555 California Street, San Francisco, CA
Showing posts with label bakery reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bakery reviews. Show all posts
Aug 30, 2010
Jul 19, 2010
Happy Birthday to Me
Thank you Noe Valley Bakery..
and Eric, Nosh, Cat, Regina and Cruz, Hannah and Aaron, ading Jason, Jorge, and Mimi for the comfortable bed..
love you guys.
g
Jul 3, 2010
May 26, 2010
You've Never Heard of Red Velvet? WHAAAAA?
My Aunt and Uncle were in town from the UK this week for my older brother's wedding. We caught up on how our cousins were doing, their plans to build a house in the Philippines, and how my baking plans were going. I told them about the 150 cupcakes I need to make in about three weeks for my best friends wedding and that's when one of them blurted out, "Whots Red Velvet?".
I have to remember Red Velvet is a southern dessert. And I guess I couldn't be too shocked. Before I lived in Australia, I had never heard of Vegemite.
On the day of their departure, I stopped in Blissful Bites Bakery and ordered them a few keepsakes to bring home, including four Red Velvet cupcakes. (The owner was born and raised in Korea, then eventually made his way to San Francisco. With a passion for baking, he attended CCA and a few years later opened Blissful Bites.)
On any given day, they normally have twelve-fifteen different flavors on hand. Stop in and support local businesses.
I have to remember Red Velvet is a southern dessert. And I guess I couldn't be too shocked. Before I lived in Australia, I had never heard of Vegemite.
On the day of their departure, I stopped in Blissful Bites Bakery and ordered them a few keepsakes to bring home, including four Red Velvet cupcakes. (The owner was born and raised in Korea, then eventually made his way to San Francisco. With a passion for baking, he attended CCA and a few years later opened Blissful Bites.)
On any given day, they normally have twelve-fifteen different flavors on hand. Stop in and support local businesses.
Mar 24, 2010
My Favorite Bakery and Cafe
I would like to keep this place a secret.
But if you didn't hear it from me, someone else would tell you.
Avec plasir ... Bonjour.
The Song Shan location has a full on breakfast and lunch menu in addition to their pastries and desserts. I ate here almost everyday. For a hearty meal, my personal recommendations are the fried chicken sandwich, friend rice or beef hamburger. No joke. If you have a sweet tooth or are a carb-o-holic, you'll think you stepped into heaven.
Bon appétit!
But if you didn't hear it from me, someone else would tell you.
Avec plasir ... Bonjour.
The Song Shan location has a full on breakfast and lunch menu in addition to their pastries and desserts. I ate here almost everyday. For a hearty meal, my personal recommendations are the fried chicken sandwich, friend rice or beef hamburger. No joke. If you have a sweet tooth or are a carb-o-holic, you'll think you stepped into heaven.
Bon appétit!
Mar 23, 2010
Squid Ink and Smiling Faces
Pop into any bakery in Taipei and you'll find baked goods so black you can't help but wonder what it is.
We picked up a Garlic Chicken filled Squid Ink roll from Champs-Élysées Bakery. Sooooo good!
Other bakeries carry baked goods that make you smile with just one look.
We picked up a Garlic Chicken filled Squid Ink roll from Champs-Élysées Bakery. Sooooo good!
Other bakeries carry baked goods that make you smile with just one look.
Feb 14, 2010
Birthday Cupcakes
My younger brother is one of the hardest working people I know. He gets to work at 7 am and leaves around 11 at night, six sometimes seven times a week. At the whim of his client (*ahem* Genentech), he was unable to spend his 27th birthday with friends and family. In a desperate attempt to bring a piece of home to him, I searched high and low for a bakery that would delivery an extra special order with a 24-hour notice.
Cupcake Jones to the rescue. They warmly answered the phone and happily accomodated my request. One dozen cupcakes delivered to his work tomorrow between the hours of 10 and 2. 'Would you also like a candle and card to accompany this delivery?' she asks. How sweet. (I'm wondering if they are hiring.)
The cupcakes made in time and looked impeccable. 'Dangerously delicious' were his exact words. I could hear him smiling on the other end than as he thanked us for making his day.
Happy Birthday J.
White Chocolate Raspberry: white chocolate cake filled with raspberry white chocolate pastry cream topped with white chocolate buttercream, raspberry drizzle, and grated white chocolate
Bananas Foster: banana spice cake filled with caramel pastry cream topped with caramel buttercream, caramel sauce and a banana chip
Downtown Cupcake Brown: delicious devil’s food cake filled with sour cream chocolate ganache topped with fresh grated dark chocolate
Velvet Painting: red velvet cake filled with vanilla bean pastry cream topped with cream cheese icing, and a hand candied rose petal
Cupcake Jones to the rescue. They warmly answered the phone and happily accomodated my request. One dozen cupcakes delivered to his work tomorrow between the hours of 10 and 2. 'Would you also like a candle and card to accompany this delivery?' she asks. How sweet. (I'm wondering if they are hiring.)
The cupcakes made in time and looked impeccable. 'Dangerously delicious' were his exact words. I could hear him smiling on the other end than as he thanked us for making his day.
Happy Birthday J.
White Chocolate Raspberry: white chocolate cake filled with raspberry white chocolate pastry cream topped with white chocolate buttercream, raspberry drizzle, and grated white chocolate
Bananas Foster: banana spice cake filled with caramel pastry cream topped with caramel buttercream, caramel sauce and a banana chip
Downtown Cupcake Brown: delicious devil’s food cake filled with sour cream chocolate ganache topped with fresh grated dark chocolate
Velvet Painting: red velvet cake filled with vanilla bean pastry cream topped with cream cheese icing, and a hand candied rose petal
Jan 31, 2010
Fleur de Sel
You might wonder why an 8 oz jar of Fleur de Sel (french for flower of salt) averages around $8 a pop. It is a result of sea water, hand harvested off the coast of France and naturally processed by the sun and wind. It's culinary uses are endless - try it with salads, meats, desserts and everything in between.
Pictured below is just one of many popular combinations (with chocolate and caramel)
This is a chocolate caramel fleur de sel cupcake baked fresh from Noe Valley Bakery. And yes it tastes as amazing at it looks.
I couldn't help but wonder what # tip they used to frost these cupcakes. What porportion of baking soda/baking powder did they use to get these babies so plump? Does the bakery create large batches of these? Does that mean they really add only one egg at a time? Wouldn't that entail overworking the dough? Piping the filling into each one must have been fun. I'm guessing they use real butter instead of shortening and eggs, also at room temperature. Dry ingredients are added in parts ...
Pictured below is just one of many popular combinations (with chocolate and caramel)
This is a chocolate caramel fleur de sel cupcake baked fresh from Noe Valley Bakery. And yes it tastes as amazing at it looks.
I couldn't help but wonder what # tip they used to frost these cupcakes. What porportion of baking soda/baking powder did they use to get these babies so plump? Does the bakery create large batches of these? Does that mean they really add only one egg at a time? Wouldn't that entail overworking the dough? Piping the filling into each one must have been fun. I'm guessing they use real butter instead of shortening and eggs, also at room temperature. Dry ingredients are added in parts ...
Jan 24, 2010
Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Sundays
Teacake Bakeshop is something kind of wonderful. They have three locations throughout Northern California, one in Corte Madera, one in LaFayette and one Emeryville. They specialize in cupcakes, cookies, and brownies, all made from scratch in small batches. The shop is oh so adorable and their kitchen was immaculate. I couldn't help but smile seeing blocks of butter and stacks of eggs resting at room temperature.
We ordered one pink velvet cupcake (I had just made another test run batch for Julnette's wedding and wanted to compare) and one Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut cookie. My goooshhh, the cookie was mammoth.. so soft... the chocolate and hazelnut ratio was perfect. There isn't one thing I would have changed. And the cupcake.. how the hell did they get the frosting so soft? I'll have to play around with the recipe I've been using.
It has been a week since my visit to the Teacake Bakeshop in Corte Madera, so I decided to whip up a batch of chocolate chip hazelnut cookies. Pictures will be posted soon, in the meantime enjoy these photos courtesy of britt.piehl.
**I remember chatting it up with the staff and they were so enthusiastic about being a part of the Teacake team. They talked about their involvement with the community (ie. student deal Wednesdays and book donation Thursdays). They also offer baking classes at their LaFayette location. This place just keeps getting better.
We ordered one pink velvet cupcake (I had just made another test run batch for Julnette's wedding and wanted to compare) and one Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut cookie. My goooshhh, the cookie was mammoth.. so soft... the chocolate and hazelnut ratio was perfect. There isn't one thing I would have changed. And the cupcake.. how the hell did they get the frosting so soft? I'll have to play around with the recipe I've been using.
It has been a week since my visit to the Teacake Bakeshop in Corte Madera, so I decided to whip up a batch of chocolate chip hazelnut cookies. Pictures will be posted soon, in the meantime enjoy these photos courtesy of britt.piehl.
**I remember chatting it up with the staff and they were so enthusiastic about being a part of the Teacake team. They talked about their involvement with the community (ie. student deal Wednesdays and book donation Thursdays). They also offer baking classes at their LaFayette location. This place just keeps getting better.
Jan 20, 2010
Noe Valley Bakery
Noe Valley Bakery is nothing short of amazing. I was first introduced to them sometime last year as we celebrated Nosheen's birthday with an 8" carrot cake. I have since have been hooked. This bakery carries a large selection of breads, pastries, cakes, cookies and pies all made in-house (just peer over the counter and you can see the busy bees at work for yourself). This place is homely in every sense of the word, which is hard to say for most places in Noe Valley. I am comforted by everything I have ever ordered and I have yet to try something that is overly sweet. Don't take my word for it, or the 310reviews on Yelp (4 out of 5 stars). Check them out for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
Local Favorites:
- Most-est cupcakes
- NoeOs
- Blueberry-Pecan scones ($2.35)
- Chocolate Chip Cookies ($1.00)
- Cloud 9 Cake
- Carrot Cake (This will be my downfall)
For all your non-bakers who want to impress your family and friends, they also carry a freezer full of bake-at-home cookies, pie shells and puff pastry.
Below is an excerpt on from by Tara Duggan's article SCRUMPTIOUS SCONES / Bakers share tips for creating a no-fail batch). Micheal Gassen was gracious enough to share his blueberry scone recipe and essential baking tips.
"Bakers at San Francisco's Noe Valley Bakery & Bread Co. add pieces of frozen butter to the dough so that the butter stays in chunks all the way to the oven. Then the dough is rolled into logs and cut into rounds to avoid being overworked.
"The least amount of stress you put on a product the better. If you think about pie dough or molding bread if you overwork it it becomes tough. We want the scone dough to be shaggy" says owner Michael Gassen peering into a 20-quart mixer bowl full of purplish dough studded with 1/2-inch chunks of butter blueberries and pecans."
INGREDIENTS:
7 ounces cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup chopped toasted
pecans
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or grease them with butter. Chop the butter into 1/4-inch pieces. (It is important to make the pieces no larger than 1/4 inch because they are difficult to make any smaller once frozen.) Spread on a plate and place in the freezer until hard about 30 minutes or overnight.
Combine the flour sugar baking powder salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter and chop with two butter knives or a pastry blender until it is well blended and some of the butter is crumbly. Mix in the pecans. Gradually add the buttermilk 1/3 cup at a time and mix gently until all ingredients are incorporated but not completely blended. You might not use up all of the liquid. The end result should be a shaggy mass.
Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the dough and only mix enough to evenly distribute the berries.
Gently form the dough into 1/3-cup balls and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. (You may freeze the balls at this point and bake them later. Once frozen place scones in freezer storage bags.)
Bake 24-26 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Yields 16 scones.
PER SCONE: 200 calories 3 g protein 21 g carbohydrate 12 g fat (7 g saturated) 28 mg cholesterol 87 mg sodium 1 g fiber.
Michael mentions that it is ok to freeze the scones, just note that the cook time may be slightly longer.
Thank you Michael and Mary for sharing your love of baking.
Local Favorites:
- Most-est cupcakes
- NoeOs
- Blueberry-Pecan scones ($2.35)
- Chocolate Chip Cookies ($1.00)
- Cloud 9 Cake
- Carrot Cake (This will be my downfall)
For all your non-bakers who want to impress your family and friends, they also carry a freezer full of bake-at-home cookies, pie shells and puff pastry.
Below is an excerpt on from by Tara Duggan's article SCRUMPTIOUS SCONES / Bakers share tips for creating a no-fail batch). Micheal Gassen was gracious enough to share his blueberry scone recipe and essential baking tips.
"Bakers at San Francisco's Noe Valley Bakery & Bread Co. add pieces of frozen butter to the dough so that the butter stays in chunks all the way to the oven. Then the dough is rolled into logs and cut into rounds to avoid being overworked.
"The least amount of stress you put on a product the better. If you think about pie dough or molding bread if you overwork it it becomes tough. We want the scone dough to be shaggy" says owner Michael Gassen peering into a 20-quart mixer bowl full of purplish dough studded with 1/2-inch chunks of butter blueberries and pecans."
INGREDIENTS:
7 ounces cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup chopped toasted
pecans
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or grease them with butter. Chop the butter into 1/4-inch pieces. (It is important to make the pieces no larger than 1/4 inch because they are difficult to make any smaller once frozen.) Spread on a plate and place in the freezer until hard about 30 minutes or overnight.
Combine the flour sugar baking powder salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter and chop with two butter knives or a pastry blender until it is well blended and some of the butter is crumbly. Mix in the pecans. Gradually add the buttermilk 1/3 cup at a time and mix gently until all ingredients are incorporated but not completely blended. You might not use up all of the liquid. The end result should be a shaggy mass.
Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the dough and only mix enough to evenly distribute the berries.
Gently form the dough into 1/3-cup balls and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. (You may freeze the balls at this point and bake them later. Once frozen place scones in freezer storage bags.)
Bake 24-26 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Yields 16 scones.
PER SCONE: 200 calories 3 g protein 21 g carbohydrate 12 g fat (7 g saturated) 28 mg cholesterol 87 mg sodium 1 g fiber.
Michael mentions that it is ok to freeze the scones, just note that the cook time may be slightly longer.
Thank you Michael and Mary for sharing your love of baking.
Jan 18, 2010
Little Crumbs in San Francisco
Last week, I was reading through the most reviewed San Francisco bakeries on YELP. With 697 reviews averaging around 4 stars, I was intrigued. I visited their website soon thereafter, clicked through their gallery and read the 'about us' section. I was hooked. Their cakes, cookies, tarts and cupcakes are beautifully designed - classic and simple. I'm dying to know if they taste as good as they look.
We ordered the Scharffen Berger Mini for only $5.
YEAP.. just as I suspected. SOOO EFFIN goood!
I want to go back and try their ginger cupcake and perhaps stage for a day in their kitchen located in Jack London Square.
We ordered the Scharffen Berger Mini for only $5.
YEAP.. just as I suspected. SOOO EFFIN goood!
I want to go back and try their ginger cupcake and perhaps stage for a day in their kitchen located in Jack London Square.
Happy Birthday MLK
It is a rainy Monday afternoon and what better way to enjoy the day than to check out a few bakeries in the city. My first stop - Paulette Macarons. I've seen a number of macaron recipes online and have been dying to test them out. However, I thought it would be a good idea to try a 'real' macaron before undertaking such tasks.
Hmm.. macarons are interesting to say the least. We sampled the earl grey and New Orleans praline first. I'm not really sure what to compare these to - they are distinctly flavored and uniquely designed. I bought a half a dozen for $10.50. Eek. A great novelty gift idea for sure, but personally I would have much rather bought a chunky, chewy cookie paired with a glass of milk.
*from left to right: Madagascar vanilla, Caribbean chocolate, violet cassis and caramel pecan
Hmm.. macarons are interesting to say the least. We sampled the earl grey and New Orleans praline first. I'm not really sure what to compare these to - they are distinctly flavored and uniquely designed. I bought a half a dozen for $10.50. Eek. A great novelty gift idea for sure, but personally I would have much rather bought a chunky, chewy cookie paired with a glass of milk.
*from left to right: Madagascar vanilla, Caribbean chocolate, violet cassis and caramel pecan
Nov 25, 2009
Peg and Deb's Pumpkin Spice
'Peg & Deb don’t claim to be pastry chefs-just two girls who set out to do their own thing.'
You go girls!
I can't help but support them.
sugar Sweet sunshine
126 Rivington Street
New York City, NY 10002
Pictures courtesy of roboppy
You go girls!
I can't help but support them.
sugar Sweet sunshine
126 Rivington Street
New York City, NY 10002
Pictures courtesy of roboppy
Aug 8, 2009
Arizmendi Bakery SF
I have been wanting to try Arizmendi SF's pizza for some time now. (The line is always out the door at their Oakland location) They generally close up shop around 7pm and I almost never get back into the city in time. With slight overcast, I hopped on my bike and headed over to 9th and Irvine. If you don't know about Arizmendi pizza, the menu changes daily. They offer hot or lite-baked, by the slice ($2.25), half ($9) or whole ($18).
Today's pizza was mushroom, arugula and olive oil, served over thin crust. YUMM.. they have a monthly calendar.. check them out at www.arizmendibakery.org.
Jan 10, 2009
Farmers Market Series: Berkeley Farmers Market
Saturdays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Center Street @ M. L. King, Jr. Way
Featuring live music and non-pushy vendors
Sprouted Bean Mix (Brooks and Daughters)
Sprouted Wheat Berries (Brooks and Daughters)
Brooks and Daughters
Products: sprouts, pesto, hummus, wheat grass juice
Not Certified Organic
Contact: Jim & Corie Brooks
6595 Ellen Ln.
Forestville, CA 95436
(707) 887-8747
Fatted Calf
Products: local and sustainably raised meats
Contact: Toponia Miller and Tayler Boetticher
644 First Street Suite C
Napa, CA 94559
707-256-3684
*Support your local farms and at the very least pick up some beef jerky!
OctoberFeast Bakery
Products: Organic Old World vegan and gluten-free breads
Contact: Dieter Heise
*Try their non-frou-frou, hearty buttery croissants. At only $1.75 it's a steal.
Smit Ranch, Inc.
Products: apples, stone fruit, juice
Some Fruit is Certified Organic
Contact: John & Cleizene Smit
*$1 will get you a cup of hot cider - perfect for those cold morning strolls perusing through the rest of the market. (For and additional $.50, the vendor will top off your cup)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)