal and you want an ice cream sundae or a root beer float or a macaroon cookie sandwich,” says Kristin Graham, sales manager for Kneads.
The lights come down at night, and the music changes to a smoother R&B, and it’s what bartender Stepanie Harper describes as casual but luxe. Dark, leather seating paired with warmer earth tones makes the space feel inviting.
“We want to have a warm environment that everyone feels welcome in, whether you’ve been there once or 100 times,” Graham says.
The Cocktails
Aiding in that welcome are concoctions like the French Moon — with glittery swirls and an ice ball that “gives you the illusion of holiday time, wintertime,” Harper says, and The Only Espresso Martini You Knead, with house-brewed espresso and house-made foam.
You can even order the Saturday Morning at any time of day or night — with strudel or belgian waffles and bacon on the side.
The Desserts
But the most natural combos will come from Kneads’ baked goods. With a team of pastry chefs, a dessert menu was a natural transition from day to night, in addition to daytime pastries in the front displays still available to pair with food or drink.
Ice cream sandwiches, s’mores, churros, and a gelato croissant are among the night menu offerings — as well as a popular cookie shot with an edible cookie glass.
“The locals are our regulars that come in and get their daily coffee, and at night, they are now regulars because we have the gelatos and sorbets” and milkshakes, floats and others they don’t have during the day, Floor Manager Kelsey Jackson says.
Any of these pair well with the dessert cocktails, since all of them are either based on a dessert or have a nod to a dessert, with flavors such as Earl Grey tea, amaretto, black walnut, and Bailey’s Irish cream.
The Chocolate Martini pairs well with Chocolate Almond Croissant and the Strawberry Cheesecake Donut goes well with the Mixed Berry Refresher mocktail, Harper says. With pairings, she says, you get full satisfaction — where all your senses are touched.
Jackson’s favorite is the one of the Boozy Sorbets, a watermelon basil tequila sorbet that combines the drink and dessert in one.
“We know we’re not that diet item. You don’t come to Kneads for that salad. Even though we have great salads, we know our niche, and we just want you to leave with a little bit sweeter of an experience,” Graham says.
The Baltimore Touch
Of course, Kneads is centered in Baltimore tradition, with parent company H&S Bakery baking wholesale here for more than 80 years. And that history has seeped into Kneads’ cocktails as well, with a current ode to Baltimore on the menu in the form of the Egg Custard Snow Ball cocktail.
Besides its own secret egg custard recipe, Kneads’ draw here is the shaved ice machine behind the bar. “And if you’re from Baltimore, you know, if you’ve had a snowball, you know it’s about that ice,” Graham says.
Knead to Know
Since opening its flagship location in Harbor East two years ago, Kneads has already added a location in Locust Point and its newest in Canton — housed in a former Atwater’s café.
Each location features murals by local artists and Kneads’ signature earth tones but varies its design and style of tableware. In Canton, the mural by Baltimore artist Bridget Cimino will be “an entire wall space inside dedicated to our favorite thing in the world: carbs,” Graham says.
A Cross Keys Village location is on tap for December.
All Kneads locations already partner with Aveley Farms Coffee Roasters — which also sells Kneads products in its shops — and Cross Keys will collaborate with a connecting shop, Always Ice Cream Company, for some sweet treats.
Graham says that though Kneads is expanding, the plan is to always have Harbor East’s sprawling 17,500-square-foot space be its largest footprint that defines the brand.
It would be great to see Kneads in other states at some point, but she says the immediate goal is to have a presence in Baltimore City’s surrounding counties as well.
The Only Expresso Martini You Knead
The recipe is a trade secret, but here are the ingredients and steps used, if you’d like to try your hand at your own take on this popular espresso martini.
Ingredients:
1. A generous shot of Tito’s Vodka
2. Cold Brew Liqueur
3. Kneads House Brewed Expresso
Instructions:
Stirred in a mixing glass
Double strained over a chilled coupe glass
Topped with delicate Amaretto Foam and decorated with Fine-Grounded Kneads Expresso Powder.
For more tips on making cocktails from Stephanie Harper and other industry experts, follow her “Sippin’ with Steph” on Apple, Spotify and other podcast hosts.
