Bakery Bliss - Beyond the Cronut

Frozen S'More: Breakfast of Champions (?)

I had some friends visiting in town this weekend, and despite racking my brain for the best and most interesting things to do, they are the ones who suggested visiting Dominique Ansel's famous bakery. Of course! How could I forget such a brilliant, tasty idea?

The infamous cronut line!

Yes, this is the birthplace of the Cronut, but my friends actually weren't that interested in the cronut after all.

I already had a taste of two so far, and that was good enough for me. I'd much rather get my hands on another DKA than stand in line on a glorious Sunday morning! 

 

It's a tight squeeze in the bakery, as the lines for regular pastries and for the Cronuts are in two separate places. You only have a few minutes to compose your sugary thoughts, and I came loaded for bear. Or at least a lot of carbs. I picked up a DKA for me, one for ABF, a canele, a magic soufflé, and why not a frozen Smore as well? Sugar overload, anyone? 

 
A piping hot café au lait was the final touch, and the 3 of us gals picked a table in the back garden, a lovely seating area with tables (there's also indoor seating in the back as well).

 started with the Frozen S'More. The marshmallow is a thing of beauty, gorgeous texture, velvety vanilla flavor.. but the frozen middle wasn't my favorite thing. I could have eaten ten of these marshmallows, but one is a good start. 

The DKA, or Dominique's Kouign Amman (a Breton specialty), was sublime as always. I honestly could walk away with just a DKA and a steaming cup of coffee and be in tastebud heaven.

 My two friends also agreed that this was tasty, though I'm not sure if they loved it as much as I did.

I tried a bite of the canele, one of the very first DA treats I've ever had. This was good, but a little too well-done on the outside. Back to another bite of the DKA!

Next up, I sliced into the magic soufflé. The outside tastes exactly like the orange-cardomom bread my mother used to make. Exactly. It was jarring to taste something so familiar. The texture of the bread wasn't what I expected, so I wasn't that big a fan of the two flavors/textures at first. The chocolate innards were rich and delicious, but I couldn't reconcile it with the outside coating. While the standard line at DA is to eat the magic soufflé immediately, I saved most of it for the next day, and I liked it even more.

Yes, the cronut is quite tasty (see my previous thoughts here), but there is so much more to this spot than that tasty, tasty trend. Pop on in for a bite or two and let me know what you think!!

Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 219-2773

Atlanta: Highland Bakery

The Highland Bakery is just steps from the hotel where we stayed in Atlanta. I heard from some of my Facebook friends that I could get a decent cup of coffee here-- and days later, craving some quality caffeine, this trip was long overdue.

I headed over there to pick up some breakfast sandwiches for ABF & me, as well as COFFEE. Hot, steaming, aromatic, best-part-of-waking-up coffee. Two larges, please. I was so excited, I forgot to take pictures. FORGOT!

It was good coffee, too.

The breakfast sandwiches, though? Mostly meh.

The bagels at this place tasted a bit tough and flat, stale, even. It could just be too different from a good NYC bagel. The 'sausage' is actually turkey sausage (I didn't tell ABF until after he ate it), and it was okay, but two patties was overkill for me.

I ended up taking mine out of the bagel and eating it with a knife and fork, not for lower carb count, but because I just didn't care for the texture.

I also surprised ABF with some mini cinnamon rolls that LOOKED awesome but did not taste awesome. The rolls were thick, clunky, and tasteless, and the icing was that greasy, bland type that, to me, tastes like unsalted butter and nothing else. I would have loved some tangy cream cheese icing on these-- I felt slightly misled!

While our takeout experience was sub-par, I saw a lot of really tempting, well-crafted dishes pass by me while I waited inside the store. I would go back again and try a sit-down experience and order one of their dishes.

Highland Bakery

1180 Peachtree Street NE, Ste-C

Atlanta, GA 30309

404-835-3130

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Scratch Bakery: Sweets

The sandwiches at Scratch (oh lawd, the SANDWICHES) were so good that it was a while before we tucked into our desserts.

The smell of fresh baked goods will deliciously envelop you at Scratch. It took a bit of self-control not to BUY ALL THE FOODZ! We managed to dial it back and just get a few bites, but there are plenty of delicious offerings from mini-cakes to cookies, blondies, brownies and more.

We'd picked up some cookies (ABF loves a good cookie): a chocolate-chocolate chip and a ginger-spice one (I can't recall the exact name) and for me, some shortbread.

I am a sucker for a buttery, flaky shortbread. They had regular shortbread and sea salt shortbread-- which is what I ordered. Just 75 cents for a dense, heavy, flaky square of goodness!

My shortbread was good, but I think the salt took away from the wonderful, sweet butteriness (is that a word? it is now), so if when I go back I'll stick to the regular shortbread. Mmmm...melty.

There's so much more to try-- I need to go back for some tart key lime squares, almond horns, chocolate-drenched anything, and of course, more shortbread!!

Scratch Baking Company

416 Preble Street

South Portland, ME 04106

(207) 799-0668

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Scratch Bakery: Sandwiches (Maine)

My friend JM knows good bread when she tries it. She highly recommended Portland's Scratch Bakery, even above the more-publicized, centrally-located bakeries in the downtown areas. (The folks at Food & Wine magazine agree with her-- they named Scratch one of the country's Best Bread Bakeries!

You need a car to get to Scratch, and thankfully, we had one! ABF & I drove out on a rainy afternoon to get some sammiches, and Scratch put some outstanding food in our happy pieholes!

(sweet stuff post HERE!)

The freshly-baked bread smell in Scratch is so intoxicating, you almost lose focus. When you step inside, you'll see the breads of the day to the right. Pace yourself! I wanted to lose myself in soft dinner rolls and crusty boules, but keep going around the bend to the sandwich corner!

This is clearly off the beaten path for tourists, and I had no idea how/where/when to order. (Skip the register at the front of the store and go right back to the sandwich counter to order, then pay at the register).

We figured it out eventually, and the helpful folks behind the counter were quick to help us out further. I went with the pulled pork sandwich, and ABF got the roasted turkey. They wrapped them up for us while we wandered over to the bakery area.

We also picked up some Maine sodas (root beer for me, sarsaparilla for ABF)--these were great! Not too harsh with the bubbles, a nice bite to the root beer, and a sort of vanilla/cream soda taste to the sarsaparilla.

Here's my stunning sammich: the tenderest, most melt-in-your-mouthiest, succulent pulled pork-- you could almost eat it with a spoon. Normally I'd pick off that red cabbage, but I left the sandwich untouched and ate it as is.

The crunchy cabbage, the slightly sweet pickles, and the softest, freshest bread all came together in a crazy wow tasty explosion.

There's another beauty shot of ABF's sandwich-- roasted turkey, Romaine lettuce, caramelized onions, and their 'exotic' mustard. I don't know what makes it exotic, but it was render-me-speechless good.

We had some very good food during our stay in Portland, but Scratch Bakery was hands down THE BEST. We actually tried to go back another day to get some sandwiches for dinner, but we got there 15 minutes after closing (o, the gnashing of teeth and weeping we did!) If you're staying anywhere near there, zip over for some sandwiches, sweet treats, and wicked strong coffee!

Scratch Baking Company

416 Preble Street

South Portland, ME 04106

(207) 799-0668

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Back to Beach Pea (for the Sweet Stuff!)

So we knew for a fact that Beach Pea can make an amazing sandwich (that story here). Jeannie had also told me they make killer croissants and ethereal eclairs. I trust Jeannie's opinion, but I also had to verify this with my very own taste buds!

Jeannie was so intent on getting me to try the croissants that she went in to Beach Pea early to make sure she secured some (as they disappear in a flash)-- a chocolate and a raspberry. I thought the raspberry would be my favorite, but oh no--the chocolate one was just like Jeannie's husband said it would be--basically wrapped around 'a chocolate bar.' Pretty close!

Also lovely? Their plain version. People--I ate this almost a WEEK later (after preserving it in the fridge sealed in Tupperware), toasted it in the oven at 250 degrees for 10 minutes, and I'd have sworn it was fresh-baked. Hummina hummina.

I was especially excited to try the eclairs. I belive they make a full-sized version, but I only saw miniatures, which were 2-3 small bites. Not enough, and yet plenty! These looked so good that I couldn't wait, and I delicately chomped into one while we were still in ABF's car. Did you hear the harps just then? What a light, fluffy, stupendous treat! The filling is a lighter sort than the heavy custard I expected. Very close to the way my very own mother makes her (addicting) eclairs. It was a delicious bite and a reminder of home all in one fell, sugary swoop.

BPBC is also known for their cookies, especially the Cowgirl, a nutty, yummy disc filled with coconut, walnuts, and other goodness. You can buy a bag filled with regular ones (for just under 5 dollars-worth it!) or get the larger ones, which are, as you can see, about as big as my head. ABF & I demolished that baby!

Beach Pea does amazing things with bread, too. I picked up a fresh fougasse (the leaf shaped Provencal bread), flavored with fresh rosemary and sea salt. The aroma of this bread was distractingly swoon-worthy. I shared it with my colleagues next day.

The woman who packed up my (many, many) treats was very helpful--I told her I was going to serve the bread and the croissants later in the week, and she advised I wrap them in plastic. I wrapped the fougasse in plastic AND put it in the fridge (I don't like leaving food out in my kitchen).

By the time I served the chewy, savory fougasse to coworkers, it was room temperature and mouth-watering. I snapped a picture of it next to my hand to show you how big this baby is. And the taste? Ethereal! Addicting! We kept going back for 'one more bite,' because this is a craveworthy carb. Well played, Beach Pea. Well played.

Beach Pea Baking Co

53 State Street

Kittery, ME 03904

207-439-3555

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Beach Pea Baking Company (ME)

Long story short: Facebook is fab. I met my friend Jeannie via various social media, and she mentioned that we should meet up sometime near her city. It just so happened that we did that on our recent vacation up to Maine.

Jeannie suggested Beach Pea Baking Co, a cozy spot in Kittery (Maine) known for their sandwiches, cookies, croissants, eclairs (oh we'll get there in another post--click here for that story!) and above all, their bread.

We met on a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon--in fact the very first Sunday that Beach Pea was open! How fortuitous!

I ordered a dark roast drip coffee for ABF and an almond latte (vacation!) for me. They were rich, bold, and not a bit of bitterness to either brew. Ahh, perfect on a cold, rainy fall day.

Jeannie ordered their roasted veggie salad, which looked so fresh and good. It had roasted vegetables on a mix of field greens and spinach, topped with pine nuts, goat cheese, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I'll have to come back to sample that!

ABF had the curried chicken salad sandwich, which had white breast mean from Bell & Evans chickens, celery, golden raisins, curry, tomato and romaine on multigrain bread which I'm sure was made that morning. I didn't get a pic but he loved every bite.

My sandwich was the roasted turkey, topped with Vermont-raised turkey, cheddar, avocado, poached red onion (so the sting was gone), and tomato with chipotle mayo(mmmm chipotleeeeeee) on a soft but crunchy baguette. Oh that bread.

I ate the first half and let the second sit there while we talked (and my goodness did we talk! We caught up like crazy--so much fun). I figured maybe I'd save the other half for later...until I decided it was too crazy delicious and I had to eat it right now! Omnomnomnom!

In fact, it was so good, we stopped there the NEXT day on our drive home! By then they had stopped serving lunch, so ABF & I picked up some sandwiches made that morning, plus some tasty-looking potato salad.

I had the cured ham with tomato, red onion, roasted apples (!) and a mustard/mayo mix I would normally NEVER consider but ended up loving. Ok--I could have lived without the apples (texture wise), but overall, what a thoughtful, refreshing combo!

I did save the other half for dinner that night (when it was still super yum)-- you know, so I would have room for cookies.

ABF had the sliced steak with horseradish mayo. His was delicious. And I mean delicious. But I liked mine even better. Woo hoo! No order envy for either one of us---we both loved our choices.

And that potato salad? Red bliss potatoes and a few whole, real, easy-to-pronounce/recognize ingredients. Holy moley-- that was absolutely ambrosial! I could have easily put that away all by myself, but I managed to make myself share. SO. GOOD.

Everything was so fresh and delicious, the portions were satisfying but not huge, and each bite tasted like Mom just finished baking up a storm. And their desserts? Oh, honey...just you wait.....

Thanks again, Jeannie--and your fabulous husband--for being such fantastic, fun hosts (and collaborators in carb consumption)!!

Beach Pea Baking Co

53 State Street

Kittery, ME

03904

207-439-3555

Follow @Lkpnyc