Danish Pastry House

Danish Pastry House

330 Boston Ave.

Medford

781-396-8999

Hours: daily, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Visa and MasterCard accepted

The last place you'd expect to discover a sidewalk cafe with patrons sipping cappuccino and nibbling on continental pastry might be on the corner of Boston Avenue and Winthrop Street, in Medford's Hillside neighborhood.

But the newly opened Danish Pastry House is turning what was a ho-hum stretch of businesses into Medford's newest place to indulge the sweet tooth, read the morning paper, relax over a light lunch or evening dessert, and be seen.

The spacious and attractive bakery-cafe-ice-cream shop seems to have transformed the neighborhood in a short time, as students, faculty, and staff from nearby Tufts University (including President Lawrence Bacow), police officers on break, and longtime neighborhood folks have found a place to hang out from early in the morning to after dinner.

The space used to be occupied by a card shop, and when the longtime owner died, residents wondered what would take its place.

Ulla Winkler, a native of Denmark who has owned and run Ulla's Flower Shop next door on Boston Avenue for about 10 years, says she had always dreamed of opening a Danish bakery in the area. That dream blossomed into reality at the end of May, when she and her business partner, Kathleen Flahive, opened the pastry house in the renovated space.

''In Denmark, it is so much a part of the culture to go the bakery in the morning to get fresh bread and pastries," she said. With the cafe, ''it's wonderful to have a place where all kinds of people can get together."

The shop serves up espresso and fresh brewed teas, soups, sandwiches, and a tantalizing array of flaky pastries -- some sprinkled with poppy seeds, others filled with Danish marzipan -- fresh fruit tarts, and fanciful confections of chocolate, marshmallow, and baked marzipan in an airy and spacious, sit-down cafe filled with flowering plants. Patrons may also savor their treats at sidewalk tables.

Several plates of enticing, bite-sized samples help customers make a selection, or offer just the needed nibble to accompany a cup of coffee.

For sheer delight, there's an eye-catching marzipan frog face ($2.50), in green or yellow, with raspberry mousse on top of a light cake, a design based on a Danish children's cartoon character similar to Kermit the Frog, according to Winkler. An almond horn, dipped partially in chocolate ($2.25), not overly sweet, is crunchy on the outside, and moist and tasting intensely of almond on the inside.

Other afternoon pastries include the French snail, a buttery, caramelized spiral baked with cinnamon and topped with chocolate ($2). The Flodorbolle ($2) attracted a teenage chocolate lover, who declared the mound of Danish marshmallow and chocolate confection ''good, but very sweet." The chocolate truffle was rich and creamy and on an evening visit, he enjoyed the scoop of chocolate pudding ice cream ($2.75, small).

The ice cream counter, featuring Herrell's ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt, is a favorite among children who are attracted to the colorful toppings on display.

The specialty breakfast pastry is Thebirkes ($1.75) -- Flahive's favorite -- a flaky Danish pastry dough filled with subtle marzipan and topped with poppy seeds.

You may come for the pastry, but it is the wide variety of home-baked breads and rolls on the back wall that are the shop's most delightful surprise.

A traditional Danish nine-grain bread is dense, moist, and bursting with flavor. Winkler says it is a common first food for Danish children and is eaten as a base for cheeses, fruit spreads, Danish butter -- also available -- and Danish smoked salmon. The latter is served atop an open-faced spread of cream cheese and with slices of cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and capers on fresh bagel halves from Iggy's, the only item that isn't homemade. ($2.75).

The whole wheat and rye breads are crusty and great for sandwiches or toast.

All the baking (except the bagels) is done by newly arrived and experienced Danish bakers, in a Watertown bakery that Winkler and Flahive opened last November.

A roasted vegetable sandwich with cheese, on a baguette loaf, was fresh and filling enough for two. Sandwiches, which are priced between $5.25 and $5.50, include turkey, ham, and cheese, are are served on an oval wooden board, adding another touch of Danish charm. Two soups are offered daily, premade by Kettle Soups, and range in price from $2.25 for a small, to $5.25 for a large.

On a recent Saturday morning, outdoor patrons included a family from Concord, with their Danish visitors. ''Our friends are amazed that it's here," said Robert Simon, whose wife was born in Denmark. ''It's the real thing."

PENNY SCHWARTZ