Archive for the 'Bakery' Category

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Proof Bakery – Los Angeles (Atwater Village)

Published by Gastronomer on October 5, 2012 in Atwater Village, Bakery, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 5 Comments

If you thought the recent heat wave was rough, imagine having to make croissants without air conditioning in that weather. That’s exactly what the team at Proof Bakery did, and I will forever bow down to Chef Na Young Ma and her band of talented bakers for possessing that kind of masochistic moxy. This redefines the meaning of bad ass.

Proof Bakery, which debuted in Atwater Village in late 2010, has been a stellar addition to an already happening neighborhood (See: Canele and Viet Noodle Bar).

The aforementioned croissants are made with a touch of sourdough starter and are considered to be some of the city’s best. In addition to plain ones, Proof also makes croissants filled with Valrhona chocolate, almonds, and ham and Gruyere. These flaky pastries sell out in a heartbeat; each and every one had been scooped up by earlier birds when I arrived at 11:30 on the nose.

Available throughout the day is an array of stunning sweets ranging from simple to intricate. The gorgeous tart with fresh figs and diplomat cream was damn near perfect. The fruit was plain luscious, while the cream was cool and balanced. The buttery, crumbly crust tied everything together.

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St. John Bakery – London

Published by Gastronomer on July 5, 2012 in Bakery, Breakfast / Brunch, British, Dessert, London and Restaurant Review. 7 Comments

Doughnuts have a way of finding me. While researching Chef Fergus Henderson’s St. John restaurant, I stumbled upon St. John Bakery, his wholesale baked goods operation. In addition to hearty loaves of all stripes, the bakery is famous for its exquisite yeast-risen, filled doughnuts. I thanked my lucky stars that our short stay in London included a Saturday, the sole day each week when the bakery is open to the public. Clearly, it was meant to be!

The Astronomer, my mom, and I dragged our jet-lagged bodies out of bed far too early on Saturday morning for our date with doughnut destiny. The bakery is only open from 9 AM to 2 PM, so it was imperative that we arrived before everything was sold out. Joining us was the lovely Su-Lin of Tamarind & Thyme, a mighty fine food blogger and London resident.

Two tube lines and nearly an hour later, we arrived at Arch 72, where a bountiful selection of breads and pastries awaited us.

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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. 8 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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