Archive for the 'Bakery' Category

Milo & Olive – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

Published by Gastronomer on May 1, 2012 in Bakery, Los Angeles, Pizza, Restaurant Review and Santa Monica. 7 Comments

Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb didn’t intend to open a pizzeria when they scooped up the space at 2723 Wilshire Boulevard. The initial plan was to use the kitchen to relieve the overworked ovens at Huckleberry, their bustling bakery and cafe a mile away.

But one thing led to another, a pizza dough was developed and a wood-burning Mugnaini oven was installed, and thus, Milo & Olive came to be. Milo, by the way, is the name of the couple’s son. Olive, on the other hand, is just a name that they really liked.

Milo & Olive’s stupendously good pastries, seasonal small plates, and delightful pizzas are reason enough to visit, but it took Chef Walter Manzke taking over the stoves to get me and my friends to finally come in. The former Church & State chef and soon-to-be chef-owner of République is temporarily overseeing the kitchen since executive chef Evan Funke departed.

The menu hasn’t changed much since his arrival and probably won’t for the most part. According to Chef, he’s mostly here to keep the kitchen organized and to make sure that the food is up to snuff.

With only 24 seats in the restaurant and no reservations taken, our party of three faced a 45 minute wait when we arrived sometime past 7 on a weekday evening. After strolling up the street and grabbing drinks at The Charleston, we were seated at one of the communal tables.

To start, we shared a petite serving of marinated artichokes ($11) minimally adorned with baby spinach, toasted pine nuts, capers, golden raisins, and goat cheese.

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Café Dulcé – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Published by Gastronomer on April 26, 2012 in Bakery, Breakfast / Brunch, Dessert, Downtown, Japanese, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 18 Comments

I didn’t mean to binge on doughnuts at Café Dulcé. The plan was to stop in for a single green tea doughnut, specially priced at just a dollar in celebration of the shop’s first birthday, and head to Daikokuya for ramen with family right after.

My good intentions went out the window once I set foot inside the shop and caught a glimpse of the dessert-lined shelves. As my eyes wandered from row to row, one treat became two, two became three, and well, let’s just say things didn’t go exactly according to plan. Visiting a bakery on an empty stomach…dangerous.

I had to try the bacon doughnut hole ($1), a three bite wonder of pillowy dough smothered in sweet icing and dotted with smoky bacon shards. The portion was petite, while the flavor and texture were just right.

The brick toast ($3.50) called out to The Astronomer and he couldn’t resist its charms. The hefty block o’ bread was considerately sliced into nine perfectly pluckable pieces, making it easier for us to share without utensils. I couldn’t decide which bites were best, the ones with caramelized edges or the central segments of pure soft sweet dough.

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The Best Apple Fritter Ever at Diaz’s Bakery – Ojai

Published by Gastronomer on January 26, 2012 in Bakery, Breakfast / Brunch, Central Coast and Dessert. 7 Comments

Get thee to Diaz’s Bakery for freshly made apple fritters the next time you’re in Ojai. My friend Melina introduced me to this monstrosity a few weeks ago, and it’s been making regular appearances in my doughnut-flavored daydreams.

Each Frisbee-sized fritter is coated from top to bottom in a classic sugary glaze. The innards are soft, simple, and dotted with cinnamon-sprinkled apples. The whole thing is truly spectacular, but the best bites are along the cratered edges, where the icing has turned the deep-fried nubs into candy. It’s the perimeter that disappears first on my fritter.

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The Pie Hole – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Published by Gastronomer on November 22, 2011 in Bakery, Dessert, Downtown, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 13 Comments

My sweets-obsessed friend Nastassia and I have been dying to try The Pie Hole ever since it opened for business a little over a month ago. After several weeks of pining and planning, our schedules finally meshed perfectly this past Friday. It was time to have our pie and eat it too.

Rebecca Grasley and Matthew Heffner, a mother and son team, are the passionate pie slingers behind the cafe. All of the pies served here are made using Ms. Grasley’s recipes. She’s been baking for over fifty years and has won the best pie award at the New Jersey State Fair seven years in a row.

The recipes are executed by head pastry chef Adrianna Sullivan, who has worked in of some of the city’s best restaurants including Providence, Nickel Diner, and M.B. Post.

Nastassia and I arrived at the restaurant just before noon and headed straight for the pie counter. We each ordered a sweet one and a savory one. I was hoping for a slice of the chocolate peanut butter pie that Elina Shatkin wrote about in The Weekly, but alas, it was unavailable on this visit. Shucks.

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Old Sasoon Bakery – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on May 23, 2011 in Armenian, Bakery, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Restaurant Review and Syrian. 12 Comments

Old Sasoon Bakery has been high on my list of local places to check out ever since reading Tasting Table’s delectable report back in 2009. When The Astronomer had a speaking engagement at a high school located several buildings down from the shop, I took the opportunity to finally visit the famed Syrian bakery. I’d never realized it before, but Old Sasoon is located just a mile and half from my home—we’re practically neighbors! Shame on me for not coming in sooner.

According to my friend Josh, the bakery was opened by Haroutioun Geragosian in 1986. It is named after a village in Armenia that his grandparents left after World War II. Today, the shop is run by Haroutioun’s son Joesph and several other family members.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the store was how good the place smelled. Freshly baked goods perfumed the air both inside and outside the shop. The ambiance was laid back and efficient, just the way I like it.

All of the baked goods are displayed behind a classic bakery case. After scanning the various levels, The Astronomer and I picked out way too much food for two people. We couldn’t help ourselves because everything sounded so interesting and was priced quite reasonably.

To start, I picked out three beorags (savory hand pies) that the woman behind the counter offered to lightly toast in the oven. The one filled with basturma ($2.50) was balanced nicely by the creamy cheese and fluffy bread. I love the unique flavor of Armenian cured beef.

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