Several years ago my Grandmother passed away. I am fairly sure that most of us have a story about something or many things, as was the case with my Grandma Koener, that she would bake or cook that we loved. Grandma made great mashed potatoes, something called chocolate lush (which is making me drool thinking about it), turkey, ham, and a whole variety of things that inspired in me a desire to learn how to cook. She taught me how to cook everything I wanted to learn. I owe to her not only my ability to make a great white sauce that can be used in so many recipes and also my ability to bake almost anything she taught me, except one. I have never been able to perfect or get anywhere near her ability to make amazing cinnamon rolls. Grandma used to make our family large batches of cinnamon rolls and store them in the freezer for future consumption. My breakfast would consist, as you might guess, a cup of hot chocolate and one or two of Grandma's cinnamon rolls.When my Grandma passed away, not for lack of looking or trying, I could not find anything that came close to what she would bake for us until I walked into Chez Monet a few years ago for a cup of hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll. First things first, my friends in Jefferson City and well a lot of Missouri have heard me talk about the cinnamon rolls here, so my apologies in advance to them who may be reading this to have to hear it again. But if you have gone there you have to admit that it is a great cinnamon roll.
Chez Monet, is in many ways like the bakery that you might find in any town. You walk in the door and are immediately overcome like Yogi Bear to the picnic basket by the smell of fresh baked goods. A glass case is all that separates you from a daily choice of pastry, bread, cakes and pies. Chez Monet also serves sandwiches and soups for lunch.
The hot chocolate is made with your choice of skim or 2% milk and heated up the old fashioned way. You have the choice of whipped cream or not. Take a few minutes to let your coco cool down a little before taking your first sip (experience teaches patience will prevent a burned tongue and more enjoyment of the coco). Not to eclipse a good cup of hot chocolate but the cinnamon rolls here are great. The rolls are baked to a perfect combination of moist flakiness that I have not experienced anywhere since Grandma's rolls. Neither the cinnamon or glaze are to overpowering, a mistake many bakeries make. I give Chez Monet 5 out 5 cups for a good cup of hot coco and a great cinnamon roll. My thanks to Joan Fairfax, the owner and baker, for making something that provided a wonderful way to think about my Grandma.
Directions to Chez Monet can be found at the following link.
http://maps.google.com/places/us/mo/jefferson-city/e-high-st/126/-chez-monet-bakery-cafe?hl=en&gl=us
Here is what someone else had to say about Chez Monet.
http://thelittledixieweekender.com/archive/chez-monet-cupcake-smiles-in-jefferson-city/
