New restaurants offer sweet treats

Those with a sweet tooth can soon rejoice when a new bakery and water ice parlor open in Columbia County.

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Augusta residents Kurt and Annette Eyrich plan to welcome customers at Lily's Bakery & Cafe in Evans by the end of the week.

Fresh artisan-style breads and pastries will be made at the bakery, located in The Shoppes of Blue Ridge at the corner of Evans-to-Locks Road and Blue Ridge Drive in Evans.

"There's certainly a lot of schools in the area," Annette Eyrich said. "It's a great residential area, so we really felt like it was a great location."

Sandwiches and salads will be served for lunch and customers can also stop by Lily's for breakfast foods.

Eyrich said that sandwiches and salads will cost between $7 and $9, loaves of bread will be priced at about $5 and pastries will be about $2 to $4.

Eyrich's husband, who has worked for, or owned, several small businesses, took bread-baking courses recently in Charlotte, N.C.

"Everything we make, we're going to make from scratch, for the most part," Eyrich said.

The Eyriches have 15 children -- eight adopted and seven biological -- and look forward to the restaurant becoming a family venture.

"We just decided this would be something we would enjoy doing and we could involve our family in doing it as well," she said.

As the weather begins to warm, Dionne and Robert Dunlap are hoping their water ice shop, DJR's, will be a big hit with residents.

DJR's is expected to open by mid-May in the former Serendipity location in the Eagle Point Plaza on Washington Road in Evans.

Water ice is a sweet frozen dessert that originated in Italy. The cold treat is infused with a fruit flavor and can be served in multiple ways.

"You can eat it with a spoon and then it melts and turns into water," said Dionne Dunlap.

At DJR's, customers also can have the dessert served in a gelato form, in which soft-served vanilla ice cream is stacked parfait style with any ice water flavor. Misto shakes, consisting of vanilla ice cream blended with water ice, also will be offered, Dunlap said.

The dish is popular in Philadelphia, where Dunlap lived for 10 years.

"It's huge there, and I'm hoping that it takes off here, because we need something new and different," said Dunlap, who is originally from Augusta. "I wanted to bring something back to Augusta."

Dunlap said she will prepare the dessert in 12 to 16 flavors, including cherry, mango, blueberry, lemon and pineapple.

Prices will be inexpensive, said Dunlap, adding that the shop will be open seven days a week.

Customers can order coffee as well as soft-serve vanilla ice cream at the new parlor, she said.

"We just wanted to get the people to come and just enjoy it," she said. "I think they're going to love it."

Two other restaurants in Columbia County have opened or are moving closer to an opening date.

Bo Daddy's American Grille opened Friday in the former Yosko location in the Publix shopping center on Washington Road in Evans.

Pickles, located in the former Raising Cane's building on Furys Ferry Road in Martinez, is expected to open in late May.