All right, first of all, I am happy to see another independent bakery open up in Charlotte and I hope Sweet Lorraine's succeeds.
Let's start with the GOOD:
Attractive and clean interior. Tons of windows with great views of East Boulevard. Baked goods are clearly and attractively displayed. Big variety of baked goods: cookies, muffins, tarts, mini pies, biscotti, bars, bread pudding, mini poundcake loaves, bread loaves, and cake slices. Friendly staff.
BAD:
Coffee was standard, unsatisfying , and unmemorable. Tea selection consists of bagged Lipton and Tazo. Lipton for goodness sakes! I can get that at home. How about classing up the place a bit with a few loose leaf teas? For my pastry selection, I got a rainbow bar which was described to me as almond flavored sponge cake with layers of raspberry and apricot jam topped with chocolate ganache. I expected the cake to be light and easy to break apart, but it was not. It was more like a very dense cheesecake and all the flavors mentioned above were immensely subtle. I expected a burst of sensation, but instead I struggled to finish it because I was bored. It was definitely fresh and homemade though. The seating: 5 small circular tables with 2 chairs. It actually reminded me of fancy patio furniture. A couple of chairs spread about, but not really "nesting" chairs.
So like I said above, I appreciate a new privately owned bakery, but Sweet Lorraine's is not a place that I would make a special trip to. Perhaps if I were in the neighborhood and I had a baked goods craving I would stop in, but definitely not for the coffee or tea.