La Segunda is an institution in Tampa. The bakery has been operating since 1915, making fresh breads and pastries. I went to visit their restaurant and grab something to eat.
There was a lot to choose from. They had pastry cases full of pure happiness. I did get three desserts to go so that I could enjoy them at home later. They had so many things to choose from it was a hard choice for me.
I finally decided on the carrot cake, the cheese danish, and the guava cheese turnover.
The carrot cake was extremely moist. The spice in the cake was great, it tasted like nutmeg. The cream cheese frosting was sweet and creamy. It paired well with the spice in the cake. There was also a lot of sweet raisins mixed throughout the cake. It was perfect with a cold glass of milk.
The guava cheese turnover was my favorite. The flakey pastry was moist and held in the filling nicely. The sweet cream cheese paired well with the semi-sweet and tart guava jam.
The cheese danish was huge. It is good to share because one person could not eat all of it. The cheese filling was creamy and super sweet. They used a generous amount that made the danish heavy in weight. The dough they used for the pastry was light and flakey.
I ordered the Media Noche. It is the ingredients of a Cuban sandwich on a special bread called Medianoche (a sweet, eggy bread). The bread was loaded with marinated pork, smoked ham, Genoa salami, swiss cheese, crunchy dill pickles, and a special sauce. I had the sandwich pressed so that it would warm up the fillings and make the outside of the bread crispy.
The pork was my favorite part of the sandwich. The shredded pork was tender and juicy. It was full of flavor from the Mojo marinade. The special sauce did have mustard in it but I could not make out the other ingredients, but it did help tie all the components together.
I loved all the pastries and the sandwich that I got at La Segunda. I can see why they have been around for over a century.
Check them out at www.lasegundabakery.com
Enjoy!
T
