Wake Up, People!: Snack in the Face Bakery
Need to wake up, but can’t stand the taste of coffee? Then try the new Snack in the Face bakery, located in Campustown. This bakery provides delicious treats with a kick of caffeine baked in each goody. Allison Nelson, the primary owner of the café, decided to open this unique bakery because of her own dislike for the taste of coffee.
“Baking has been in my family since I was a little girl,” she says.
After attempting to create caffeine and water concoctions, Nelson and her husband decided to try melding the stimulant with baked goods like cake truffles, cookies and even gummy bears.
The highest dosage of caffeine can be found in the brownie bites, which are cake truffles with pretty, patterned icing. Each brownie bite contains around 225 MG of caffeine—about as much as one Red Bull. The taste of a chocolate truffle beats the sickeningly sweet tang of an energy drink any day.
The bakery has affordable prices for the amount of caffeine per treat, and is conveniently located in Campustown. The staff is friendly, and the ambience inviting; tables are available for the casual snacker.
The bakery has tentative plans to stay open 24/7 during finals week, providing an excellent break from hitting the textbooks for an uplifting treat. Whether you dislike coffee or just like goodies, this unique bakery is a must-try.
Slice of Satisfaction: Black Market Pizza
So many pizza places, so little time! Here at ETHOS, we’ve recently become fans of the newest pizza joint in Ames: Black Market Pizza.
The restaurant opened after three men were laid off from their manufacturing jobs. To make ends meet, one of the men made and sold pizza from his apartment to pay the rent. He convinced the other two men to join him in opening a pizza restaurant.
Unlike many of the pizzerias in the area, Black Market provides unique crusts and a variety of specialties that go beyond the ordinary.
The restaurant serves three types of crust: thin, Chicago-style and a unique deep-dish crust with no sauce and tomatoes on top. Jim Wilson, one of the co-owners, says the Chicago-style pizza is the best-seller at the restaurant.
The environment is laid-back, with a self-serve pop machine and cozy seating. Pictures from the Maui Waui spicy pizza eating contest cover the walls. The restaurant provides a very communal, rustic atmosphere, where people can hang out and grab a slice in their spare time. With so many pizza places to choose from in Ames, the relaxed atmosphere of Black Market Pizza has us wanting a second-helping.