Polly's New Fave: Swedish coffee and pastries

The gray shingled house with white trim makes me feel for a minute that I can smell salt air and feel a Scandinavian breeze, though I'm actually in Covington. This is Fika, a tiny bit of Sweden on 12th Street.

Fika means something like coffee break in Swedish, the time of day for a cup of coffee and a few home-baked sweets.

I happened to drop by on one of the three days a week they're open. It wasn't really coffee break time, but I took one anyway, and tried all of the pastries on offer with a sampler plate ($10).

It includes rich and buttery shortbread cookies, including a raspberry-almond-coconut square, another with caramely almond in the center. There is also a moist chocolate and oatmeal ball, dipped in chocolate, a little marzipan roll that could very well cure your marizipan prejudice, a rolled raspberry cake and a lovely ginger cookie. None of them are too sweet or elaborate, just fresh and perfect with the Deeper Roots coffee they brew here.

Fika is owned by Daniel and Angie Connor. Daniel was born in Sweden; his mother is Swedish, his Kentucky-born father played basketball there. Angie isn't Swedish, but she has the Swedish baker's touch. They also serve Swedish meatball soup and other savory foods for lunch and have a small selection of beer. Angie teaches piano in a studio upstairs; Daniel's photos from his travels are on the wall.

For now, they're only open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 8:30 a.m.- 7 p.m. Saturday. 508 W. 12th St., Covington, 859-816-9125