Last Monday, I enjoyed the hour I got back from daylight savings eating at the new Ettore’s Bakery and Café in Roseville.

Ettore’s Roseville, located by John’s Incredible Pizza and similarly large, initially put me off from pleasant memories of the posh patisserie in Sacramento my family visited to celebrate an occasion. Ettore’s Sacramento charms its guests with a cozy ambience, tasteful atmosphere and mouthwatering sweets display.

Unfortunately, much of this was lost setting up shop in Roseville. The café, restaurant or bakery – I don’t know what to call it – is a whopping two stories and over 8,500 square feet of chic décor and modern design, with a display of pastries and lunch items that wraps around the whole bottom floor. More an airport café than charming patisserie, the ambience and dynamic of the new location is typical of Roseville eateries.

My first time here, I met with my parents in the morning for a coffee and pastry to begin the weekend, and forgetting that Ettore’s was a pay-first kind of gig, I walked in on a huge line just to order a butter croissant and iced coffee, and by “iced coffee” I mean a cup of ice and a point toward the hot coffee dispensers by the condiments. You fellow iced coffee lovers know how it went from there – I sat down with a cup of coldish coffee with no ice and a pile of undissolved sugar crystals at the bottom of cup (the croissant was pretty good, though).

I went back for dinner sometime later craving a burger, surprised by the emptiness of the café to contrast with the breakfast hours. I took the burger without a second look. I didn’t particularly enjoy what was between two bagel-esque cheddar scallion buns – mushrooms, tomatoes, Swiss cheese and other things that belonged neither on a burger nor with each other.

I would have easily rated the new location three stars had my most recent visit before school not reminded me of the optimism that comes with Ettore’s Roseville. I came in on a dreaded Monday and ordered a puff pastry with fresh fruit and custard, and a warm coffee – no fuss. The hot Temple Coffee – all-you-can-drink, by the way – alone was enough to brighten up my week, and the pastry fell no short of heaven as an early-morning bite before the ardours of the day began. After refilling my cup with that wonderful coffee, I finished my pastry in first period and went onward with unusually fond memories of a Monday morning.

While it lacks the irresistible charm of the Sacramento location, Ettore’s Roseville is still one of the most unique and delightful places to breakfast within a ten-mile radius, and a hope that Roseville may one day transcend from forever remaining another suburb that is the backwash of Sacramento culture.

I’ll just say this: either go there super early, have the heavenly peace and pastry of the morning and carry on with the beautiful autumn day like I did, or go in the evening and just skip right to dessert. Get up when your alarm tells you, and go get the cinnamon roll, bear claw or whatever else you’ll be craving tomorrow morning because it doesn’t get any better than this for miles. Oh, and don’t forget the unlimited coffee.