om nom notes: bakery

Showing posts with label bakery. Show all posts

April 4, 2013

What to Eat & Drink in Downtown Seattle, March 2013

Seattle was such a hard city to decide what I wanted to eat. There are way too many choices for amazing cuisine.

Here are the food, drink, & restaurant establishments I visited in March 2013 over 3 days and what I ordered. Mostly, these were easily walkable from the Westin Seattle around downtown. All in all, I think I made tasty decisions!

Om nom notes: Downtown Seattle (Not in any order of preference but bolded names are not to be missed)

For Food

Sitka & Spruce - sourdough, black cod, artichoke gratin, halibut, gateau basque. get more details here
Salumi - Get here at around 10:30am, trust me - the line will be shorter than if you came later. Also, get some salumi to go! It doesn't need to be refrigerated. Even if you can't finish the sandwiches, get at least 2 to try. I got the muffo and a Finnochiona (black peppercorn and fennel) & Provolone on Giuseppe. So good! Definitely add the onions and peppers too.
Dahlia Lounge - came here for drinks only (liked the menu at Serious Pie better that night) Interesting cocktails (many with hibiscus infused liquors) and a solid glass wine list.
Taylor Shelfish Farms - oysters, tried one of every kind
Mamnoon - in the words of my friend, we tried everything with something funky including bamyeh bi zeit (okra), bateresh (eggplant and lamb), arnabeit makli (cauliflower), muhammara (walnut pepper paste), fattoush (mache radish salad)
Serious Pie - Regular margherita, and the soft egg/cotto pizza. If there's a wait, head over to Dahlia Lounge for a drink.
The Crumpet Shop - have you ever had a crumpet? Now i have! tried the pesto, tomato & english cheese. Their crumpet shop blend tea is good as well - free refills and they'll even give you a to-go cup.
Beecher's Handmade Cheese - supposedly the world's best Mac & Cheese. It was a bit too 'wet' for me. Fun to watch the cheese making though and try their flagship cheese.
Pike Place Chowder - the original new england seafood chowder is the one to try. I could drink a vat of this

For Sweets

Dahlia Bakery - Get the famous Triple creme coconut pie, available in bite, individual, and normal pie sizes. I might have come here 3 times in 3 days...Wish I could have tried their homemade english muffin breakfast sandwich but ran out of time :(
Top Pot Doughnuts - warm fresh doughnuts. Got an old-fashioned glazed and a mug of coffee. great place to chill and read a magazinego

For Coffee

Zeitgeist Koffee - Get some coffee to go as you wait in line for Salumi around the corner.
Stumptown Coffee - The same as what's from Portland, might as well get some to go!
Caffe Senso Unico

July 5, 2012

Bagels that are Worth the Calories

om nom notes rating: 5 stars

Ever since I found out that bagels are easily 300-400 calories for a bagel itself, I generally stopped eating bagels. However, I recently discovered House of Bagels in San Carlos. These traditional New York style bagels are amazing and I have to use my utmost control to limit my intake to only 1 bagel per week. These bagels are worth it.

House of Bagels is a franchise in the SF Bay area, but every store controls their own menu. What is consistent is how they make their bagels. Made fresh daily, HOB bagels are boiled first, and then baked on brick. This creates the soft, moist but chewy interior, and a tougher, flavorful crust exterior - just the way a bagel should be. The right texture for both the inside and outside of these bagels is what makes the difference. Note: these bagels aren't as large as Panera or Noah's/Einstein Bro's, but more than make up for it in taste and quality.

While I can easily eat any of these bagels on their own, they taste even better with HOB's large selection of schmears (in between normal and whipped and usually available in lite) or bagel sandwiches (available with your preferred bagel). My favorite bagel go-tos are either egg or jalapeno which I get with lite cream cheese on the side. Or, if I'm feeling particularly indulgent, I go for the "Hamlet" bagel omelet (#3) on jalapeno. Ham, fluffy egg, and american cheese on a bagel with a little bit of kick, it's the best way to start a weekend.

This family owned franchise store cranks out an amazing number of orders every day (including perfecting a method to cook the egg exactly as needed for the bagel breakfast sandwiches!). They're incredibly efficient to help meet the needs of the customers who just want to stop in, pick up, and get on with their day. Don't take this efficiency as poor service please. They work hard and are totally pleasant if you are!

Tip: They only make specific quantities of bagels each day and will close early (before 2pm) if they totally run out! I usually go around 10am on a weekend and have all my choices still.

See more pictures at http://on.fb.me/PlX3r5

Hamlet Bagel Omelet - $3.85

Hamlet Bagel Sandwich from House of Bagels

Hamlet: jalapeno bagel, ham, egg & cheese

Bagel Varieties - $0.95/each or $9.25/dozen, Premium $1.10/each

Bagels & Premium Bagels from House of Bagels

Bagels: chocolate chip, cranberry, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, garlic, egg, jalapeno, sourdough, pumpernickel, whole wheat, sun dried tomato, salt, rye, onion, all in one, poppy, sesame, plain
Premium Bagels: cinnamon sugar, cheddar & jack cheese, jalapeno cheddar & jack, asiago

House of Bagels - San Carlos

60 yelp reviews as of 7/5/12

http://

June 15, 2012

What is a Kouign Amman?

om nom notes rating: 5 stars

It's only the best baked good ever! It's travesty that I have not had this delectable Breton, French pastry until this most recent trip to New York. Why don't they have more places that make this in California, especially in the Bay Area!

In short, a Kouign Amman is a baked specialty by the Bretons from Brittany, France. In Breton, the traditional language spoken in Brittany, Kouign means "cake" and Amman means "butter" (pronunciation: koo-ween ah-mon).

The result? A "butter cake" that's flaky, buttery with a little salty goodness and a crunchy caramelized crust all in one delicious treat. Literally, the kouign-amman is made by folding together layers of salted butter, sugar, and bread dough. It's almost like a croissant, puff pastry, and a palmier all in one - and it certainly is at the top of my list. It even beats the amazing Williams-Sonoma Croissants. That's saying a lot.

There are several places in New York that carry Kouign Ammans, but it is a signature at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in the South Village lovingly named the DKA ("Dominique's Kouign Amman"). The DKA along with the Perfect Little Egg Sandwich, complete with a garden sitting area made for a delightful breakfast visit. The only issue was that I really wanted to try everything on the menu, I must go back.

Yes the price was a bit steep, but these little treats take a lot of effort to make. Kudos to David Lebovitz and The Purple Foodie for taking that challenge on! As for me, I'll need to start the search for these around San Francisco - even if that means trekking all the way over to the Starter Bakery in Oakland, CA.

I promise I'll come by to your store often if anyone starts selling these on the Peninsula :)

DKA - $5.25